Yoshimi Hundred Caves

The ruins of Matsuyama Castle, once a superb flatland-mountain castle in the Kitamusashi region, have been designated as a prefectural historical site since 1925. In 2008, the ruins of Sugaya yakata (Ranzan Town), which had already been designated as a national historic site, were joined by the ruins of Sugiyama Castle (Ranzan Town) and Kokura Castle (Tokigawa, Ranzan, and Ogawa Town) to form the Hiki Castle Ruins Group, which now is designated as a national historic site. The castle is surrounded by a swampy area formed by the Ichino River, which creates a natural barrier.

This Tourist Information Center is located on the second floor of the Station Building adjacent to Higashimatsuyama Station. Here you can find pamphlets on sightseeing spots and events in the city, walking maps, and more. City mascot character goods and other specialties of the city are also available for purchase. A pamphlet rack is also located in front of the ticket gates of Higashi Matsuyama Station, allowing you to easily grab what you need on your way to the train.

In 712, it is said that during the Heian period, Minamoto-no-Yorinobu, who was heading towards the suppression of Taira-no-Tadatsune, saw a dream in which he received an arrow and bow from a God riding on a white fox. Thanks to this, he was able to gain his victory in the battle, which led him to contribute to the establishment of this shrine. This prefectural cultural property is constructed as an incarnation of Buddha and the inside and outside of the main building of the shrine is crafted through the use of advanced techniques. Praying here is known to bring abundant harvests, prosperity in business, art proficiency, and good luck in challenges. Because it can be read as “Yakyū”, many of those involved in baseball visit to pray. The best time to see the flowers of the peony park is around mid-April as it blooms with the wisteria and azalea.

Anraku-ji Temple is the 11th temple in Bando and has been known as Yoshimi Kannon since ancient times. The main deity of the temple is the Holy Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the deity of compassion, and according to the Yoshimi Kannon Enki, it all started about 1200 years ago when a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was carved and placed in the rock cave. Every year on June 18, the Kannon is unveiled in the early morning to the public to ward off evil spirits. As a tradition, they also sell special "Yakuwake Dango (literally dumplings to ward off evil)" on this day. Even to this day, on June 18th, the long approach to Anraku-ji Temple is lined with stalls, and the area becomes very crowded from around 2 am to early morning.

Yoshimi Town is dotted with artificial swamps, which actually are reservoirs built for rice paddy cultivation. Lake Hatcho is one such artificial swamp with an area of about 52000 square meters. The kanji letter for "Ha" can also mean both "eight" and "many," similar to how the symbol for eight is the same as the symbol for infinity. This can be found in many words and expressions used throughout the Japanese language, where the number eight is used to describe "too many to count." Lake Hatcho used to be called "Hatcho Hassan no Numa," which also is a play on eight, but since the name is incorrect, it isn't in use anymore.