Chichibu Fudasho Pilgrimage: Sacred Site No. 8, Saizenji Temple (Temple with a 600-year-old Butterfly Maple Tree)

Mt. Seitai Hōchōji Temple, the seventh sacred site and temple, is called Ushibusedo, and the main deity is the eleven-faced Kannon. The eleven-faced Kannon was originally located at Ushibuse in the third ward of Negoya. Due to a disaster in 1782, it was moved to the main hall of Hōchōji Temple, where it has been enshrined ever since. Hōchōji temple is called "Fudasho No.7," also "Mt. Seitai," and it follows the Sōtō school of Buddhism. The temple was founded by Ryodo Kansei, who passed away in 1606. The founder of the Buddhist sect here was Shigekata Uchida, the second generation head of the Uchida family, and the Uchida family is said to be of the Fujita lineage, after adopting Hōjō Ujikuni as a son-in-law.

Bokuunji Temple of Mt. Kōyō, also known as Oginodo, has a main deity, Saint Kannon, said to have once stood on the summit of Mt. Bukō. Bokuunji Temple is also dedicated to rare items such as a Seiryoji-style Sakyamuni statue, a picture scroll of good fortune, and a tooth of Yamanba (a mountain witch). A magnificent view of Mt. Bukō is visible from the front of the temple.

A temple for safe childbirth and child-rearing, and protection from evil. The main deity of the temple, Nyoirin Kannon, or Cintamanicakra, is said to be the God of Mercy and Wisdom, who holds a wish-fulfilling jewel that removes evil and purifies the clouded mind, relieves suffering, and bestows prosperity by giving gold and silver treasures. In the precincts of the temple are three Muromachi period (1336-1573) blue stone pagodas of the three Amitabha images and a mound of letters from the first year of the Hoei era, in which women wrote down their wishes and deposited them.

The entire cultural heritage of Yokoze Town is on exhibit at this museum. There are stage models of Yokoze’s puppet show (designated intangible folk cultural property by the prefecture), models of Bukōzanmitake Shrine Palace, specimen displays of animals and plants collected from Mt. Bukō, and historical documents that portray the transitions of Yokoze Town. In the “nature” section of the permanent exhibition room, approximately 130,000 year-old fossils of the giant Japanese elk, buffalo and wolves, which were discovered in the Negoya Limestone Cave, are on display. These fossils are very rare on a national scale.

A 10 minute walk from Yokoze Station. Also a 10 minute walk to Hitsujiyama Park and Shibazakura no Oka. Strawberries grown with a focus on the best taste and assurance of quality.