Chojagahara Abandoned Temple Ruins

Tateyama Historical Park (Iwayado Castle Honmaru Ruins)

This is the site of the castle of a powerful family that ruled this area from ancient times. It is said to have been the site of a fortress built by Fujiwara no Tsuneakiyo and his son Kiyohira in the late Heian period. An octagonal hall building and Niseiin Temple (where Buddhist statues are preserved) were erected to commemorate the great deeds of the father and son, Tsuneakiyo and Kiyohira. Visitors can enjoy the seasonal scenery of cherry blossoms, hydrangeas, and maple trees. Niseiin Temple is usually closed. It is opened twice a year (May and August).

Tendai Sect Myokenyama Kuroishi Temple

It is said to have been founded by Bodhisattva Gyoki in the first year of the Tenpyo Period (729) of the Nara Era and was called Tokozan Yakushiji Temple, but was destroyed by fire. Later, in 849, Jikaku Daishi restored the temple, which is an old temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. The main statue of Yakushi Nyorai (seated Yakushi Nyorai), designated as a National Important Cultural Property, is Japan's only Jokan-inscribed Buddha, inscribed in the 4th year of Jokan. From the night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month to the next morning, the "Kuroishiji So-min Festival," a festival of naked men and flames, is held to pray for the exorcism of bad luck and a good harvest. (The Kuroishi Temple Sunmin Festival has not been held since 2025.)

Taneyama Plateau

A gentle plateau at an altitude of 900m that spans Esashi, Tono, and Sumita in Oshu City. You can see the mountains of Monomiyama (871m) and Tateishi (730m) as well as the Kitakami Plain, and the Taneyama Farm on the plateau is used for grazing cattle. There is a monument written by Kenji Miyazawa on the standing stone, ``The grass that I cut in the clouds of Taneyamagahara is sluggish, but I forgot about it.'' The clusters of Astragalus azaleas are spectacular in mid-June.