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Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan NP, Nagano
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The “Saigyō Cherry” comes with a local legend: poet-monk Saigyō teased children climbing like monkeys; they replied that a dog-like monk had arrived, so he turned back from Hinomikosha.
Togakushi’s Daidai Kagura was originally performed at Hinomikosha. Its full program has 10 dances, with shorter 7- and 5-dance versions created by omitting selected dances; Nagano Prefecture recognizes it as intangible folk heritage.
Togakushi’s three main precincts flourished as Tendai Buddhist temple complexes, but Hinomikosha remained a Shinto shrine served by the Kurita family. In 1612, that family was allotted 200 of Ieyasu’s 1,000 koku.
Meiji-era separation of Buddhism and Shinto briefly stopped Togakushi’s Daidai Kagura. A revival petition followed in 1878; dances returned by the 1880 spring festival, and the tradition is now offered over 70 times a year.
Two cedars behind Hinomikosha are estimated to be more than 500 years old. Locals call them Fūfu no Sugi (“Husband-and-Wife Cedars”) or Musubi no Sugi (“Bonding Cedars”).
Hinomikosha’s exact founding year is unknown, but a chronicle records repairs to its sanctuary around 1100—evidence it was already standing near the start of the 12th century.
