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A gravesite of Kita Ikki
Shokoji Temple, close to Kita' birthplace in the Ryotsu Minato area, is a temple for deceased ancestors of the Kita family. His tomb is situated in the Aoyama Cemetary of Shokoji Temple, overlooking the rural landscape of Harakuro (Shiizaki). Although Kita Ikki was a leading thinker and socialist from the Meiji to early Showa times (early 20th century), many people still visit and lay flowers on his grave.
Ryotsu area -
Folklore
Akagameiwa Rock
Akagameiwa is a big, red stone of iron quartz, which can be seen from a bathing beach in Akagame Kazashima Nagisa Park. The rock has a hollow in the middle, and the shape resembles to parent and child nestling up together. "Once upon a time, when a fisherman in Suizu encountered a turbulent sea, a big turtle appeared, and the fisherman and his boat rode on the turtle's back and returned to the port. The turtle turned into a rock, and villagers named the rock "Akagame". The rock has this folk story, and there is a shrine to enshrine Akagame Myojin god.
Ryotsu area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples Noh Stages
An'yoji Haguro Shrine
An'yoji's Haguro Shrine is said to be a shrine to where the god divided from Haguro Shrine, in Yamagata Prefecture, was invited and re-enshrined in 772. It is surrounded by gigantic cedar trees, and the main hall lies in harmony with the surrounding lush woods. Since olden days, in the small village of An'yoji, Noh has been offered in place of Ondeko (deity mask dance) in the annual, most important festival. The Noh stage (a Niigata Prefectural Tangible Cultural Asset), with its thatched, hipped-roof, is reputed to have been built in the late Edo Period (19th century). It used to stand across the front path from the main building of the shrine, but around 1909, it was relocated to, and enlarged, on the site where it now lies. The Noh stage at Haguro Shrine is the smallest in Sado, among the ones still in existence.
Kuninaka area -
Folklore
Anjuzuka (Memorial Mound of Anju in Hatano)
Two different versions of the folk tale "Anju and Zushio" have been passed down from generation to generation in Sado. Hatano is arguably the place where Anju passed away while on her way to Kyoto, after she and her brother had a reunion with their mother. This mound is said to be the burial place of some of her mementos such as her favorite comb. It has been worshipped for good harvests, and for miracles in finding a partner and healing eye diseases. Anju Tenjin Festival takes place every summer.
Kuninaka area -
Folklore
Benkei no Hasamiiwa
Benkei no Hasamiiwa is a peculiar sight located on seashore in Shimoaikawa, along Prefectural Route 45. A wedge-shaped rock is stuck between two giant rocks. Once upon a time, Sado Benkei and his company mountain priests were making their way to Mount Kinpoku for ascetic training, when a demon appeared in an ambush and requested a contest of strength. Sado Benkei threw rocks in the air, and the rocks are said to be thrown onto the beach in Shimoaikawa. A grave of a consummate governor of Sado, Ichizaemon Shizume adjoins the beach.
Aikawa area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Chikoubo Temple
The historic old temple of Shingon School welcomes you with brilliant sculptures. It is said that the temple was established by Kuzan, a Buddhist monk, in 808, and the main object of worship is a1,000-armed Kannon Bosatsu (Guanyin: Goddes of Mercy). Seen on the sculpture of Sanmon Gate, Ebisu is the god of driving evil spirits away and bringing luck in. It has been greatly worshipped as a god of fishing and safety at sea to this day. The hall enshrining Konpira Gongen, a god of sailors, was founded in 1833 by Jinzaemon Takano, a master carpenter in the Murayama area. You will be overwhelmed by the sculpture, which richly embellishes the hall. Mahori Hogan Yoshitaka, a master artist, donated his painting entitled "Kurasaki Ebisuten" to this temple.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Choanji Temple
Located in the Kujikawachi village, Choanji Temple is said to have been founded in 831, and has a wooden seated statue of Amitabha and a bronze bell in its storehouse, both of which are designated as Japan's Important Cultural Properties. The statue is said to have been made in the late Heian Period (the 12th century). The bronze bell was pulled up from the bottom of the sea in Wakasa (present-day Fukui Prefecture) around the 13th century, and it is said to have later been dedicated to Choanji Temple. It is one of the forty-seven so-called Korean bells still in existence in Japan, and this is the only one of its kind in Niigata Prefecture. It is 107.5 cm tall and 61.2 cm diameter. The elaborately designed dragon-shaped handle at the top of the bell and the arabesque pattern are striking.
Ryotsu area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Chokokuji Temple
Founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) in 807, Chokokuji Temple is an ancient temple which imitates Hasedera Temple in Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture). The temple is where Zeami paid a visit after landing on Sado Island, and he mentioned the temple in his book Kintosho (Writings of the Golden Isle). The temple is also known as a temple of flowers, including peony. Chokokuji Temple owns a large number of cultural assets which shadow living history, varying from three Eleven-Headed Kannon Statues (National Important Cultural Properties), to statues of Kongo Rikishi (two wrath-filled guardians of the Buddha) made in the Heian Period (10th-12th centuries), as well as Gochido Hall. Within the grounds, there are also three cedar trees and Japanese Umbrella-pine trees, both of which belong to Niigata Prefecture's Natural Monuments.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Daianji Temple
Daianji was established in 1606 by Nagayasu Okubo, the first Commissioner of Sado. A long, beautifully cobbled path leads up to the Sanmon gate, and the main hall features the temple crest of three leaves of hollyhock in a circle. The temple houses a memorial tower built by Nagayasu Okubo prior to his death, and a memorial tower for Hikozaemon Kawamura who was involved in the early-stage development of the Sado gold and silver mines. Both towers are National Historic Sites. This temple also holds the burial grounds for officials who served the Sado Commissioner's Office. A spectacular Machilus thunbergii (bay tree) grove, a Sado Natural Monument, stands behind the graveyard. Drastic urbanization due to the development of the mines significantly changed the landscape of the Aikawa area. Still, groves within the grounds of temples and shrines retain their native vegetation. Many plants such as the giant Machilus thunbergii, camellia and Euonymus japonicus (Japanese spindle) grow in the dense natural woodland of Daianji Temple.
Aikawa area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Dainichido
Dainichido is a worship hall in Ohirume Shrine, which is considered to have been established in 1490. The existing building (a Niigata Prefecture's Designated Tangible Cultural Asset) was reputedly reconstructed in 1718. The hall enshrines a statue of Seated Dainichinyorai (Vairocana), considered to be created by Mokujiki Seigen. Seen as a place of worship for a tutelary deity of cows, in the past, cowherds from all over the island traveled on foot with their cows, to pay visits to Dainichido. Many ema (wooden plaques with prayers written down on them) with pictures of cows, and waraji (straw sandals) for cows are dedicated to make wishes come true.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Dairenji Temple
Dairenji Temple is a temple of the Soto Zen school of Buddhism established in 1421 as a temple to take care of ancestors of the Honma clan, Lords of Hamochi Castle. The sanmon main gate is the east gate of the castle (Niigata Prefecture's Historic Site), which survived destruction in a siege by Kagekatsu Uesugi (lord of Echigo), and was later relocated. This temple served as accommodations for successive Deputies for Sado and officials in the Edo Period (1603-1867). Within the precinct, there are the 500 Arhats Hall, created by a sculptor of Buddha statues in the Edo Period; Kannondo Hall, enshrining a secret Buddhist icon, Maria-Kannon (Mary statue in Kannon disguise); and Hotei (god of good fortune) Hall worshipped for wealth and happiness. Mahori Hogan Yoshitaka, a master painter, donated his painting, entitled "Amazawa Hoteison." Dairenji Temple is one of the temples on Sado's Seven Gods of Fortune pilgrimage route. Referred to as a temple of camellia flowers, Dairenji Temple is familiar to locals,
Minami Sado area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples Noh Stages
Daizen Shrine
Daizen Shrine sits in a rustic setting resembling the landscape of Asuka in Nara Prefecture. Honma Yamashironokami, the manor's lord, initiated the enshrinement of Suketomo Hino (an exiled court noble) and Daizenbo (an ascetic hermit) together, while Miketsuokami (the god of food) is enshrined at the main building. When Kumawakamaru, the son of Suketomo Hino, came over to Sado to revenge his father's death by execution, Daizenbo helped him escape and was, consequently, executed. This shrine reputedly houses Daizenbo in order to calm his revengeful ghost. Reconstructed in 1846, the Noh stage with its thatched and hipped roof (designated a Niigata Prefecture Tangible Folk Cultural Asset), is one of the four Noh stages in the Kuninaka area where Noh performances were regularly held. It is said to be the oldest Noh stage still in existence in Sado. At present, Noh performances are offered at a festival on the 18th of April; and in June, Noh and Sagi School's Kyogen performances take place.
Kuninaka area -
Heritage and Relics
Doyu no Warito
Doyu no Warito is a relic of opencast mining from the Edo Period (1603-1867), which is said to be a pit in the early stages of the development of Sado's gold and silver mines. As the digging went deeper and deeper to extract more gold ore, the mountaintop was split into a V-shape. The crack on the summit reaches approximately thirty metres in width and seventy-four metres in depth. The mountain with the crack holds a mother lode of gold, stretching about ten metres wide, called the Doyu Vein, and after the Meiji Period (1868-1912), large-scale development was carried out under the Warito.
Aikawa area -
Heritage and Relics
Former Aikawa Detention Center
Up the hill on Kyomachi Street in Aikawa, you will see an ivy-covered three-metre high concrete wall. Former Aikawa Detention Center was opened as a branch of Niigata Prison in 1954, and was in use until 1972 when it was relocated in the Sawata area. Designated as Japan's Tangible Cultural Property, this is a wooden detention house still in existence, which is rarely found in Japan. Former Aikawa Detention Center is open to the public and free of charge, so you can take a look around.
Aikawa area -
Other
Gashima Cinema
Gashima Cinema is located on historical Kyomachi Street, which connects Sado Gold and Silver Mine with the Sado Commissioner's Office. This former residence of the Sado Gold Mine captain, built about 80 years ago, has been converted into a café while maintaining the ambiance of the olden days. A monthly featured film is shown daily, and a monthly book corner provides movie-related books. An old carbon arc film projector, which was once used at an actual movie theatre, is on display. This spot is perfect for a break on a stroll through history, in the old mining town of Aikawa.
Aikawa area -
Other
Gigantic Straw Sandals in Kuratani
People in Okuratani, in the Mano area, have been passing down the tradition of making gigantic straw sandals for New Year's, to hang at both ends of the village in early spring. Acting as guardian deities to protect the community from troubles and evil, the huge straw sandals are displayed to pretend that there is a giant man in the village. The sandals are replaced with new ones every March. If you travel along Route 350, you can see them, measuring about 1 meter wide and 1.8 meters long.
Kuninaka area -
Heritage and Relics
Graveyard for Mushukunin (drifters)
Inscribed with birthplace, posthumous Buddhist names, names and ages of twenty-eight mushukuknin, who worked as a drainage labourer and deceased underground in 1853, a gravestone stands in the middle of mountains. In the Edo Period, to secure labour at the gold mine, 1,800-some mushukunin were forced to come and work in a mine from Edo (present-day Tokyo), and Osaka and Nagasaki, both of which were under direct control of the Edo Shogunate. Mushukunin is people who do not have fixed address arrested under the Shogunate's public security measures. Due to the hard labour, mushukunin is said to have lived a short life.
Aikawa area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Hachiman Wakamiya Shrine
Called "Wakamiya-san", Hachiman Wakamiya Shrine is familiar to locals in the Ryotsu Minato area. Every year on the 5th of May, Minato Matsuri, the most important annual festival at the shrine, takes place. Along Wakamiya Street, fisherman's good-haul banners (used to indicate a good catch) are hoisted and flutter, and a mikoshi (portable shrine) is carried, bounced and shaken through the street in a wild procession. It is a distinctly heated, port-town festival. Within the grounds of the shrine, along with the Main Hall, there is a hall enshrining Tenmanten Shrine, Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine and Otokai Shrine together, and a monument built in memory of the Kita brothers, Ikki and Reikichi.
Ryotsu area -
Heritage and Relics
Historic Site Sado Kinzan Gold Mine
Sado Kinzan Gold Mine is a collection of historic relics which tell the 400-year history of Sado's gold and silver mines. On the Edo Kinzan Emaki (illustrated scrolls of gold mines) course (Sodayu Tunnel course), full-size dolls and robots provide accurate presentations of the workings of the mines in the past. On the Meiji Government-Controlled Mine course (Doyu Tunnel course), relics of modernization and industrialization still remain. Furthermore, there is also a guided tour course which includes facilities such as "The Best Gold Processing Plant in Asia" and "Japan's First Wetsern-Style Vertical Tunnel", that will cause visitors to marvel at the impressive scale.
Aikawa area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Hiyoshi Shrine
Hiyoshi Shrine is familiar to locals, and known as "Sanno-san". The shrine was established in 1226 for Emperor Juntoku, who was banished to Sado, after his high ranking servant, Kiyonori Ike, initiated dividing and re-enshrining the god enshrined at Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Omi (present-day Shiga Prefecture). Many wooden and stone statues of monkeys, messengers of a god, can be seen around the grounds of the shrine. The statues include the "three wise monkeys", which are Mizaru, covering his eyes; Kikazaru, covering his ears; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth. The most important annual festival is held over three days in April.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Hongyoji Temple
Matsugasaki is said to be the place where Nichiren Shonin arrived on Sado. Hongyoji Temple was established by Futsujubo Nichiryo (Buddhist monk who was a strong believer of Nichiren) to commemorate the Nichiren's first step on Sado. Within the grounds, you can see the stone statue of preaching Nichiren Shonin, and a large tree of Japanese zelkova (kayak in Japanese) called "Okeyaki", under which Nichiren kept the night dew out after landing on Sado.
Ryotsu area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Honkoji (in Miyakawa)
Honkoji Temple in Miyakawa was established by Nichigyo Shonin, with Nichiro Shonin as the first head priest. Within the precinct, you can see relics closely related to Nichiren (exiled founder of the Nichiren School of Buddhism): including the "Shamen-ishi", a seating stone where Nichiren Shonin seated himself when his lead disciple Nichiro Shonin delivered and revealed an amnesty letter from Kamakura; and "Kesagake no Matsu," a pine tree where Nichiren hung his monastic robe.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Honkoji Temple (in Izumi)
Honkoji was founded in 1310 by a Buddhist monk Nissho Shonin, who became a strong believer of Nikko Shonin. It sits in the neibourhood of the ruins of Kuroki Palace, where Emperor Juntoku used to live. The temple treasures a wood-carved standing statue of Seikannon (Goddess of Mercy), a designated National Important Cultural Property, which is one of the four statues that Emperor Juntoku brought with him from Kyoto. The temple also has a Mandala (Sado City's designated Tangible Cultural Asset) drawn by Nikko Shonin, who was a leading disciple of Nichiren Shonin (founder of Nichiren School of Buddhism exiled to Sado).
Kuninaka area -
Noh Stages
Hori Kinen Kanai Nohgakudo
Kanai Nohgakudo is a Noh theatre located in the Kanai area, which is known as Zeami's place of exile. The theatre hosts a variety of events, including Noh performances, throughout the year. The indoor stage is arranged with seating areas set up on three sides. It consists of a 6-meter mainstage constructed from Japanese cypress, an approximately 10-meter long hashigakari (ridgeway), and a kagami-ita (back wall) with a painting of a pine tree. Kanai Nohgakudo was built on the former site of the residence of Mr Jibu Hori and his wife, who were honourary citizens of the former Kanai Town. A statue commemorating their contribution to their hometown stands within the grounds.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Ishina Seisuiji Temple
According to the temple's book of origin, it was founded in 807. The spring bubbling up by the sanmon gate (the first gate to the temple) is the miraculous water of the inner shrine, Dantokusan, which is also the sacred mountain where monks practise mokujiki. 190 years after Mokujiki Tansei (a Buddhist monk enlightened in Sado around 1600), Mokujiki Gyodo, a nomadic monk, visited Sado in 1781-1789, and reconstructed a Buddhist hall in the area where Mokujiki Tansei practised ascetic disciplines. There, statues of Seated Yakushinyorai (Bhaisajyaguru: the Buddha of healing and medicine) and Standing Jizo (the guardian deity of children) were put up. The big ginkgo tree is Sado City's designated natural monument, and it is worshipped as a ginkgo of fertility, or a spiritual tree with healing effects for gastroenteropathy.
Aikawa area -
Heritage and Relics
Ishiusuzuka (millstones mound)
Kodomari in the Hamochi area prospered from masonry, together with the adjacent Tsubakio area in Mano. Masons in Kodomari also gained a widespread reputation as sculptors of Buddhist stone statues. Millstones used to be one of life's necessities, but with the progress of the times, they slid into obscurity. The mound of millstones was founded by locals to express regret. In 1977, millstones at each household were collected and and then dedicated to Hakusan Shrine in the area.
Minami Sado area -
Heritage and Relics
Iwayasan Cave and Buddha Statues
There is a sacred cave in the middle of Mt Iwaya at the back of Shukunegi Village. Various Buddha statues are carved into the surface of the rock. There are eighty-eight stone statues of Buddha, imitating the eighty-eight temples of pilgrimage in Shikoku. The place is called "Iwaya-san" by locals. Worshippers stay overnight in the cave, and practise "Nemari Henro (sitting pilgrimage)" discipline, chanting mantras and pilgrimage songs while seated.
Minami Sado area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Jinguji Temple
The bronze bell owned by Jinguji Temple is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The bell was originally offered to Shokoji Temple (Hayoshi, Sado) at the end of the Kamakura Period, to wish Nobutoki Hojo (governor of Sado) peace and good luck in the war. According to the inscription carved on the bell, it was cast and dedicated in 1295. When Haguro Shrine was abolished in 1868 on the order of the separation of Shintoism and Buddhism, the followers of Jinguji Temple purchased the bell and dedicated it to Jinguji Temple. The graceful appearance is marvellous.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Jissoji Temple
It is said that Nichiren Shonin, founder of Nichiren School of Buddhism exiled to Sado, stood and chanted mantra on this hill every morning, after forced to live in Ichinosawa. The precinct is scattered with a bronze statue of Nichiren, praying to the rising sun whilst thinking of his parents at home in Awa (present-day Chiba Prefecture), Kesagake no Matsu (a pine tree which he hang his monastic robe on), a spring with which he rinsed his hands, and so on. Also, "Sanko no Sugi", a gigantic cedar tree over 1,000 years old (Sado City's Designated Natural Monument) stretches its branches.
Kuninaka area -
Shrines and Buddhist Temples
Kaichoji Temple
Kaichoji Temple is an old temple of Soto Zen School located in the middle of the hill leading down to Yajima and Kyojima. The two trees of Goshozakura variety of cherry blossoms in front of the main hall are said to have been planted by Emperor Juntoku himself. Each branch produces a blend of single- and multi-layered white flowers, which are very rare, and the cherry trees at Kaichoji Temple are designated as National Natural Monument. Cherry flowers are in bloom from late April until early May.
Minami Sado area