- TOP
- Tera-machi (Temple Town)
Tera-machi (Temple Town)
- Address
- Tera-machi, Kurume-shi
- Inquiries
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- Area
- JR/Nishitetsu Kurume Area (Central Area)
- Genre
- Shrines and temples
- Access
- About a 10-minute walk from Nishitetsu Kurume Station.
As the name Tera-machi (Temple town) would suggest, this sacred area is home to a collection of 17 (once 26) temples. Amongst those who are laid to rest here are, Hikokuro Takayama (a loyal supporter of the Emperor); inventor of the Kurume-gasuri dyeing technique, Den Inoue; the original cultivator of Kurume azaleas, Motozo Sakamoto; and oil painter, Harue Koga. Takayama’s grave is found at Henshoin Temple, along with the grave of his sake-lover friend and doctor, Doshun Nishi, who followed Takayama in to death by committing suicide. Also found here, are the graves of anti-government rebel Dairaku Gentaro and his three servants, called the Graves of Kokai Yonshi. Gentaro escaped from Choshu (now part of Yamaguchi) only to be killed in 1871 at the hands of the very same friend who helped him escape. Those who were executed by the Meiji government for their crimes of protection and murder of Dairaku are also honored here in ‘the Graves of Shinbi Sonan Shishi’. Important Figures and Gravestones in Tera-machi: Grave of Hikokuro Takayama (Henjo-in Temple), Graves of Gentaro Dairaku and party (Toku-unji Temple), Grave of the Inventor of Kurume-gasuri (traditional fabric) Den Inoue (Shorin-ji Temple), Grave of Nanga painter, Ranpo Kondo (Io-ji Temple) The Patron Deity Buddha Stone Relief (Zenfuku-ji Temple), Grave of Surrealist / avant-garde painter, Harue Koga (Myozen-ji Temple), Grave of Prefectural Magistrate, Gonnai Takamura (Shokaku-ji and Seneizen-ji Temples), Grave of Confucian counselor to the Feudal Lord, Rankei Hirotsu (Myoren-ji Temple), Grave of Master to oil painter Aoki Shigeru, Mori Miyoshi (Myosho-ji Temple), Grave of Motozo Sakamoto (Originator of Kurume azalea), Grave of Originator of Edo-Era Puppet Play Narration, Shicho Fujimatsu (Seigyo-ji Temple), Grave of Landscaper, Ryo Hotori (Saiho-ji Temple), Grave of Avian researcher, Kawaguchi Magojiro (Joken-ji Temple) Giant camphor tree (Shinkyo-ji Temple), Graves of Sekiryo Kabashima (Founder of the Meizendo School [Now Meizendo High School]), and Mori Kazen (Shinko-ji Temple) Fudo Buddha Hall, Yoryu Kannon Hall (Hontai-ji Temple), Grave of clan reformist, Mimasaka Fuwa, red-painted Karamon gates (Souan-ji Temple), Graves of Inventor of Bamboo Lacquer Ware, Minejiro Kawasaki and renowned engineering Magistrate, Tanomo Niwa.
Sightseeing spots nearby
Spots for foodies nearby
Events nearby
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Kurume Sparkles with Lights Displays 24.12.14 ~ 25.02.16
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Maple Festival at the Ishibashi Cultural Center 24.11.19 ~ 24.12.01
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Strawberry Picking (Ichigokirari Minou Village) 24.12.21 ~ 25.05.20
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Strawberry Picking (Fruitelier) 24.12.21 ~ 25.06.09