Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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you'll probably want to take the local bus. Buses depart Shuzenji Station approximately
every 10 or 15 minutes from stop no. 1 bound for “Shuzenji Onsen,” the last stop. The
fare is ¥210. Once you're ensconced in your ryokan, you can walk everywhere. English-
language signs direct you to major attractions.
Seeing the Sights
Shuzenji Onsen spreads along the Katsura River. In the center of the spa town, in the
river bed, is
Tokko-no-yu,
the oldest hot spring in Izu. According to legend, in 807
Kobo Daishi saw a young boy washing his ill father in the cold water of Katsura River.
Taking pity, Kobo Daishi struck a rock in the riverbed with an iron club
(tokko),
causing
the rock to split open and release a hot spring that cured the sick father. Today, a pavilion
along the river marks the historic spot.
After discovering Tokko-no-yu, Kobo Daishi founded
Shuzenji Temple,
just steps
away from Katsura River on a small hill. Because of its associations with the great Bud-
dhist leader, the temple flourished and a village sprang up around it. During the
Kamakura Period (1185-1333), Shuzenji Temple became a stage for two tragic events
resulting from the Minamoto clan's bitter family feud. First, Minamoto Yoritomo, who
established the Kamakura shogunate but feared that his younger brother Noriyori had
ambitions to take over, had Noriyori imprisoned here in 1193. Noriyori, who had proved
his bravery by acting as commander in chief in the defeat of the rival Heike clan, subse-
quently killed himself. Later, Yoritomo's son, Yoriie, the second Kamakura shogun, was
assassinated in Shuzenji while enjoying his bath at nearby Hakoyu spa, reportedly
through poison added to his bathwater. The present temple building dates from 1883,
when it was rebuilt following a mysterious fire. The Shuzenji Treasure House contains
items relating to the temple, including the tokko said to have belonged to Kobo Daishi
and Yoriie's death mask. You'll also find a statue of Dainichi Nyorai, given to the temple
by Hojo Masako, wife of Yoritomo, in honor of her son Yoriie. Admission to the treasure
house, open daily 8:30am to 4pm, is ¥300; temple grounds are open daily 6am to 5pm.
Across the river from Shuzenji Temple is
Hakoyu,
now a modern hot-spring public
bath housed in an eye-catching tower. You can bathe in its tub made of
hinoki
cypress for
¥350. It's open daily from noon to 9pm.
Nearby is the
Bamboo Forest Path,
a pedestrian walkway through a bamboo grove,
as well as
Shigetsuden,
the oldest wooden structure in Izu. Yoriie's mother, Masako,
ordered construction of Shigetsuden to house several thousand rolls of Buddhist scrip-
tures, donated to console the soul of her son Yoriie. It is thought that most of the scrip-
tures were sent later to Edo (present-day Tokyo) by order of the Tokugawa shogunate,
though one roll is displayed at Shuzenji Temple's Treasure House. Beside Shigetsuden is
Minamoto Yoriie's Grave,
marked by a stone pillar erected in 1703 by Shuzenji Temple's
head priest to mark the 500th anniversary of Yoriie's death. The eldest son of Yoritomo,
Yoriie was only 18 when he became the second shogun and was placed under house arrest
in Shuzenji after only 5 years of reign. He was 23 when murdered in his bath by assassins
from Kamakura. Three stones behind the pillar mark the graves of Yoriie, his concubine,
and their son.
A walking trail leads across the river to
Minamoto Noriyori's Grave.
Other hiking
trails lead through the surrounding mountain scenery, including the 5-km (3-mile) Oku-
noin Walking Trail leading to Okunoin, where Kobo Daishi is said to have practiced
meditation as a youth.
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