Article

06322 ／にしかわまち

Yamagata Prefecture 西村山郡

Nishikawa Town

A 66.9 m front: hall, parlors, kitchen.

Old Nichigatsuji hall, Iwanesawa

Photo by Crown of Lenten rose (CC BY 3.0)

01 ／ Historic site

Yudonosan Shrine in Oisawa stands on the siteof Dainichiji, one of four head temples.

The Gassan Asahi Tourism Association introduces Dainichiji as one of the four head temples of Yudonosan. In the Meiji era it gave up its temple name and became Yudonosan Shrine. The temple gate and bell tower survive on the grounds, and the former temple's proxy-prayer towers are also town-designated.

Town-designated historic site
One of four Yudonosan head temples
Proxy-prayer towers also town-designated

02 ／ Giant tree

The Oisawa great chestnut splits intofive trunks 3 to 4 m above ground.

A prefecturally designated natural monument, it is a shiba chestnut (shibakuri). A survey in November 2010 gave a height of 16.82 m and a trunk girth of 8.48 m at 1.5 m. Its age is uncertain; the town estimates 800 years. It stands in the hills at 620 m, on the left bank of the Sagae River.

Prefectural natural monument, 2011
Girth 8.48 m at 1.5 m
Height 16.82 m

03 ／ Old road

The town designates the stone pavementof the Rokujurigoe road as a historic site.

The Gassan Asahi Tourism Association says the road is said to have opened 1,200 years ago, bustled as a pilgrimage route, and still keeps moss-covered stone pavement. The town's history museum shows photo panels of the pavement and a fork marker stone.

Town-designated historic site
Road said to be 1,200 years old
Photo panels of the pavement at the museum

Nishikawa Town 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 August–September 2019)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

Twenty-seven minutes by town bus from Sagae Station.

about 5,000 people
Rural district town

There is no railway station in the town. The town bus connects Sagae Station with the town. In the fiscal 2026 timetable revised on April 1, 2026, all three daily buses take 27 minutes from Sagae Station to Nishikawa Town Office, with no transfer.

People living here: 4,956people
Area: 393.19km²
Households: 1,686households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 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.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Nishikawa Town in Japan38.426°N 140.148°E

to SagaeLocal bus27min

Travel times follow 西川町公式『西川町路線バス時刻表（令和8年4月1日改正）』（https://www.town.nishikawa.yamagata.jp/soshiki/chomin/1272.html 。更新2026-04-01。PDF https://www.town.nishikawa.yamagata.jp/uploaded/attachment/3602.pdf の2ページ『道の駅にしかわ寒河江駅線』。令和8年4月1日〜令和9年3月31日）。寒河江駅発の道の駅にしかわ行で、毎日運行（☆印）の No.11-8（寒河江駅8:22発）・No.11-9（11:24発）・No.11-12（16:06発）の3本は、いずれも西川町役場前に 8:49・11:51・16:33 着＝27分（道の駅にしかわ着は36分）。平日（月〜金）のみの便も同じ27分。逆向きの西川町役場前発→寒河江駅着は 6:19→6:50 など31分 (checked 2026-10-28). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 8 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Nishikawa Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.

North to south

31.5km

Yamagata Prefecture: Oe Town, Tsuruoka City, Sagae City, Okura Village, Asahi Town, Oguni Town, Shonai Town
Niigata Prefecture: Murakami City

Nishikawa Town isthis kind of town.

01The former Nichigatsuji main hall stands in Iwanesawa, an ascent-gate village for Gassan and Yudonosan, and is a national Important Cultural Property. It combines a worship hall, guest hall, parlors and kitchen in one building, with a front 66.9 m long
02The site of Dainichiji in Oisawa is a town-designated historic site, now Yudonosan Shrine. The Oisawa great chestnut is a prefectural natural monument. Hondoji has Hondoji Kuchinomiya Yudonosan Shrine
03The stone pavement of the Rokujurigoe road is a town-designated historic site. There is no railway station in town; the town bus takes 27 minutes from Sagae Station to Nishikawa Town Office

See the town as it is now.

Instagram@nishikawa_town_official ↗

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

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Nishikawa Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes