Sightseeing information

Historic Sites & cultural assets

Fuba Hachiman-gu Shrine

Following the shrine's designation as an Important Cultural Property, renovation works began on the 1st of November 1965, and were completed on the 31st of December 1966.

Various festivals are hosted at the Fuba Hachiman-gu Shrine. Located at the remote, south western edge of Tosa, the Hata district was almost an unexplored territory before the Ichijo Family arrived and established the Ichijo culture. From the eyes of the Ichijo Family, one of the five regent families of Kyoto, the remoteness of this land appeared especially emphasized. The family fostered warriors with courage and skills through religious events such as the Yabusame archery, and promoted weddings to be conducted as religious ceremonies held at the Hachiman-gu and Ichinomiya to put an end to the practice of bride kidnapping which was major at that time. By using produces from the local area and keeping food and items for banquets as simple as possible, the family ensured that the festivals were relatively low cost, sustainable events that could be widely hosted every year. It is said that the family used festivals as tools to improve the ways of life of the general public.

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Ichijo Shrine

とんぼ自然公園&あきついお(四万十川学遊館)The Ichijo Shrine was constructed in 1862 to commemorate the deeds of Tosa Ichijo Family, at the site of the Ichijo Family's former mausoleum that used to stand at the peak of Mount Komori, a mountain located at a section of the Nakamura Castle ruins.

After former chief advisor to the Emperor, Ichijo Norifusa moved from the city to this remote land to evade the Onin War, the four successive generations of the Tosa Ichijo Family worked to promote local economical development. This shrine enshrines the spirits of the family, including Norifusa's father, Kaneyoshi.

Affectionately known among locals as "Ichijoko-san", the shrine is also the venue of a large-scale annual festival held in November, which is considered as one of the three major festivals in the Tosa region. The shrine was completed in its present form in 1944.

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Nakamura Castle Ruins (Ichijo Shrine)
Mount Komori is situated at the center of the city. The hill was formerly a site of the Atago Shrine, but when Ichijo Norifusa moved to Nakamura, he relocated the shrine elsewhere and constructed his castle at the site. The Ichijo Family was exiled from Nakamura during the Tensho Period, but in 1607, his former subordinates built a shrine to enshrine the spirits of the Ichijo Family. The premise is home to sites linked to the Ichijo Family such as the Fujimi-no-Goten and Make-up Well, and the entire city joins the Ichijo Grand Festival from November 23 to 25 every year to remember the deeds of the family.

Joro-Spider Sumo Tournament
The Joro-spider Sumo tournament was one of the court games enjoyed by women who came to the land of Nakamura with Ichijo Norifusa to evade the Onin War that took place some 500 years ago.
The game, once played in reminiscent of the brilliant life at Kyoto, is currently an annual summer even for children, conducted on the first Sunday of August at the Ichijo Shrine which stands at the hill at the center of the city.


Mount Ishimi-ji

土佐西南大規模公園&とまろっとPart of Mount Ishimi-ji, a mountain that forms a section of Mount Higashi in Shimanto City, is made into a hiking course with 88 stone Buddha statues forming a miniaturized version of the Shikoku Pilgrimage route.

The 2,272-meter course extending from the trailhead to the mountain's summit is dotted with 88 stone Buddha statues peacefully resting in the dappled sunlight of the forest. The hiking course passes by the Ishimi-ji Temple, which during the time of the Ichijo Family, was viewed as a guardian temple, following the example of the Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hieizan in Kyoto.

The observation deck at the summit of the mountain offers a panoramic view, from Sukumo Bay in the west to the Shikoku mountains in the north, along with the Shimanto River estuary as it emerges from Shimanto City into the Pacific Ocean.

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Kozan-ji Temple & Citizens' Forest

A park for local residents near Kozan-ji Temple.
Aside from hiking and forest bathing, visitors can also enjoy the park, which is a stop-off point for migratory birds, as an ideal spot for bird watching. Kozan-ji Temple and other historic ruins related to the renowned Buddhist figure Kobo-Daishi are also found on the premise.

Planting of the trees of wisteria, the symbol flower of Shimanto City has also begun so that in the future, all of the 23 types of flowering wisteria that exist in this world can be enjoyed.

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Shimanto Municipal Local History Museum

Reference museum with the appearance of a castle, situated in the ruins of the Nakamura Castle, the home to Yamauchi Kazutoyo's younger brother Yasutoyo. Built inside the Tamematsu Park which is famous for its cherry blossoms, the architecture of the Shimanto Municipal Local Historical Museum is designed after the Inuyama Castle of Aichi Prefecture. The Mansion of Wind, the museum's main keep offers a panoramic view of the Shimanto River, Mount Higashi, and landscape of Shimanto City. Examples of the various reference materials which are related to the local Hata district that are on display at this museum include one of the four Sword of Seven Stars that have been discovered in Japan (with the others stored at sites such as the Shitenno-ji Temple and Horyu-ji Temple), memoir Kenkenroku explaining the movement promoting reverence to the emperor which was written by Higuchi Shinkichi (friend of Sakamoto Ryoma, a famous political activist during the late Edo Period), poetry in classic Chinese which is said to had been written by Nakaoka Shintaro in 1867 when he was assassinated (found inside the Nanmei Poetry Collection), and valuable references on Kotoku Shusui, a symbolic Meiji Period socialist from the Nakamura area who was executed in 1911 following the High Treason Incident.

Hours: 8:30 to 17:00 (doors close at 16:30)
Admission: 310 yen for adults, 150 yen for high school students, and free for elementary/middle school students
Closed:December 31 - January 1
Contact: Shimanto Municipal Local History Museum 0880-35-4096

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Kunteki Shrine

Born in Nakamura in 1625, Kunteki became the chief priest of the Zuio-ji Temple, the Bodai-ji of the Chosokabe Family. Even after being imprisoned due to conflicts resulting from the Dharma name of second generation estate chief Yamauchi Tadayoshi, he never let go of his belief and followed a strict life for seven years practicing fasting and writing sutras in blood. In the fall of 1670, he began starving himself to death, and 49 days later, on January 10th of 1671, he ended his life while still in rage.
At the time of his death, Kunteki was just 47 years old.
The shrine is situated at Saoka, Shimanto City and is revered by many as it is dedicated to the god of battles as well as the god of examinations.

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Taihei-ji Temple

The temple was built during the of the Bunna years (1352 to 1356) of the Nanbokucho Period, by Kaihosho-koni with the help of Buddhist priest Sengen Kaku-un during his Shikoku Pilgrimage. Third generation Ichijo Fusamoto repaired the temple during the Tenmon years (1532 to 1555). He added triangular arrow loops on the mud walls to make the temple an important military facility where one can run to at a time of emergency.

The premises contain rigid stone walls and a Sanmon gate built in the early Edo Period. In one corner stands the "Monument to Freedom", which bears an inscription by Oe Taku.
The sitting statues of Kaihosho-koni and Kaku-un are considered as masterpieces of portrait sculptures made in the Muromachi Period, and are designated as an important cultural property

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Kamo Hachiman-gu Shrine

Situated nearby the Irino Prefectural Natural Park, the Kamo Hachiman-gu Shrine is believed to have been established when the Hachiman-gu and Kamo Shrine were integrated around 1599. The premise is divided at the center, and the enshrined Shintai of the Hachiman-gu and Kamo Shrine are placed separately.

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