Ozu City

A hall said to be a court, at a jin'ya.

Rinpōkaku, Niiya jin'ya site

Photo by Sky Wing Sky (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Castle Keep Model (天守雛型)

The keep's inner timber frame was restoredfrom a model made in the Edo period.

Ōzu Castle's keep was dismantled in 1888 (Meiji 21) and restored in 2004. The tenshu hinagata is a model showing the inner timber frame, handed down in the Nakano family of master carpenters. Overlaid with a restoration plan based on the model, the foundation stones found in excavation matched the positions of its pillars.

Keep restored in 2004 (city website)
Foundation stones found in a 1999 excavation (city website)
Model designated a city cultural property in 2002

02 ／ Nagahama Bridge (長浜大橋)

The bridge at the mouth of the Hiji Riveropens and closes at set times.

Nagahama Bridge, at the mouth of the Hiji River, was completed in August 1935 (Shōwa 10). Its movable section is 18 m long and its counterweight is 82 tons. It was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2014. Scheduled openings include 11:00 on Saturdays and holidays, and are cancelled during warnings or strong winds.

Completed in August 1935 (city website)
Movable section 18 m; counterweight 82 tons
Important Cultural Property since 2014

03 ／ Naruno Pledge (成能の郷約)

Twenty-seven farmers wrote a pledge,and the domain did not punish them.

Around 1740 (Genbun 5), 27 farmers of Naruno Village, inspired by talks of the Yōmei scholar Kawada Yūkin, wrote an 11-article pledge and swore to keep it: work hard at farming, do not gamble, help one another. Villagers were forbidden to hold gatherings, but the domain was impressed and did not punish them.

A pledge of about 1740 with 11 articles (city website)
Written by 27 farmers of Naruno Village
Designated a city historic site in 1985

Living here

The Hiji River runs through the middle, from basin to sea.

about 40,000 people

The city's introduction says the clear Hiji River runs through its center and old-fashioned streets remain. The town center has a basin climate with large day-night temperature swings; the western coast is mild with little rain, and mountain areas can get snow in winter. The Hiji River crosses the Ōzu Basin and flows into the Iyo-nada Sea.

People living here: 40,575people
Area: 432.12km²
Households: 17,375households
Rent (average for rentals): 37,792yen
Healthcare: 6 hospitals ／ 51 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Population from 2005 onward (municipal boundary changed).2005-01-11 に合併。2005年調査から市域が変わっている。

Children waiting for childcare: —18 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Ozu City in Japan33.506°N 132.544°E

to OsakaHighway bus362min
to KobeHighway bus312min

Travel times follow 宇和島自動車『高速バス（神戸・大阪線）』ページ（https://www.uwajima-bus.co.jp/express/ 。阪神バスとの共同運行の高速乗合バス、全席指定）の時刻表『神戸・大阪▶宇和島（下り）』昼行便 (checked 2026-09-30). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Territory of Ozu City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

35.6km

西予市, 内子町, 八幡浜市, 伊予市

Ozu City isthis kind of town.

01Rinpōkaku in Niiya, Ōzu, is a building from the jin'ya (domain headquarters) of the Niiya Domain. Built in March 1868 (Keiō 4), it is thought to have served as a hearing hall and audience hall. The Niiya Domain was formed by splitting off 10,000 koku from the Ōzu Domain; the jin'ya site is now within the grounds of a city elementary school, and visits to the interior need advance contact.
02Ōzu Castle's keep was restored in 2004, and Garyū Sansō has three buildings that are Important Cultural Properties and a garden designated a Place of Scenic Beauty. Cormorant fishing takes place on the Hiji River from summer to autumn, and on clear mornings from around October to February a strong wind called "Hiji-arashi" blows.
03Known as "the little Kyoto of Iyo," this castle town has covered bridges in Kawabe, Utamaro woodblocks found in Hijikawa, the Bon dance of Aoshima island off Nagahama, and the Ōzu Shinden-ryū swimming style, among prefecturally and municipally designated properties. Iyo-Ōzu Station is the city's gateway.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Ozu City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗