Ancient Japan, built and protected by people, surviving to this day.
Learn the history of the 700-Year Reign of the Sagara to help pass this heritage onto the future.
Things made by people will disappear eventually, not only because of natural disasters, but often through destruction by their own hands.
This has happened repeatedly across the long span of history, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
It is such a waste...
In a world where this is the norm, there was a clan of feudal lords called Sagara, who ruled over Hitoyoshi Kuma for such a long time it was called the “700-Year Reign of Sagara”.
These feudal lords reached out to the hearts and minds of the people and undertook the endeavor of city building together.
It has been passed down to the present day in the form of religious faith, creating a miracle in which a number of cultural assets that goes back 700 years or even older still remain in this area.
A famous Japanese novelist once described Hitoyoshi Kuma as “the most affluent hidden village in all of Japan”.
As these words suggest, the people living in the Kuma basin have carefully protected the unique culture and faith handed down over generations as well as the Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and Buddhist statues that serve as symbols of this land.
That these heritage sites have survived to the present day is invaluable and something to be grateful for.
Japanese heritage sites, handed down from the past to the present, from the present to the future.
Having you learn about this is a crucial first step toward the future.
Discover Japanese Heritage Sites
in Hitoyoshi Kuma
Here, we present 20 cultural assets you can experience for yourself in Hitoyoshi Kuma.
Enjoy all the sights Hitoyoshi Kuma has to offer, including unique architectural and decorative techniques handed down over generations.
National Historic Site
Wooden Seated Statue of Amida Nyorai
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property
Main Sanctuary/Worship Hall and Offering Hall
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (Building)
Main Hall/Corridor/Offering Hall/Worship Hall/Tower Gate
National Treasure
Main Hall/Worship Hall
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (Building)
Main Sanctuary/Worship Hall and Offering Hall
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (Building)
Wooden Standing Statue of the Guardian Kings / Wooden Standing Statue of Bishamonten
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (Sculpture)
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (Building)
Myodoji Temple Amida Hall
Flanked Wooden Statues of Amida Nyorai (in Amida Hall)
Myodoji Temple Nine-Layered Pagoda
(Josenji Temple Nine-Layered Pagoda)
Myodoji Temple Seven-Layered Pagoda
(Josenji Temple Seven-Layered Pagoda)
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property
Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (Building)
