Tango Chirimen Silk Crepe Townscapes and Amanohashidate (by Car)

This driving course takes you to visit Chion-ji Temple, which sits adjacent to Amanohashidate, walk through the pine groves of Amanohashidate, and then drive to Kaya in Yosano Town to explore the townscape of Chirimen Kaido—which flourished through Tango Chirimen Silk Crepe—and the Former Bito Family Residence, once a home of silk crepe wholesalers. In a single day, it connects the sights visited by the merchants who transported silk crepe with the town that prospered by weaving it.

History and Regional Charm

Tango in northern Kyoto Prefecture has been a home of textiles since ancient times. Tango Chirimen Silk Crepe, a silk textile born in the Edo period, is a supple fabric that takes dye exceptionally well and is characterized by fine surface wrinkles known as shibo. As a representative fabric for garments such as Yuzen-dyed kimono, it supported Japan's traditional clothing culture. Even today, Tango produces about 60% of Japan's domestic kimono fabric, making it the country's largest silk textile production center.

Crepe production in Kayadani began based on techniques introduced from Nishijin in Kyoto in 1722 by figures such as Momenya Rokuemon. From the Meiji period through the Showa period, Kaya and Nodagawa also flourished as logistics hubs connecting Tango with Kyoto for the silk crepe trade. The local residents invested funds earned from silk crepe into building roads, power plants, and railways; the Kaya Railway, funded by local residents, opened in 1926 (Taisho 15).

Meanwhile, Miyazu, which thrived as a castle town of the Miyazu Domain during the Edo period, served as a distribution base primarily sending silk crepe to Kyoto. Sights of Amanohashidate and Chion-ji Temple, which were also visited by the silk crepe merchants who came to this area, have been passed down in song through the folk song "Miyazubushi." This history and culture of Tango Chirimen Silk Crepe was recognized in 2017 as a Japan Heritage site titled "Tango Chirimen Corridors: 300-year history of weaving silk."

Key Highlights

• ​Chion-ji Temple​​: Dedicated to Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri), this temple has long been called the "First Sacred Site of Japan's Three Monju" and affectionately known as "Kireto no Monju." The principal image of Monju Bosatsu is a national Important Cultural Property and is normally kept hidden from public view. The Tahoto pagoda, built in 1501, is the only Tahoto pagoda in the Tango region dating from the Muromachi period, and its appearance is also depicted in the National Treasure View of Amanohashidate, considered to have been painted by Sesshu. The main gate facing the Chaya-dori teahouse street is called "Ogonkaku."
• ​Amanohashidate​​: One of the Three Views of Japan, featuring about 5,400 pine trees growing densely on a sandbar roughly 3.6 kilometers long that separates Miyazu Bay from the Aso Sea. The view from Amanohashidate View Land atop Mt. Monju to the south is called "Hiryukan" because it resembles a dragon soaring into the sky. Vehicles cannot pass along the sandbar; traveling one way on foot takes approximately 50 minutes, and by bicycle it is roughly 20 minutes as a general guideline.
• ​Chirimen Kaido and the Former Bito Family Residence​​: Chirimen Kaido is a historic streetscape along the old highway in Kaya, and because it was originally a castle town, the street turns in zigzag bends. Of the 260 buildings along the street, about 120 date from the Edo period to the early Showa period. Located midway along the townscape, the Former Bito Family Residence was the estate of a family that operated as silk crepe wholesalers across generations; eight buildings, including the main house (omoya), inner drawing room, and storehouses, are designated as national Important Cultural Properties. The Western-style reception room and new drawing room reflect the lifestyle of the era when the silk crepe trade flourished.

Recommended Route and Duration

The recommended tour duration is about 5 hours by car. Chion-ji Temple is about a 5-minute walk from Amanohashidate Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway. After paying your respects, savor the famous Chie no Mochi rice cakes at the Yonken Chaya teahouses in front of the gate, cross the Kaisenkyo Rotating Bridge about 150 meters ahead, and proceed to the pine groves of Amanohashidate. Depending on your schedule, you may also choose to turn back midway along the pine groves.

Chirimen Kaido is located in Kaya, Yosano Town, about 10 kilometers as the crow flies southwest of Amanohashidate. The Former Kaya Town Hall building at the northern entrance of the townscape is now used as a tourist information center and Yosano Tourism Association office, making it a good place to stop before beginning your walk. You can also walk through the streetscape with a guide by applying to the Yosano Tourism Association. If not traveling by car, take a Tango Kairiku Kotsu bus from Yosano Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway for about 20 minutes and alight at "Chirimen Kaido" or "Kaya Chosha." As you walk along the street, listen carefully for the rhythmic sounds of looms coming from silk crepe factories that remain active today.

Experience Summary

A temple of Monju granting wisdom, Amanohashidate lined with pine trees, and Chirimen Kaido where historic buildings line zigzagging streets alongside a silk crepe wholesaler's estate. Trace the story of silk crepe, which has sustained Tango for approximately 300 years, connecting the landscapes of Miyazu visited by silk merchants with the textile town of Kaya.