Tokushima Prefecture occupies the northeastern corner of Shikoku island, facing Osaka Bay and the Kii Channel across the Naruto Strait. It is best known for two very different natural spectacles: the Naruto whirlpools, where powerful tidal currents collide to form swirling vortices up to 20 meters across, and the remote Iya Valley, a steep, cedar-forested gorge in the prefecture's mountainous interior where vine suspension bridges have carried travelers across the Iya River for centuries. Tokushima City, the capital, is famous nationwide for the Awa Odori, Japan's largest traditional dance festival, held every August since the Edo period and drawing over a million spectators. The prefecture was historically Awa Province, ruled for nearly 300 years by the Hachisuka clan from Tokushima Castle, and its Edo-period wealth was built on the cultivation and trade of Awa-ai indigo dye, a craft still practiced today.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Tokushima.
-
1
Jomon and Yayoi period settlement along the Yoshino River delta and Naruto Strait coast
-
2
Ryozenji, Gokurakuji, and the other early Shikoku Pilgrimage temples in Awa Province traditionally founded or restored in association with Kukai (Kobo Daishi)
-
3
Defeated Taira (Heike) clan warriors are said to flee into the remote Iya Valley after the Genpei War, giving rise to the valley's isolation and its vine-bridge legends
-
4
Hachisuka Iemasa is granted Awa Province by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and begins construction of Tokushima Castle
-
5
Tokushima Castle completed; traditional origin date for the Awa Odori dance festival, said to mark the castle's completion celebrations
-
6
Hachisuka domain formalizes control of Awa-ai indigo cultivation and trade, which becomes the domain's primary source of wealth through the Edo period
-
7
Meiji Restoration ends Hachisuka rule; Tokushima Domain is abolished and Tokushima Prefecture is established
-
8
Tokushima Castle's structures are demolished under the Meiji government's nationwide castle abolition policy, leaving only the stone walls and moat visible today
-
9
Onaruto Bridge opens across the Naruto Strait, spanning the whirlpools and linking Shikoku to Awaji Island
-
10
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge completes the road link from Tokushima to Kobe and the Honshu mainland via Awaji Island
Historical sites
Places where Tokushima's past comes alive.
Tokushima Castle Ruins and Central Park
The stone walls and moat of the Hachisuka clan's Edo-period castle survive within Tokushima Central Park; the reconstructed Castle Museum displays samurai armor and clan artifacts.
Where: Tokushima City, Tokushima
Admission: Free (park); Castle Museum ¥300 (~$2.00 USD)
Ryozenji Temple (Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 1)
The official starting temple of the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage, traditionally associated with the monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi); pilgrims outfit themselves here before setting out on the 1,200 km circuit.
Where: Naruto, Tokushima
Admission: Free (grounds); nokyocho stamp ¥300 (~$2.00 USD)
Anrakuji Temple (Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 6)
A pilgrimage temple known for its onsen hot-spring bathhouse for visiting pilgrims and its towering pagoda gate, one of the more distinctive stops among Tokushima's early Shikoku Pilgrimage temples.
Where: Kamiita, Tokushima
Admission: Free (grounds); nokyocho stamp ¥300 (~$2.00 USD)
Awa Jurobe Yashiki Puppet Theater
A historic farmhouse-turned-theater dedicated to Awa ningyo joruri, Tokushima's centuries-old tradition of puppet theater performed to shamisen music, named for a legendary Edo-period samurai.
Where: Tokushima City, Tokushima
Admission: ¥410 adults (~$2.70 USD); puppet show viewing included on performance days
Otani-yaki Pottery Village
A cluster of working kilns producing Otani-yaki, large unglazed earthenware jars once used for indigo dye vats and sake storage; several studios still fire pieces in a traditional noborigama climbing kiln.
Where: Naruto, Tokushima
Admission: Free to browse; pottery-throwing experience from ¥2,000 (~$13.30 USD)
Iya Valley Thatched-Roof Hamlets of Oku-Iya
Steeply terraced hamlets of traditional kayabuki thatched-roof farmhouses, believed to have been settled by Taira (Heike) clan warriors fleeing after their defeat in the 1185 Genpei War.
Where: Oku-Iya, Miyoshi, Tokushima
Admission: Free to view from designated viewpoints