Tsuwano

Tsuwano is a former castle town in western Shimane known as the 'Little Kyoto of San'in,' a single valley walled by mountains and run through by carp-filled canals. The Tonomachi district along the main street is a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, Edo-period white-walled storehouses and samurai residences lined by stone-edged waterways where koi swim. Taikodani Inari Shrine, founded in 1773 by Lord Kamei Noriisada (the seventh daimyō of Tsuwano Domain) and claimed by the shrine itself as one of the Five Great Inari Shrines of Japan, sits on the mountainside above town; the approach climbs through a tunnel of vermilion torii donated by the faithful. Tsuwano Castle, designated a National Historic Site, survives as stone walls on the ridge above the shrine, reachable by chairlift. The Otometōge Maria Chapel, dedicated in 1951, memorializes the 37 Japanese Christians sent here from Nagasaki and persecuted during the Edo and Meiji periods. Washibara Hachiman-gū hosts Japan's oldest dedicated yabusame mounted-archery range; the annual ceremony is held on the second Sunday of April. Reach from Hiroshima requires changing at Shin-Yamaguchi for the JR Yamaguchi Line; the SL Yamaguchi steam locomotive runs the route on weekends and holidays March through November, daily in August.

Top-rated in Tsuwano

Tsuwano Castle

4.5

castle

Castle ruins perched 200m above valley town, dismantled in late 19th century during Japan's modern age transition.

Maria Chapel

4.4

landmark

Small picturesque Christian chapel in sunny forest clearing, built 1951 as memorial, unusual sight in Japan.

Tsuwano Taikodani Inari Shrine

4.3

shrine

Major Inari shrine reached through 1,000 vermilion torii gates in a San'in mountain castle town.

Tonomachi

4.0

landmark

Rice planting ceremony where musicians accompany colorfully dressed saotome maidens calling upon deities for blessings.

Hori Gardens

4.1

garden

300-year-old traditional Japanese garden featuring manicured landscapes, seasonal flowers, and tranquil pond views.

Washibara

4.0

shrine

Shinto shrine in Tsuwano's castle town where traditional yabusame horseback archery ceremonies take place each April.

Tsuwano Yabusame

4.1

historic_site

Horse gallops down a 220 meter course carrying an archer dressed in samurai hunting clothes.

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