Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Kasama (Japan). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Iwama dojo, Kasama Inari Shrine, and Kasama Nichidō Museum of Art. Also, be sure to include Kasama Castle in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Kasama (Ibaraki).
Table of Contents
Iwama dojo
Also known as: 合氣神社
Shinto shrine in Kasama, Japan. The Iwama Dōjō is a dōjō built by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, who lived there from 1942 until his death in 1969. It is located in the former town of Iwama and became an important historical location for the development of aikido and "a Mecca to the aikido community." This dojo is also where Morihiro Saito, one of the founder's closest students, learned and taught aikido from 1946 until 2002 developing what is often referred to as the Iwama Style.
Iwama was a small farming village in Japan, located 100 km north-east of Tokyo and at the centre of Ibaraki prefecture. Iwama was annexed into the City of Kasama in 2006 (dissolving Nishiibaraki County, which had previously contained Iwama Town). The original Iwama aikido dojo, Aiki Shrine and the neighbouring Tanrenkan are now addressed in the Yoshioka district of Kasama city, Ibaraki.
The Iwama dojo was significantly damaged in the 2011 earthquake. The Aiki Shrine and other dojos in former Iwama Town were also affected by the disaster.[1]
Kasama Inari Shrine
Also known as: 笠間稲荷神社
Shrine in Kasama, Japan. Kasama Inari Shrine is one of the three largest Inari Okami shrines in Japan, having been awarded the ancient court rank of Senior First Grade. According to legends associated with the shrine, it was founded in 651 during the reign of Emperor Kotoku, indicating a history extending over some thirteen centuries.
During the Tokugawa or Edo period, Kasama Inari Shrine received the devoted patronage of the feudal lord of the Kasama Domain, and spread its influence not only through the Kantō region but throughout all of Japan. At present, the shrine is visited by more than 3.5 million pilgrims each year.
The shrine is dedicated to Ukanomitama no kami – a spirit with jurisdiction over the five grains and foodstuffs, the life-root kami having mastery over the sources of life itself. According to the oldest collection of Japanese mythology, the Kojiki ("Records of Ancient Matters"), Ukanomitama no kami was the child of Susano no okami and Kamuoichihime no kami. The "Uka" in the name means foodstuffs, indicating the "mysterious spirit dwelling in the grain".[2]
Address: 1 Kasama, 309-1611 Kasama
Kasama Nichidō Museum of Art
Also known as: 笠間日動美術館
Museum in Kasama, Japan. Kasama Nichidō Museum of Art opened in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, in 1972. It was established to celebrate the forty-fifth anniversary of the opening of the Galerie Nichidō, the first commercial art gallery in Japan specialising in yōga or Western-style painting.[3]
Address: Kasama, 978-4 Kasama
Kasama Castle
Also known as: 笠間城
Castle in Kasama, Japan. Kasama Castle is a Japanese castle located in Kasama, central Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Kasama Castle was home to a junior branch of Makino clan, daimyō of Kasama Domain, but castle and domain went through many changes in clans during the early Edo period.[4]
Address: 3613 Kasama, 309-1611 Kasama