Article

20430 ／おおくわむら

Nagano Prefecture 木曽郡

Okuwa Village

Three kinds of rock under green water.

Atera Gorge, three rock types

Photo by Alpsdake (CC0)

01 ／ Joshoji Temple records

A record of the 1574 hall repairsreads "furumai (treat) soba-kiri, Kinei."

According to the Japan Heritage portal (text by the Okuwa Village Board of Education), Joshoji Temple keeps a record of the 1574 (Tensho 2) repairs to its Buddha hall, which reads "furumai soba-kiri Kinei": a man named Kinei treated people to soba-kiri, noodles cut from buckwheat dough. The main hall, priests' quarters and gate are National Important Cultural Properties.

Record of the 1574 (Tensho 2) repairs to the Buddha hall
"Furumai soba-kiri Kinei"
Main hall, quarters and gate: National Important Cultural Properties (designated March 29, 1952)

02 ／ Hakusan Shrine in Tono

Hakusan stands in front, with Kumano and Izuon the left and Zao on the right.

The village describes Hakusan Shrine in the Tono district as founded in the late Kamakura period. With the Hakusan shrine in front, four shrine buildings stand in a row: Kumano and Izu on the left and Zao on the right. The village says all are single-bay nagare-zukuri with cypress-bark roofs or mi-dana-zukuri, showing Kamakura building techniques.

Four shrine buildings: Hakusan, Kumano, Izu and Zao
Single-bay nagare-zukuri, cypress-bark roofs, mi-dana-zukuri (village's description)
Founded in the late Kamakura period (village's description)

03 ／ First Atera River Bridge

A forest railway bridge over the Atera Riverwas completed in 1925.

The Forest Agency's Chubu office lists the First Atera River Bridge of the Atera forest railway as one of the Kiso forest railway remains selected as Forestry Heritage, and records its completion in 1925 (Taisho 14). The agency also records that the Atera light railway was laid in 1901 (Meiji 34) in the imperial forest in the Atera valley.

First Atera River Bridge completed in 1925 (Taisho 14)
One of the remains selected as Forestry Heritage
Atera light railway laid in 1901 (Meiji 34)

Okuwa Village from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot May–November 2020)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

A village with the Kiso River at its center and three stations.

about 3,000 people
Rural district town

The village lies in southwestern Nagano Prefecture at the foot of the Central Alps. The Kiso River runs through its center, and it has three stations: Suhara, Okuwa and Nojiri. The gateway is Okuwa Station. The village says the old Nakasendo post towns of Suhara-juku and Nojiri-juku keep their traditional streetscapes.

People living here: 3,439people
Area: 234.47km²
Households: 1,477households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 4 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —1 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 7 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Okuwa Village in Japan35.689°N 137.672°E

Territory of Okuwa Village

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

18.5km

Nagano Prefecture: Agematsu Town, Nagiso Town, Iida City, Komagane City, Otaki Village, Iijima Town
Gifu Prefecture: Nakatsugawa City

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

Okuwa Village isthis kind of town.

01The village's dictionary records that three kinds of rock about 70 million years old are exposed in the Atera River gorge: Naegi-Agematsu granite from the entrance past the old forest railway track, Tarugasawa volcanic breccia from Tanukigafuchi toward Tarugasawa, and Nohi rhyolite around Ushigafuchi
02A record of the 1574 (Tensho 2) repairs to Joshoji Temple's Buddha hall reads "furumai soba-kiri Kinei," and its main hall, quarters and gate are National Important Cultural Properties; the village says four shrine buildings, Hakusan, Kumano, Izu and Zao, stand side by side at Hakusan Shrine in Tono
03The First Atera River Bridge belongs to the Atera forest railway, and the Forest Agency records its completion in 1925; the Yakushi hall of Chikoji Temple is a Prefectural Treasure (building); Suhara-juku and Nojiri-juku are old Nakasendo post towns, and the village says their traditional streetscapes remain

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Okuwa Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes