Hichiso Town

Some potholes still hold round stones.

Potholes of Hisuikyo

Photo by Alpsdake (CC0)

01 ／ Cliff inscription

Characters reading “Mihagigo” on the cliffby the path, each about 2 m square.

On the cliff beside the approach path to Kabuchi Shrine, the characters of Mihagigo are carved. The town says each character is 2 m square, and the on-site sign gives about 2 m. The town explains that the name derives from a myth in which Susanoo-no-Mikoto, on his way up to Takamagahara, enshrined here the sword he had worn at his side.

Each character 2 m square
Kabuchi Shrine approach path
Derived from a Susanoo myth

02 ／ Hazu Bunraku

Puppet heads were usually bought.Hazu's village headman kept making his own.

In the Edo period, performers usually bought puppet heads made by specialist craftsmen in Awaji, Awa and Osaka. At Hazu, the village headman (shoya), who lived from 1731 to 1819, made heads over many years, and the troupe used them. According to the ink inscriptions inside, work from 1773 to 1819 survives. The heads and costumes are a Prefectural Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property.

Headman made heads for years
Inscriptions 1773 to 1819
Prefectural Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property, 1980

03 ／ Great cedar

10 m around, measured 30 cm above the ground:a notable giant among cedars, the national record says.

The great cedar in the grounds of Kabuchi Shrine was designated a National Natural Monument on February 28, 1930 (Showa 5). The national record describes it as a notable giant among cedars, with a trunk 10 m around at 30 cm above the ground. The prefecture gives the girth at the base as 10.0 m.

Girth 10.0 m
National Natural Monument
Designated February 28, 1930

Living here

About nine-tenths of the town is forest, 200 to 700 m up.

about 3,000 people
Rural district town

A town in Kamo District with an area of 90.47 km². In 1955 Kabuchi Village and Kami-Aso Village merged to form Hichiso Village, which became a town in 1971. The gateway is Kami-Aso Station on the JR Takayama Main Line, the only station in town. The town names it as one starting point for Mount Noko (privately owned), about an hour or a little more each way to the summit at the shortest.

People living here: 3,402people
Area: 90.47km²
Households: 1,312households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 4 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —2 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 6 municipalities.

Hichiso Town in Japan35.544°N 137.120°E

Territory of Hichiso Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

13.0km

関市, 川辺町, 白川町, 八百津町, 下呂市, 美濃加茂市

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Hichiso Town isthis kind of town.

01The Hisuikyo potholes lie in the Hida River gorge, from Kami-Aso Bridge to about 2 km upstream, and are a National Natural Monument; the prefecture notes that some are confirmed to hold round stones
02On the cliff beside the path to Kabuchi Shrine, the characters of Mihagigo are carved about 2 m square each, and the great cedar in the grounds is a National Natural Monument. Hazu Bunraku used puppet heads that the village headman made over many years, and the heads and costumes are a Prefectural Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property
03The town introduces a gneiss pebble about 2 billion years old in the Kami-Aso conglomerate, found in 1970, and the dragon on the main gate of Ryumon-ji Temple, said to have been carved by Hidari Jingoro

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Hichiso Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗