Kashima Cultural Properties
1. Shishuu Amida Myogo Kakefuku (Hanging Namu Amida Buddha Embroidery)
Type: Nationally designated important cultural property (craft)
Date Designated: June 9th, 1960
Location: Amidaji Temple - Kashima-ku, Minamiyakata, Maehata
Google Maps: Amidaji Temple
Owner: Amidaji Temple
The six-character name of "Namu Amida Buddha" is embroidered in the center. Just above the name is a beautifully embroidered canopy and the seat just below the name is done with multi-colored thread (green, yellow, red, white, and black). Framing the name is a beautiful embroidery of golden lotus flowers matching the shaft that is delicately carved in gold and bronze. It is an excellent handicraft from the Kamakura period.
2. Mano Kofun-Gun (Mano Burial Mounds)
Type: Nationally designated historic site
Date Designated: October 24th, 1979
Location: Kashima-ku, Terauchi, Hachimanbayashi (+other)
Owner: Individual
The Mano Burial Mounds are in the low hills on the west bank of the Mano River, and are distributed in two areas, Area A (Terauchi area) and Area B (Koike area). These burial mounds consist of keyhole-shaped and circular burial mounds, and are estimated to have been constructed in the late Kofun period. During research conducted so far, metal fittings of a gold and copper twin fish bags (belt decoration) have been discovered, of which very few have been unearthed throughout Japan, as well as stone imitations and horse bells made of gold and copper.
3. Ogai Estate East and Central Storehouses and Gate
Type: Nationally registered tangible cultural property (building)
Date Designated: August 1st, 2016
Location: Kashima-ku, Tochikubo, Kozuka
Google Maps: Ogai Estate
Owner: Individual
Dimensions:
East Storehouse: 2-story storehouse, iron plate roof, building area is 45 square meters
Central Storehouse: 2-story storehouse, iron plate roof, building area is 54 square meters
Gate: Wooden structure, tile-roofing, frontage 2.6 meters
Two storehouses are lined up on either side of a traditional gate known as a kouraimon, on the south side of Shio no Michi, a road that connects the Hama Kaido and Oshu Kaido roads. Having the layout face the street indicates that the Ogai estate was a distribution hub, with the landscape symbolizing the Tochikubo area. The storehouses have two stories, with the east storehouse previously holding rice and the central storehouse holding sake and soy sauce. Both structures have a showy design, encircled by namako walls (a Japanese wall design, white grid pattern on black slate), with a beautiful whirlpool-design Hachimaki (the band of wood just beneath the roof that runs around the entire building). The east storehouse is through to have been constructed in the latter half of the Meiji era (1868-1912), while the central storehouse and gate were made during the early part of the Showa period (1926-1989).
4. Jizo Hosatsu Ryuzou Hangi (Standing Kshitigarbha Woodcut Block)
Type: Prefecture designated important cultural property (craft)
Date Designated: September 4th, 1956
Location: Kashima-ku, Oshimada, Tachiya
Owner: Individual
Kshitigarbha stands on two lotus pedestals with a khakkhara (Buddhist ringed staff) in his right hand and a cintamani stone (a wish-fulfilling jewel) in his left hand, representing the state of coming from the Pure Land. The inscription of the 13th year of Sadaharu (1367) is shown. This woodcut block was clearly created with the intention of wishing happiness to souls of mothers and fathers in the next world.
5. Ebihama no Marubasharinbai Jiseichi (Natural Habitat of Ebihama Yeddo Hawthorne)
Type: Prefecture designated natural monument
Date Designated: September 4th, 1956
Location: Kashima-ku, Minamiebi, Kitahara
Owner: Minamisoma City
Yeddo Hawthorne is an evergreen shrub that grows south of central Honshu. From around May, small white flowers bloom and fruit that look like blackish-brown mountain grapes grow. Kashima is the northernmost area where a community of Yeddo Hawthorne grows naturally, and it is considered to be a valuable plant that indicates that the Hamadori region is a transition zone for plants that grow in mild-climate to those that grown in northern areas.
6. Yokote Haijiato (Yokote Abandoned Temple Ruins)
Type: Nationally designated historic site
Date Designated: August 1st, 1958
Location: Kashima-ku, Yokote, Goshouchi
Google Maps: Yokote Haijiato
Owner: Individual
A number of foundation stones were unearthed in the area surrounding the temple ruins, including roof tiles with a fabric texture and circular foundation stones. These stones link the temple to the Heian period, and so it was designated a historic site. In an excavation in 2013, the foundation stones of a building site confirmed the existence of a temple tower. As the scale of the building became clear, it was also confirmed that the original foundation was accompanied by an exterior wooden foundation.
7. Yokote Kofun-Gun (Yokote Burial Mounds)
Type: Prefecture designated historic site
Date Designated: April 7th, 1978
Location: Kashima-ku, Yokote, Hattomaki (+others)
Google Maps: Yokote Kofun-Gun A1
Owner: Individual
The Yokote Burial Mounds consists of two groups, group A and group B. Group A consists of one keyhole-shaped burial mound with a total length of about 30 meters and 14 other round burial mounds with diameters of 15 to 20 meters. Group B consists of four burial mounds measuring about 33 meters in diameter, and includes Burial Mound No. 1, the largest round burial mound in the Hamadori region. These sites clearly show the characteristics of burial mounds in the late Kofun period.
8. Shishuu Amida Sanzon Raigou Kakefuku (Hanging Amida Buddha Triad Embroidery)
Type: Prefectural designated important cultural property (craft)
Date Designated: March 23rd, 1979
Location: Amidaji Temple - Kashima-ku, Minamiyakata, Maehata
Google Maps: Amidaji Temple
Owner: Amidaji Temple
In the center of this piece, a slightly large Amida Buddha stands on a lotus pedestal against a circle of beams of light, 48 in total. Amida Buddha is from the middle level of the highest grade of the Pure Land in Mahayana Buddhism. A bowing Kannon sits next to a Mahasthamaprapta with hands clasped together, side by side on clouds just beneath Amida. The two figures of Buddhist deities drawn on the top left and right are quite distinctive. It is an excellent work of handicraft from the Kamakura period.
9. Hounen Shouninzou Hangi (Honen Printing Block)
Type: Prefectural designated important cultural property (craft)
Date Designated: March 28th, 1980
Location: Amidaji Temple - Kashima-ku, Minamiyakata, Maehata
Google Maps: Amidaji Temple
Owner: Amidaji Temple
A holy priest sits in a happi coat and a monk’s stole dyed black, holding a string of prayer beads, This is Hounen, the founder of the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. According to the inscription “Showa Otsubou,” which indicates it was made in 1315 based on the Chinese calendar, this fantastic printing block was carved 100 years after the death of the holy priest Hounen. Instead, it was made during the Muromachi period, when realism came into play in art.
10. Kyuushugen Nikkoin Shozo Shugen Shiryou (Former Asceticism Nikkoin Owned Mountain Asceticism Materials)
Type: Prefecture designated tangible folk cultural property
Date Designated: March 25th, 1997
Location: Kashima-ku, Koyamada, Tonouchi
Google Maps: Nikkoji Temple
Owner: Nikkoji Temple
These valuable ascetism study materials are from the Haguro school of Shingon Buddhism, based in the Three Mountains of Dewa. "Yudono Sankaji" is an important document showing the connection between three ritual prayers of bathing and Mt. Haguro. It is a masterpiece written in gold letters in 1823 by Tenyu, a famous high-ranking monk and steward of Mt. Haguro. It is written that among the Buddhist images is the “Akiha Sanjakubo Gazou,” donated by Soma Masatane, made of a colored silk material that could be used for fire prevention. Hagurodo Temple itself is also valuable as the place where homa prayers (Buddhist prayers for blessings from a deity) were held.
11. Sugi Amidadou Mokuzou Amidanyorai Zazou (Sugi Amidado Hall Seated Wooden Figure of Amitabha Tathagata)
Type: Prefecture designated important cultural property (sculpture)
Date Designated: April 6th, 2018
Location: Kashima-ku, Etari, Tenjinzawa
Google Maps: Sugi Amidado Hall
Owner: Sugi Amidado Hall
Dimensions: Height – 85.5cm
This 85.5cm statue made from hinoki cypress using the warihagi technique to create mosaic patterns in the wood. From the warihagi technique, the impressive curves in the upper torso, and the beautiful and polished shaping, it is thought that this statue was made using a method very similar to the jouchouyou method of chiseling statues. This method became very popular in the latter half of the Heian period and was used to erect Buddhist statues and temples in Kyoto before spreading to this area.
12. Sugi Amidado Mokuzo Bishamon Amadatsuzo (Sugi Amidado Hall Wooden Heavenly Bishamon Statue)
Type: Prefecture designated important cultural property (sculpture)
Date Designated: April 6th, 2018
Location: Kashima-ku, Etari, Tenjinzawa
Google Maps: Sugi Amidado Hall
Owner: Sugi Amidado Hall
Dimensions: Height – 91cm
This hinoki cypress statue made using the warihagi technique stands at 91 centimeters tall. The hips are turned slightly to the left, and the right foot is slightly forward. These body movements are gentle, that of an older person. However, the bulging muscles on the statue’s facial structure show a deep realism in the engraving. It is believed that this Buddhist statue was created in the Kamakura period, which retains its ancient appearance.
13. Amidaji no Oichou (Amidaji Temple Giant Gingko)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: December 20th, 1973
Location: Amidaji Temple - Kashima-ku, Minamiyakata, Maehata
Google Maps: Amidaji Temple
Owner: Amidaji Temple
Dimensions: Height – 32.5 meters Trunk circumference – 4.9 meters
Although there is no definite record, this huge tree is estimated to be around 600 years old and is believed to have been planted when Amidaji Temple was opened. It measures 32.5 meters in height and 4.9 meters around the trunk, full of vim and vigor even now.
14. Hiyoshi Jinja no Osugi (Hiyoshi Shrine Giant Japanese Cedar)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: December 20th, 1973
Location: Kashima-ku, Etari, Nakadate
Google Maps: Hiyoshi Shrine
Owner: Hiyoshi Shrine
Dimensions: Height – 35.5 meters Trunk circumference – 5.8 meters
This tree is estimated to be 650 years old, measuring 35.5 meters in height and 5.8 meters around the trunk. It has been said that it was used as a navigation point for fishing boats since ancient times, and it still attracts a sense of deep faith in the local people. Oberonia Japonica and Thrixspermum Japonicum (types of orchids) are growing on the trees around the shrine grounds.
15. Kashimamiko Jinja no Okeyaki (Kashimamiko Shrine Giant Japanese Zelkova)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: December 20th, 1973
Location: Kashima-ku, Kashima, Machi
Google Maps: Kashima Miko Shrine
Owner: Kashima Miko Shrine
Dimensions: Height – 33.5 meters ・ Trunk circumference – 8.7 meters
The history of this zelkova tree is not known, but it is said that the tree is somewhere between 900 to 1200 years old. It is a huge tree measuring 33.5 meters in height and 8.7 meters around the trunk. On the trunk grows a large amount of warm-spotted moss known as Pleurotus cornucopiae.
16. Hozoji no Kaede to Omomi (Hozoji Temple Maple and Japanese Fir)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: December 20th, 1973
Location: Kashima-ku, Kitaebi, Kitahata
Google Maps: Hozoji
Owner: Hozoji Temple
The history of the fir is not known, but it is estimated to be 400 years old. It has been called the "Hakusan Fir" since long ago. A large number of large and small maples are also planted and arranged in the garden, and in the fall their leaves turn into a beautiful display of colors, lending an important element to the garden’s beauty.
17. Yamadanuma no Mori Aogaeru Seisokuchi (Yamadanuma Green Tree Frog Pond and Habitat)
Type: City Designated Natural Monument
Date Designated: December 20th, 1973
Location: Kashima-ku, Kamitochikubo, Kibuchi
Owner: Individual
The green tree frog is an amphibian belonging to the Anura frog family. From mid-June to early July, you can observe white, foamy masses of eggs laid in the swamp trees.
18. Kamitochikubo Iseki Shutsudo no Jomon Doki (Jomon pottery excavated from the Kamitochikubo Site)
Type: City designated tangible cultural property (archaeological item)
Date Designated: September 1st, 1986
Location: Minamisoma Museum – Haramachi, Gorai, Deguchi 194
Google Maps: Minamisoma Museum
Owner: Minamisoma City
This piece of pottery from the middle Jomon period was excavated from a dwelling with a paved stone floor of the Miyaushiro ruins (within the Kamitochikubo Miyaushiro grounds). It is believed this piece was used for rituals, and the body of the pottery has a human-shaped pattern.
19. Amidaji no Dousho (Amidaji Temple Bronze Bell)
Type: City designated tangible cultural property (craft)
Date Designated: September 1st, 1986
Location: Amidaji Temple - Kashima-ku, Minamiyakata, Maehata
Google Maps: Amidaji Temple
Owner: Amidaji Temple
This is a Japanese bell that was created in 1748, the first year of the Kan’en period, and portrays the shape of the middle Edo period. The tsukiza (a circular design on the sides of the bell) is encircled with lotus petals, invoking the imagery of a rinpou, a wheel-shaped treasure. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, rare even throughout the prefecture.
20. Kitago no Shikyakumon Ikkatsu (Kitago Four-Legged Temple Gates)
Type: City designated tangible cultural property (architecture)
Date Designated: December 15th, 1988
Location: Kashima-ku, Kitaebi, Matsuzaka (+others)
Owner: Individual
This gate has a gabled roof and four supporting columns, two on either side of the 2 main columns, also known as the “four-legged gate”. It displays the highest level of social status after the eight-legged gate, and was used for shrines and mansions.
21. Sakamine Jinja no Jurin Ikkatsu (Sakamine Shrine Forest)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: October 12th, 1990
Location: Kashima-ku, Tochikubo, Miyashita
Owner: Sakamine Shrine
The forest consists of Japanese nutmeg trees, Japanese zelkova, pine oak, Japanese evergreen oak, and Japanese camellia. On the ground, hiroyomana (a type of aster), Asiatic jasmine, carex lanceolata, and viola grypoceras are growing among other plants. It is thought that the area used to be a deciduous forest zone, judging by the presence of the sub-canopy trees and vegetation such as the subtropical evergreen oaks, Japanese camellia, and the Asiatic Jasmine.
22. Shimo Dai Jingu no Hiiragi (Shimo Grand Shrine Holly)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: July 13th, 1995
Location: Kashima-ku, Minamiyunuki, Suijinshita
Google Maps: Shimo Grand Shrine
Owner: Shimo Grand Shrine
Dimensions: Height – 13.6 meters Trunk circumference – 3.8 meters
The history of this holly is unknown, but it is a huge tree measuring 13.6 meters in height and 3.8 meters around the trunk. As this type of tree ages, the leaves lose their serrated edges, becoming smooth. Most of the leaves on this tree have smooth leaves, but the leaves newly grown from sprouts around the base of the tree have sharp serrated edges. Hollies that exceed 10 meters in height are said to be rare in this prefecture.
23. Kyoryu no Ashiato Kaseki Sanshutsuchi (Original Site of a Dinosaur Footprint Fossil)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: April 17th, 1997
Location: Kashima-ku, Koyamada, Bunazaka
Owner: Individual
This is a fossil unearthed from the Soma Nakamura/Tochikubo layer (Late Mesozoic Jurassic Period). Judging from the size of the footprints, it is thought to be a small theropod with a height of about 2 meters.
24. Kayanohara Rokujimyogo Sekihi (Kayanohara Stone Monument of Buddha’s Name*)
*The 6-character name used for Buddha during prayers.
Type: City designated tangible cultural property (archaeological item)
Date Designated: June 25th, 1999
Location: Kashima-ku, Koike, Harahata
Owner: Individual
The stone monument is said to have been built on the site of an old battlefield as a memorial to mourn the dead. Signposts are carved into the bottom of the stone monument.
25. Kobayashi-ke no Akagashi (Kobayashi Family Evergreen Oak)
Type: City designated natural monument
Date Designated: June 4th, 2001
Location: Kashima-ku, Koike, Zentoku
Owner: Individual
Dimensions: Diameter – 6 meters
This is a giant tree that is estimated to be around 400 years old and measures 6 meters in thickness. Its roots and branches are extended in all directions across the earth. Since it is an old tree, it has a mixture of dead branches on the top, but it still stands with dignity.
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更新日：2021年06月09日