6th Sacred Place, Bokuun-ji of Mt. Kōyō

The seventh temple and sacred place is called Ushibushi-do, and the main deity is the eleven-faced Kannon. The eleven-faced Kannon was originally located at Ushibushi in the third ward of Negoya. Due to a disaster in 1782, it was moved to the main hall of Hocho-ji temple, where it has been enshrined ever since. Hocho-ji temple is called Mt. Seitai and 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 head of the Uchida family, and the Uchida family is said to be of the Fujita lineage, which Hōjō Ujikuni adopted as his son-in-law.

This is a house lodge located in the mountain valley with the surrounding enclosed in deciduous trees and the chirping of birds giving one a feel of the season. In the forest, close to the Terasaka Rice Terrace, is a Yuyado (a lodge with a hot spring) of medicinal herbs which is beloved by many as the “Yakusō-no-yu (hot water of medicinal herbs)”. The pride of the lodging is the medicinal herb bath which contains, among other herbs, chameleon plant and Japanese mugwort, allowing for the body to warm up from its core and improving blood circulation. One can expect recovery from fatigue and better skin.

From season to season, Saitama Prefecture’s largest terraced paddy field expands a rural scene that can only be seen in Japan. As of now, 4 hectares of the rice field (about 250 pieces) is in use out of the total area of 5.2 hectares. In the summer, en event of about 600 bonfires lighting up takes place, creating a magical atmophere, and is an experience limited to one night that cannot be enjoyed anywhere else. During the autumn, the 2,000,000 bulbs of the red spider lily planted on footpath blooms.

A temple for safe childbirth, safe growth of children, and protection from evil. The main deity of the temple, Nyoirin Kannon, or Cintamani-cakra, is said to be the Goddess of Mercy and Wisdom, who has a wish-fulfilling jewel that removes evil and purifies the clouded mind, relieves suffering, and bestows prosperity by giving gold, silver, and treasure. In the precincts of the temple, there are three-story bluestone pagoda of the three Amida deities from the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and a mound of writings from the first year of the Hōei era, where women wrote their wishes and stored them.

This is a museum that exhibits the entire cultural heritage of Yokoze-machi. From stage models of Yokoze’s puppet show (intangible folk cultural property designated by the prefecture) and models of Bukōzanmitake Shrine Palace, there are displays of animals and plants collected from Mt. Bukō as well as historical documents that portray the transitions of Yokoze-machi. In the “nature” section of the permanent exhibition room, fossils of Sinomegaceros yabei, wild ox, wolves from about 130,000 years ago produced in the Nagoya Limestone Cave are on display. These fossil data are very rare on a national scale.