{"id":165,"date":"2024-01-25T16:57:03","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T07:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/?page_id=165"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:38:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T05:38:52","slug":"course_tenjindou","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/course_tenjindou\/","title":{"rendered":"Tenjindo-goe Course"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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\r\n Tenjindo-goe Course<\/span><\/h2>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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\u25cfDifficulty: Intermediate
\r\n \u25cfWalking Period: May to first snowfall
\r\n \u25cfTotal Length: Approximately 9 km (Shimotera \u2192 Shiozaka \u2192 Yubara \u2192 Kuzuba Toge \u2192 Hiraiwa)
\r\n \u25cfTime Required: About 3 hours from south to north \/ About 3 hours 20 minutes from north to south
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Highlights
\r\n \u25cfClimb up to the unique straw structures of the Mitsumine-Sama shrine
\r\n \u25cfPay your respects at the Karasawa, Sunayama, and Neko-no-hana stone statue groupings
\r\n \u25cfTake a break under the shade of the giant Bokka Tochi-no-ki (Japanese horse chestnut tree)
\r\n \u25cfCircle the base of the imposing Hakuba Daibutsu (Great Buddha of Hakuba)\r\n <\/p>\r\n

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Please see the Japanese page for the course map.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Tenjindo translates to \u201croad of the heavenly gods.\u201d While that description may be a bit hyperbolic, there is some genuinely delightful trail here that preserves the essence of the past. The Chikuni-goe and Ishizaka-goe courses are never far from civilization, but the Tenjindo-goe Course creeps into quieter, more remote territory on a path that alternates between single-track, broad forest-lined dirt roads, and quiet paved lanes. The large clusters of delicate, purplish-pink katakuri (Japanese fawn lilies) that flank the route bloom in April and May, and add even more beauty and complexity to a landscape dotted with various remnants from the Shionomichi\u2019s heyday. The views of Niigata\u2019s Mt. Myojo and the Himekawa River Valley are breathtaking from the area around the Kuzuba Pass.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

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Elevation Profile<\/h2>\r\n
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From the Tenjindo trail entrance, the path climbs uphill sharply, but overall the forest trail here is gentle, with gradual ascents and descents, and soft grass and leaves underfoot.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Access<\/h2>\r\n

By Car<\/b>\r\n
Parking is available at the southern end of the course using the parking lot for JR Kita-Otari Station<\/a>, while the Hiraiwa Ideyu-no-Hiroba<\/a> parking lot can be used at the northern end.

\r\nBy Train<\/b>\r\n
Minami-Otari Station \u2190 JR Oito Line \u2192 Kita-Otari Station \u2190 10 min walk \u2192 Michi-no-Eki Otari \u2190 10 min walk \u2192 Shima Onsen \u2190 Shionomichi (Salt Road) \u2192 Yubara \u2190 Shionomichi (Salt Road) \u2192 Nekohana Sekibutsu-gun \u2190 Shionomichi (Salt Road) \u2192 Kuzuba Toge \u2190 30\uff5e50 min walk \u2192 Hiraiwa Station

\r\nBus: about 20 min between Minami-Otari Station and Yubara. Taxis are also available from Minami-Otari Station.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>\r\n\r\n

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Historical Landmarks & Points of Interest<\/h2>\r\n
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Jo-no-Koshi<\/p>\r\n This broad, open pass sits just below the simple shrine dedicated to the Mitsumine-sama deity, and features stone benches, an old stone water basin, and statues of Dainichi Nyorai, the Cosmic Buddha.<\/span>\r\n <\/dt>\r\n <\/dl>\r\n

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Mitsumine-sama<\/p>\r\n Mitsumine-sama is revered as a deity for protection against fires and theft. Here, three conical straw shrines sitting on a small peak high above the valley floor house talismans imbued with the power of Mitsumine-sama to protect the residents below.<\/span>\r\n <\/dt>\r\n

\"Mitsumine-sama\"<\/dd>\r\n <\/dl>\r\n
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Sunayama-no-Sekibutsu<\/p>\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/dt>\r\n

\"Sunayama-no-Sekibutsu\"<\/dd>\r\n <\/dl>\r\n \r\n
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Nekohana Sekibutsu-gun<\/p>\r\n This high bank flanking the Himekawa River used to be home to a teahouse, but now only a group of buddhist stone statues remain to tell the story of the Salt Road.<\/span>\r\n <\/dt>\r\n

\"Nekohana<\/dd>\r\n <\/dl>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>\r\n<\/main>\r\n
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Tenjindo-goe Course \u25cfDifficulty: Intermediate \u25cfWalking Period: May to first snowfall \u25cfTotal Length: Approximat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-165","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/165\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiono-michi.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}