Arima Onsen-ji Temple

Arima's onsen story begins here. The Buddhist priest Gyoki founded Onsen-ji in 724 after, by legend, watching three crows bathe in the spring waters and recover from injury. The hall was rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyoshi following the 1596 earthquake; he and his wife Nene took the waters at Arima often, and a stone marker by the entrance commemorates the visits. Inside, look for the seated wooden Yakushi Nyorai attributed to Gyoki himself. The grounds sit on a quiet rise above Yumotozaka, the main slope through Arima, three minutes' walk from Kin-no-yu.