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Sights in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
Hitoyoshi · Kumamoto · 35 places
See
Aoi Aso Shrine
Founded in 806; main halls built in 1610-1613 are National Treasures. A Kengo Kuma hall opened on site in 2023.
Eikoku-ji
Soto Zen temple founded in 1408, famous for a ghost scroll and as Saigo army headquarters.
Ganjo-ji
Sagara family temple founded in 1233; its seated Amida is a national Important Cultural Property.
Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins
One of Japan's 100 famous castles and a national historic site, Sagara center for about 700 years.
Sekisui-ji
Temple with a round gate hollowed from a huge stone, plus a spectacles bridge and spring.
Kannon-ji Kannon (Kyushu Sagara 33 Kannon)
13th stop of the Sagara 33 Kannon pilgrimage, at a Rinzai temple founded in 1385.
Kiyomizu Kannon (Kyushu Sagara 33 Kannon)
First Sagara 33 Kannon stop; Thousand-armed Kannon invited from Kyoto Kiyomizu-dera in 1603.
Sekishitsu Kannon (Kyushu Sagara 33 Kannon)
Seventh Sagara 33 Kannon stop, moved from Sekishitsu-ji after a 1502 quarrel left that temple abandoned.
Murayama Kannon (Kyushu Sagara 33 Kannon)
Ninth Sagara 33 Kannon stop, whose wooden Thousand-armed Kannon is said to understand people's troubles.
Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum
History museum of Hitoyoshi Castle.
Nagata (Ashihara) Kannon Hall (Kyushu Sagara 33 Kannon)
11th Sagara 33 Kannon stop; image kept in a nail-free, vividly colored late-Edo cabinet.
Kuma Shochu Museum Hakutake Densho-gura
Museum on 400 years of Kuma shochu history and culture, with exhibits and tasting.
Benitoriyama Observatory
Overlooks the Hitoyoshi-Kuma Basin, with fantastical mist views in winter. Maintained roads allow access by car.
Hitoyoshi Loop Bridge
Loop bridge on National Route 221 near the prefecture border, opened in 1977. Length 1,190 m; highest pier 60 m.
Kaname Falls
Selected among Japan's 100 waterfalls: male about 36 m, female about 30 m, and a gentle fall. Summer retreat.
Nuno Falls
Named for water wrapping the rock face like a large cloth. Late-July festival offers somen noodles and sweetfish catching.
Akaike Kannon
33rd Sagara 33 Kannon site at Akaike Castle ruins. Sho-Kannon, said to be Muromachi, is a city-designated important cultural property.
Iwaya Kumanoza Shrine
Formerly called Iwaya Gongen, a shrine retaining Shinto-Buddhist syncretism. Its tuff torii and main hall are National Important Cultural Properties.
Yunomoto Kannon
Eighth Sagara 33 Kannon site near Hayashi Onsen source. The statue was lost in the 1965 flood and replaced.
Yasegatsuru Kannon
Third Sagara 33 Kannon site. The Eleven-faced image was carried out and enshrined here after the 1862 fire.
Mikkahara Kannon
Fourth Sagara 33 Kannon site, worshipped since the Edo period. Breast-shaped offerings are said to improve milk production.
Sagasato Kannon
Sixth Sagara 33 Kannon site, an Eleven-faced image dated 1752. Said to protect children and houses from fire.
Sebara Kannon
Tenth stop of the Sagara 33 Kannon pilgrimage, founded in 1653 as a retirement temple.
Oikami Shrine
Deity enshrined in 807; the 1628 hall built by Sagara Nagatsune is a National Important Cultural Property.
Indo Kyukei Monument
Built November 1, 1953 to honor Hitoyoshi-born lyricist Indo Kyukei, writer of Kokyo no Haika and Ryoshu.
Yatake Station
Closed. Highest station on the Hisatsu Line mountain section, at 536.9 m, with a Meiji building and D51-170 display.
Okoba Station
Closed, including the restaurant. Japan's only station with both a loop and switchback; many business cards are posted.
Hitoyoshi Plum Garden
Historic plum garden on Okoba hill south of Hitoyoshi. White and red plums bloom from mid-February; famous plum festival.
Nishize Bridge
Model for the anime Natsume's Book of Friends, with Kuma River sunset views and crested kingfishers.
SL Observatory
Viewpoint for Japan's only working stone engine shed, built in 1911, with a nearby turntable viewing zone.
Hitoyoshi Railway Museum Mozoca Station 868
Railway museum by Eiji Mitsuoka introducing the Hisatsu Line, with dioramas, mini trains, rail bikes and a library.
Hitoyoshi Station Automaton Clock
Castle-style automaton clock at JR Hitoyoshi Station; 17 dolls appear hourly to a Kuma folk melody.
Misogi Bridge
1921 three-arch bridge called the prefecture's oldest concrete bridge, before Aoi Aso Shrine.
Kajiyamachi Street
Hitoyoshi castle-town street of stone paving and white-walled merchant houses, with one remaining blacksmith.
Buke-gura Samurai Residence
Closed residence of Sagara chief retainers; gate from Hitoyoshi Castle, once Saigo Takamori's lodging.