Mitsuba Tsutsuji

On May 23 of the fourth year of the Keio Era, Heikuro Shibusawa, a member of the old shogunate's army who had been defeated in battle against the new government forces in Hanno, fled towards Kuroyama Village over the Kaoburi pass alone. He encountered a scouting party and fought alone, but he was badly wounded and committed suicide, harakiri, sitting on a rock on the river bank. Heikuro was a cousin, brother-in-law, and adopted son of Shibusawa Eiichi.

Kuroyamataki is a general term for the three waterfalls: greater waterfall, smaller waterfall, and tengu (an imaginary red-faced human figure with a protruding long nose, who flies through the air with two angel-like wings) waterfall. It is a scenic spot that was selected as one of Japan’s 100 best sightseeing destinations. Here you can enjoy fresh green leaves in the spring, cool temperature in the summer, and the changing color of the leaves in spring is remarkable.

About 1500 Hydrangea plants, in Japan known as Ajisai, are in bloom along the 3-kilometer long road, and you can enjoy the clean air and the chirping of birds while being surrounded by nature.

At Umesono, you can buy products made from Ogose's local specialties, ume (plum) and yuzu (Japanese citrus). The central location makes it a popular resting place for hikers and other travelers.

The plums of Ogose are said to originate from the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Fukuoka before they were moved and replanted at their current location in the Umezono shrine. Ogose Bairin is known as one of Kanto's three great plum groves. The park covers an area of about 2 hectares and is home to about 1,000 plum trees such as Shirakaga, Ko-ume, and Koseno-ume. Furthermore, the unusually old plum tree called Kaiyuki, estimated to be 650 years old, can be seen here. Including the surrounding area, about 20,000 plum trees are in full bloom during peak season.