NasuKogen Visitor Center | Nikko National Park

History and Legends

• Sai no Kawara

  
  
  The valley center is referred to as Sai no Kawara—the name used for the riverbed in
  hell where the souls of deceased children wait. According to Buddhist beliefs unique
  to Japan, children who are stillborn or die young are guilty of causing their parents
  grief; they also had no time to accrue the spiritual merit needed to reach paradise.
  Consequently, they must remain at the river in limbo, performing penance and
  praying for salvation. They work to gain merit by stacking stones to form small
  stupas, but a demon comes every night to scatter them. Luckily, the children have a
  protector: the bodhisattva Jizō, who is the guardian of travelers and children. Jizō
  consoles the children, often hiding them in his robes and taking them across the Sai no
  Kawara to paradise. Relatives of deceased children pray to the bodhisattva and make
  offerings in the hope he will intercede for their loved ones.
  
  Jizō statues are often seen wearing red bibs or caps. These are donated to clothe the
  souls of the children, who otherwise must go naked. Visitors will also see many piles
  of stones along the walkway. Relatives stack them on behalf of the children, hoping to
  help them reach salvation that much sooner.

• Kyōden Jizō

  
  
  In the early fourteenth century, a Buddhist monk named Kyōden was the head priest
  at Rengeji Temple in present-day Fukushima Prefecture. One day, he and his friends
  decided to visit the Nasu hot springs. The morning of their departure, Kyōden was
  annoyed with his mother for making breakfast instead of preparing his travel pack, so
  he cursed at her, kicked away his breakfast tray, and left. While in Nasu, his group
  decided to see the Sesshō-seki ("Killing Stone"). As they approached Sai no Kawara, thunder shook the
  earth, and flames and hot water erupted from the ground. Kyōden’s friends fled, but
  he met with divine retribution for mistreating his mother—the priest fell into the sea
  of fire and perished.
  
  The first Kyōden Jizō statue (at the back) was erected in 1720, and thereafter people
  came to pray that they would not bring unhappiness to their parents as Kyōden did. A
  new Kyōden Jizō statue was erected in 1982 and is flanked by two smaller Jizō. An
  annual memorial service is held for Kyōden in late May.

• Sentai Jizō (1,000 Jizō Statues)

  
  
  The two Jizō statues to either side of the new Kyōden Jizō were part of an undertaking
  by the local community to carve 1,000 Jizō images. Each statue represents a donor’s
  prayer for safety from traffic accidents and natural disasters (such as that which befell
  Kyōden). The first of these statues was installed in 1978. Each statue has distinctive
  features and hand gestures, and their faces are turned toward Kyōden’s former temple,
  Rengeji.
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  Yunohana Extraction Site

  
  
  Yunohana “hot spring flowers” are the result of mineral particulates suspended in hot
  spring water and its vapor. As the temperature cools, these particulates separate into
  solid crystals that can be harvested for use as natural bath salts. At this site, grass mats
  were once placed over fissures to trap the mineral-laden steam. As the vapor cooled,
  crystal deposits formed. Yunohana were a valuable commodity in the Edo period
  (1603–1867), and some farmers used them in lieu of rice to pay their annual taxes.

Nasu Onsen Shrine

• Nasu Yumoto Onsen

  
  
  This is the oldest onsen source in the area: Shika no Yu, or “Deer Hot Spring.”
  Although the earliest documentation dates to 738, legend has it this onsen was
  discovered in 630 by a hunter who was chasing a wounded mystical white deer
  through the forest. He caught up with the deer to find it soothing its wound in the hot
  spring. Shika no Yu is a sulfuric spring that is 76ºC at its source point. The water is
  said to alleviate diabetes, anxiety, fatigue, and hemorrhoids.

• Ōmaru Onsen

  
  
  Ōmaru Onsen was discovered in 1691. One of Nasu’s more remote springs, it is
  located midway up the eastern slope of Mt. Chausu. The spring is 60ºC and slightly
  alkaline. It is said to benefit those with gynecological and colon disorders.

• Benten Onsen

  
  
  Benten Onsen was discovered in 1840, when the Buddhist goddess Benzaiten (also
  called Benten) appeared in a local man’s dream and directed him to the source. The
  spring is slightly alkaline and 50ºC. Its water is believed effective for gastrointestinal
  disorders, anemia, and indigestion.

• Kita Onsen

  
  
  Kita Onsen was discovered in 1696. Some parts of the onsen facility date to the late
  Edo period (1603–1867). One of its many baths is an open-air tub (rotenburo) the size
  of a swimming pool, and another bath is surrounded by huge masks of the mythical
  tengu (long-nosed bird-men). The source is a simple thermal spring with a
  temperature of 54ºC, reputedly good for children’s diseases, rheumatism, and
  infertility.

• Yahata Onsen

  
  
  Yahata Onsen (currently closed) was discovered in 1890 in the early Meiji era (1868–
  1912). It is located near a mountain slope where 200,000 azaleas bloom between mid-
  May and early June. Its saline spring water is 65ºC, and it is said to help with nervous
  disorders, heart disease, and gastrointestinal disorders.

• Takao Onsen

  
  
  Originally reserved for mountain ascetics who used it for self-purification, Takao
  Onsen was discovered in 1860. It is a slightly acidic sulfuric onsen that is 35ºC and
  said to help skin disorders and chronic urinary disorders.

• Santogoya Onsen
  (Can't visit in winter)

  
  
  Santogoya Onsen is an acidic onsen discovered in 1142. Located on the western slope
  of Mt. Asahi at an elevation of 1,500 meters, it can only be reached by hiking 2 hours
  from the Nasu Ropeway station on Mt. Chausu’s summit. The hot spring, which is
  90ºC at the source, is thought to help treat nervous disorders, ulcers, and skin
  disorders.