Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine and the Cherry Blossoms of Sewaritei Embankment

Take the cable car up Mt. Otokoyama in Yawata City, pay your respects at Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine with its row of National Treasure sanctuary buildings, and gaze out over Kyoto and the three rivers from Otokoyama Observation Deck. After descending the mountain, this route leads you along the cherry tree-lined path of Sewaritei Embankment, which separates the Kizu River and the Uji River.

History and Regional Charm

Mt. Otokoyama faces Mt. Tennozan across the point where the Kizu River, Uji River, and Katsura River converge to form the Yodo River, and has long served as a key transportation hub connecting Kyoto and Naniwa.

Enshrined atop this mountain is Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine, counted as one of the Three Great Hachimangu Shrines of Japan. Its origins date back to 859, the first year of the Jogan era in the early Heian period, when Gyokyo, a Buddhist monk from Daian-ji Temple in the southern capital of Nara, welcomed the divine spirit from Usa Hachimangu Shrine in Buzen Province to Mt. Otokoyama. Revered by the imperial court as a shrine guarding the capital's urakimon (inauspicious southwest direction), it was hailed alongside the Grand Shrine of Ise as one of the Nisho Sobyo (two ancestral shrines of the imperial house).

At the foot of the mountain, at the Confluence of the Three Rivers, lies Sewaritei Embankment, separating the Uji River and the Kizu River. It is a levee built in 1900 (Meiji 33). The present cherry blossom avenue began in 1978 (Showa 53), when 220 cherry trees were planted to replace withered pines.

Highlights

• ​Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine​​: The present main sanctuary buildings were rebuilt in 1634 (Kan'ei 11) under the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu. Built in the Hachiman-zukuri style, with inner and outer sanctuaries arranged front and back, the main hall is the oldest and largest existing example of this architectural form; ten structures of the main shrine, including the main hall and the Romon tower gate, are designated National Treasures. Other notable features include over 150 richly colored carvings decorating the pavilions and the mud-plastered wall known as the "Nobunaga Wall."
• ​Otokoyama Observation Deck​​: An observation platform located near Hachimangu-Sanjo Station. Across the three rivers flowing before your eyes stretches the urban expanse of Kyoto; to the west stands Mt. Tennozan facing Mt. Otokoyama across the river, while to the east you can see Mt. Hiei and the ridge lines of Uji.
• ​Yodogawa Riverside Park Sewaritei​​: Along the embankment, 220 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees extend for about 1.4 kilometers, forming a cherry blossom tunnel in spring. The Sewaritei Cherry Blossom Festival is held every year from late March to early April. In autumn, visitors can also enjoy the changing colors of the cherry foliage.

Recommended Route and Duration

The recommended tour takes about 4 hours, including shrine worship and strolling. Get off at Iwashimizu-hachimangu Station on the Keihan Main Line and take the Sando Cable car from Hachimangu-guchi Station to Hachimangu-Sanjo Station. The cable car covers an elevation difference of about 82 meters in approximately 3 minutes, offering views of Yawata, including Sewaritei Embankment, from the car windows. It is about a 5-minute walk from the summit station to the shrine buildings. After paying your respects, proceed to Otokoyama Observation Deck. It is also about a 5-minute walk from the shrine pavilions to the observation deck.

On the return trip, descending via the Urasando (rear approach) brings you past a pine tree said to have been planted by Minamoto no Yoritomo, taking about 25 minutes on foot to the station. If you descend via the Omotesando (front approach), you can stop by the Edison Memorial Monument near the San-no-Torii (third torii gate). From Iwashimizu-hachimangu Station to Sewaritei Embankment is about a 10-minute walk. It lies about 1.6 kilometers in a straight line northwest of the observation deck; you will be walking along the embankment that you viewed from the mountaintop. From the observation tower at Sakura Deai-kan located in the Sewaritei area, you can look down over the line of cherry trees.

Summary of Experience

After worshiping at the Hachiman deity of Mt. Otokoyama, which has long protected the capital's urakimon, and gazing out over the three rivers and Mt. Tennozan from the observation deck, you will head to the avenue of cherry trees stretching out where the rivers meet. It is a day to take in the topography of Yawata from both the mountaintop and the waterside. Visiting during the cherry blossom season also allows you to enjoy the blossoms of Sewaritei Embankment from the cable car windows.