AKaiko Gardens
Featuring a dual-layer yosemune-zukuri castle gate style (a style in which the roof slants off in four directions), the site was built in the Genna Era from 1614 to 1625. The castle was lost in the great flood of 1742 and rebuilt in the Meiwa Era from 1764 to 1771. The building was built for battle and equipped with battlements and guns along both walls. On the front entrance, there is a large frame that says “Kaiko Gardens” written in the official brush of the Tokugawa Family.
BKomoro Castle Complex
The castle complex marks the remnants of Komoro Castle, also known as Hakutsuru Castle and Suigetsu Castle, a rarity in Japan as an anashiro, or a castle located in a lower position than the surrounding castle town. The gardens are lined with countless cultural facilities including most notably the Fujimura Memorial, the Koyama Kezio Art Museum, Chokokan Museum, Local History Museum, a zoo, and an amusement park.
CNunobiki Kannon
The Sho-Kannon (the bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara) enshrined in the Kannon Temple Hall of the great wharf is the temple that gave rise to the legend of “Pilgrimage to Zenkoji Drawn by Cattle.” Although the official name of the temple is Shakusonji, today the name Nunobiki Kannon has taken hold. The palace is built out over a cliff, reminiscent of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, and has been registered as a National Important Cultural Asset.
DKomoro Gijuku School
This is the study of Kumaji Kimura, the director of Komoro School. Art legends including Fujimura, Banka Maruyama, and Kokki Miyake would speak here together until late at night. Seeing the school conjures up images of Fujimura enjoying the view of his beloved Chikuma River as he trusted his body up against the balustrades on top of the tower.
EKomoro Gijuku School Memorial Museum
The Komoro Gijuku School was a private school opened by the Christian pastor and educator, Kumaji Kimura, in 1893. The building is a moved replica of the main school building and features artifacts from the school’s day on display.