Article

20411 ／しもじょうむら

Nagano Prefecture 下伊那郡

Shimojo Village

A cedar 11.5 m round stands by shrines.

Oyamada Shrine, cedar, 2 halls

Photo by 濃間 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Construction materials

The village supplies materials; residentscarry out light civil works themselves.

When residents themselves carry out light civil works such as paving local roads, the village supplies materials and money for heavy-machinery fuel under its construction materials supply program, run since fiscal 1992. The guidelines cover village roads, farm roads and waterways, and name ward heads, neighbourhood association heads and water-use association heads as applicants.

Since fiscal 1992
Village roads: 3 or more beneficiaries
Applicants: ward and association heads

02 ／ Hoya rite

A hut near the shrine isroofed with susuki pampas grass.

At the village's Misayama Shrine, a hut near the shrine building is covered with ears of susuki grass and offerings are made in the Hoya rite, which the village says is held every October. It is a rite of the Suwa faith honouring the gods of hunting and farming, designated a village Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Records say the shrine was built by the Shimojo clan to calm the north, the unlucky demon gate direction, when it built its castle.

Festival date: 12 October
Village Intangible Folk Cultural Property
One of 4 places in the Iida-Shimoina area (village)

03 ／ Shimojo clan tomb

The tomb tower of Yoriuji, first of theShimojo clan, stands in Ryugakuji's graveyard.

Shimojo clan tomb in Shimojo Village — Photo by Opqr (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The village describes the Shimojo clan as a branch of the Kai Genji that ruled this area from the Muromachi period to the middle of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It says the first head, Yoriuji, died aged 57 in the 29th year of Oei (1422), and that the tower was built then and is the oldest tomb tower of the clan. It is a village-designated Tangible Cultural Property.

Died in the 29th year of Oei (1422)
Village-designated Tangible Cultural Property
Oldest of the clan's tomb towers (village)

Shimojo 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 2022)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 without a station keeps a public wedding.

about 4,000 people
Rural district town

The nearest railway station given by the tourist association is Tenryukyo Station on the JR Iida Line (in Iida City), 5 minutes by car. The village's public weddings began in 1977, and the village records that by the end of June 2019 they had celebrated 358 couples. 34 hamlets are scattered between 332 m and 828 m above sea level.

People living here: 3,545people
Area: 38.12km²
Households: 1,160households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 2 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 4 municipalities.

Shimojo Village in Japan35.397°N 137.786°E

Territory of Shimojo 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

8.8km

Anan Town, Achi Village, Iida City, Yasuoka Village

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

Shimojo Village isthis kind of town.

01The paired shrine buildings of Oyamada Shrine are a national Important Cultural Property. The village records that craftsmen invited from Kyoto by the Shimojo clan built them in 1507. The great cedar in the grove has a root girth of 11.5 m and an estimated age of 800 years
02Under the construction materials program, run since fiscal 1992, the village supplies materials and machinery fuel money while residents do paving and other works themselves. At the village's Misayama Shrine, the village says the Hoya rite, with a hut roofed in susuki grass, is held every October
03The tomb tower of Yoriuji, first of the Shimojo clan, is a village Tangible Cultural Property, and Ryugakuji Temple also holds a prefectural treasure, a Daruma work by the Zen master Hakuin. The village's public weddings began in 1977, with 358 couples by the end of June 2019

See the town as it is now.

Instagram@villshimojo ↗

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

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Shimojo Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

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