Chichibu Fudasho Pilgrimage: Sacred Site No. 6, Bokuunji of Mt. Kōyō

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.

Enclosed in surroundings of deciduous trees and chirping birds announcing the seasons, sits this single-house inn in the mountains. Located in a deciduous forest near the Terasaka Rice Terrace, this inn has been well-loved for its “Yakusō-no-yu (medicinal herb bath)" since its establishment. The pride of the lodge is the medicinal herb bath which contains, among other herbs, chameleon plant and Japanese mugwort, which improve blood circulation and warm the body from the core. One can expect fatigue relief and improved skin.

At Saitama Prefecture's largest rice terraces, a rural landscape unique to Japan unfolds with each changing season. Currently, 4 (about 250 fields) out of the total 5.2 hectares are in use. In summer an event is held where around 600 bonfires are lit, for a night of magical ambience one cannot experience in the city. In autumn, the bulbs of around 2 million red spider lilies bloom around the rice paddies.

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.