Sagara Village

The Kawabe River meets the Kuma River.

Kawabe and Kuma confluence

Photo by MK Products (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Toshima Sugawara Shrine

Ten islands in the pond are saidto be the origin of the name 'Toshima.'

This shrine enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning. The pond on the north side of the grounds has ten islands, said to be the origin of the place name Toshima (十島, 'ten islands'). The main hall dates to Tensho 17 (1589) in the Momoyama period, the worship hall to Horeki 13 (1763) in mid-Edo, and both are Important Cultural Properties.

10 islands in the pond
Main hall: Tensho 17 (1589)
Worship hall: Horeki 13 (1763)
Important Cultural Property, designated 1994

02 ／ Amamiya Shrine Woodland

On a hill spared by Kawabe River's erosion,a natural evergreen broadleaf forest remains.

This is a hill left standing after erosion by the Kawabe River (川辺川), with Amamiya Shrine (雨宮神社) at its top. Citing its geology as a remnant hill, its evergreen broadleaf forest, and a landscape in which the surrounding paddies and the river form one whole, the village designated it a Place of Scenic Beauty on May 19, 2026. A flight of 112 stone steps donated in the Edo period climbs its south side.

Village-designated Place of Scenic Beauty: 2026-05-19
112 stone steps
Japan Heritage component

03 ／ Kitadake Hiyoshi Shrine

A love story of a woodcutter and a baboon's daughtersurvives at a shrine 645m up.

At Kitadake Hiyoshi Shrine (北嶽日吉神社), 645m above sea level, legends about monkeys remain, including Iwami Juntaro's baboon-slaying, and the grounds have komazaru (狛猿), guardian monkey figures. The village's official profile booklet (村勢要覧) tells of the woodcutter Sankichi and a girl who was an old baboon's daughter as 'Hi no Namida' (狒のなみだ), and the village's tourist pamphlet says a 'hihi dance' (狒狒舞) is offered at the autumn festival.

645m above sea level
Guardian monkey figures (komazaru)
Legend 'Hi no Namida'

Living here

Central Kuma District, 7 minutes from Hitoyoshi IC.

about 4,000 people
Rural district town

The village sits near the center of Kuma District, bordering Itsuki Village to the north and Hitoyoshi City to the south. It is a wedge-shaped village 24km from north to south, with forest covering about 77% of it (village profile). The tourist pamphlet gives 7 minutes from Hitoyoshi IC along Route 445. The Kuma River Railway station is Sagaratoshima Station, renamed and relocated from Kawamura Station on September 20, 2026.

People living here: 4,070people
Area: 94.54km²
Households: 1,466households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 3 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —3 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.

Sagara Village in Japan32.235°N 130.798°E

Territory of Sagara Village

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

19.4km

山江村, 五木村, 錦町, あさぎり町, 人吉市, 多良木町

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

Sagara Village isthis kind of town.

01The Kawabe River runs through the village from north to south and joins the Kuma River. In its water-quality survey of 160 rivers nationwide, the Kawabe has met the criteria for 'rivers with the best water quality' for 20 straight years, from Heisei 18 through Reiwa 7, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced on July 24, 2026.
02Toshima Sugawara Shrine's main hall and worship hall are Important Cultural Properties, and Amamiya Shrine's woodland was designated a village scenic site on May 19, 2026. Both are components of the Japan Heritage story 'The Culture of Conservatism and Progress Created by 700 Years of Sagara.'
03Kitadake Hiyoshi Shrine stands 645m up, on the border of Sagara Village and Sue in Asagiri Town. Izawa Kumano-za Shrine, near the confluence of the Kawabe and Kuma rivers, has a main hall of three buildings -- a center hall and right and left side halls -- that is a prefectural Important Cultural Property.

See the town as it is now.

Facebookvill.sagara ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Sagara Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗