Iga City

Basho's travel attire, built as a hall.

Haiseiden

Photo by m-louis .® (CC BY-SA 2.0)

01 ／ Jonokoshi Site

On the banks of a ditch fed by three springs,fist-sized stones were laid.

This is a large ditch built around the second half of the early Kofun period (late 4th century). Of the three springs at its upstream end, two have box-shaped stone frames, and at a confluence stones about 50 cm high were set upright. The Agency for Cultural Affairs considers that rites were held here, with the spring water itself regarded as sacred.

National Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site, 1993
Three springs
About 50 m of ditch excavated

02 ／ Shindaibutsu-ji Temple

A seated Buddha 293 cm tall.Its head is Kamakura-period; its body is an Edo-period repair.

新大仏寺大仏様.jpg — Photo by houzyouhideyosi (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Iga Shin-betsusho, opened by Chogen in the Kennin era (1201-03), is known to have housed a joroku-size Amida triad of standing figures by Kaikei. The statue was damaged in the early Edo period, leaving only the central figure's head and a stone base; in the Kyoho era (1716-35), the Kyoto sculptor Yukei is said to have restored it.

Important Cultural Property, 1975
Height 293.0 cm
Inscriptions inside the head name Chogen and Kaikei

03 ／ Katte Shrine ritual dance

A bamboo frame hung with paper flowers and leaves sways on the dancer's back.Roles pass to a young "Ko"; the "Oya" who taught him steps down.

This is a kanko dance performed at the autumn festival of Katte Shrine in Yabata. The central dancer, with a barrel drum on his chest, carries a decoration called ochizui, thin bamboo hung with paper flowers and leaves. Each role takes a promising young man as its successor, a "Ko"; the "Oya" who taught him is said to retire from active duty.

Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, 2018
A cast of 20-some
Five pieces in the current repertoire

Living here

From Osaka Namba in 61 minutes by Kintetsu limited express.

about 90,000 people
90 min to a city centre

Kintetsu Osaka Line limited express trains stop at Iga-Kambe Station, 61 minutes at the fastest from Osaka Namba (daily service, per the timetable). Change there to the Iga Railway, and Uenoshi Station is about a five-minute walk from the Haiseiden. The city was formed on 1 November 2004 from six municipalities, and spreads across a basin at the headwaters of the Yodo River.

People living here: 88,766people
Area: 558.23km²
Households: 36,615households
Rent (average for rentals): 42,691yen
Healthcare: 4 hospitals ／ 69 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —32 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.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Iga City in Japan34.750°N 136.142°E

to OsakaKintetsu limited express61min

Travel times follow 近畿日本鉄道『駅の時刻表』（eki.kintetsu.co.jp。ページに「2026/3/14現在」）。大阪難波駅（350-0・近鉄奈良・近鉄名古屋・賢島方面）と大阪上本町駅（大阪線 356-0・河内国分・五十鈴川・鳥羽方面）の発車時刻表の各列車（行先が賢島・鳥羽・宇治山田・五十鈴川・松阪・伊勢中川・青山町のもの）の停車駅表で、大阪難波『発』（または大阪上本町『発』）→伊賀神戸『着』を数えた。平日と土休日の両方。逆向き（伊賀神戸→大阪上本町）は伊賀神戸駅の発車時刻表（356-38）の特急・快速急行の停車駅表で数えた。JR草津線は JRおでかけネットの区間時刻表（2026年10月13日のページ）。 (checked 2026-10-13). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 7 municipalities across 3 prefectures.

Territory of Iga City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

38.2km

Mie Prefecture: 津市, 名張市, 亀山市
Shiga Prefecture: 甲賀市
Nara Prefecture: 奈良市, 山添村
Kyoto Prefecture: 南山城村

Iga City isthis kind of town.

01The Haiseiden is a hall designated an Important Cultural Property (2010); the city explains that its roof stands for a travel hat, its broad eaves for a kimono, and its round pillars for the legs and staff of Basho on his walking journey
02The music siren at the former Ueno City Hall sounds at 12:00 and 18:00, and was designated a city cultural property in 2024
03The Danjiri event of the Ueno Tenjin Festival is a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and in 2016 was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai" float festivals

See the town as it is now.

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

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Iga City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗