I participated in an Oze tour organized by Fukushima Prefecture (see previous article “Approaching Oze from Fukushima Prefecture! In the afternoon of the second day, we returned to Hinoemata Village, the gateway to Oze, and went sightseeing in the village.
Hinoemata Village is located in Minamiaizu County at the southwestern tip of Fukushima Prefecture and has a population of about 500. Oze” refers to Oze National Park, which straddles the four prefectures of Fukushima, Niigata, Gunma, and Tochigi. The “Mountain Station Miike” I visited this time, “Numayama Pass” at the entrance to the mountain, and “Ozenuma Hutte” where I stayed overnight are all located in this Hinoemata Village area. It is said to be the least densely populated municipality in Japan.
In fact, I had wanted to visit Hinoemata Village ever since I learned about the traditional performing art of Hinoemata Kabuki a long time ago. And when I actually came here, I found that it is not only the gateway to Kabuki and Oze, but also a very interesting place with a unique history and food culture!
This time, I went on a mini-tour, so next time I visit again, I would like to stay at a ryokan or a minshuku and enjoy the hot springs while relaxing.
So, let us start with “Kappo Minshuku Kadoya” (595-1 Kaminohara, Hinoemata Village, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture), where we stopped for lunch. This is a restaurant that also operates a guest house, where you can enjoy delicious soba noodles while listening to the murmuring of the river.
Hinoemata Village is located at an altitude of 939 meters above sea level, making it unsuitable for rice cultivation, and buckwheat noodles were the staple food in the past. Soba is made using a unique method in which raw soba is stretched to a thickness of 2 to 3 mm, layered on top of each other, and cut by pulling the knife toward you as if you were using your hand as a ruler. It is called “kajichisoba” because it is cut as if one were cutting a cloth.
Kadoya also offers “Kadochisoba,” of course. The slightly wide noodles were chewy but had a good texture, and we quickly emptied our buckwheat vats. The owner said, “Please come back in the fall when the soba is in season. I want to go!
In Hinoemata Village, there is something called “yamato ryori” (mountain man cuisine). Yamato refers to the men who used to work in the mountain huts making ladles and spatulas and hunting for rice.
The origin of “Yamajin Ryori” is said to be the daily meals they served to tourists, which consisted mainly of “Kachisoba” (buckwheat noodles), wild vegetables, mushrooms, and other dishes. If you stay at a ryokan or minshuku in Hinoemata Village, you can enjoy mountain people’s cooking full of the delicacies of the mountains.
Now, what surprised me the most during this sightseeing tour was the surname of Hinokishin Village. To my surprise, three surnames, “Hoshi,” “Hirano,” and “Tachibana,” account for 80 to 90% of the population. There are graves here and there along the national highway, and most of them are Hoshi family, Hirano family, and sometimes Tachibana family!
In fact, our two guides that day were both Mr. Hoshi, and the owner of Kadoya, where we had soba noodles, was Mr. Hirano. The head of the Hinoemata Kabuki “Chiba-no-ie Hanakoma-za,” which I will introduce later, is also Mr. Hoshi, and the current mayor of Hinoemata Village, whom I also looked up, is also Mr. Hoshi! Everyone called each other by their first names.
There are areas throughout Japan where the legend of the Heike no Orakujin has been handed down, and you may hear such terms as “Heike no Hiding Place” or “Heike no Sato”. Here in Hinoemata Village, too, there is a legend of a fallen Heike warrior, and the surname “Hirano” is said to be derived from it.
The legend of the fallen Heike clan is also believed to have been supported by the fact that Hinoemata Village has a pronunciation and language usage unique to the village, which does not have the “zu-zu accent” of the Aizu and Tohoku dialects. The history of language is amazing.
Incidentally, the “Hoshi” surname originated from Mr. Fujiwara who emigrated from Kishu and took the surname of Hoshi. The “Tachibana” surname is said to have its roots in Mr. Tachibana, who moved from Ise Province during the reign of Nobunaga Oda.
Are you a bit curious about Hinoemata Village? We recommend the Hinoemata Village History and Folklore Museum (887-1 Shimonohara, Hinoemata Village, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture), located in front of the village office, where you can learn about the history and see displays of Hinoemata Kabuki costumes on the first floor, and tools used for hunting, fishing and farming in the past on the second floor, which are free to enter.
This museum of history and folklore has bicycles for rent, so those who go there by car can park in the paid parking lot of the town hall and explore the village by bicycle.
The fee for renting a bicycle is 500 yen for half a day or 1,000 yen for a full day. Those staying in the village can use the bicycles free of charge.
Hashiba no Bamba” sits in the middle of the approach to Chinju Shrine. In the past, it was enshrined as a god to protect children from water hazards, but now it is popularly known as a god to ask for “karma” and “matchmaking.
The scissors that can cut anything are offered to “sever bad karma”. The number of scissors brought to the shrine was so large that it was quite a surreal sight!
Some people were offering scissors wrapped in a thick wire to “keep a good relationship alive,” and the strength of their wishes was clearly evident.
It is said that young men and women in love have been secretly praying to this Banbasama for blessings of happiness since ancient times, and it is now popular as a power spot. Many heart-shaped ema (votive tablet) for match-making and breakable round ema (circle) for severing ties were dedicated to the shrine. Ema are sold at “Roadside Station Oze Hinoki” and stores in the village.
Located diagonally across from Banba-sama is the Hinoemata Kabuki Heritage Museum (664 Ihira, Hinoemata Village, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture). Hinoemata Kabuki, which has been on my mind for many years, is a traditional performing art that has been handed down from parents to children and from children to grandchildren since the Edo period and is designated as an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.
It is said that Hinoemata Kabuki was first performed in the village by villagers who went to Ise on a pilgrimage and learned from the kabuki they saw in Edo (now Tokyo). The name of the troupe is “Chiba-no-ye Hanakoma-za,” and all 30 members of the troupe, from actors to backstage staff, are residents of Hinoemata Village. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the troupe’s name, and a special performance was held in June.
The Kabuki stage is located in the precincts of Chinmu Shrine. The audience seating, which is filled with people on performance days, is also magnificent. The audience is very friendly and welcoming.
The large green trees overhead, the moss-covered stone steps, and above all, the atmosphere there is special. I could almost believe that this place is a power spot! It made me want to see the Hinoki Kabuki even more and more.
Such Hinoki Kabuki is performed only three times a year on May 12, August 18, and the first Saturday in September. The doors open at dusk and the performance begins around 7:00 p.m. when the sun goes down. Since it is originally dedicated to the gods as a shrine festival, there is no charge (except for September, when it costs 1,000 yen/free for guests staying in the village).
Lastly, I would like to give you some information on access to Hinoemata Village. From the Tokyo area, drive north on the Tohoku Expressway and exit at the Nishinasuno Shiobara IC, then drive down the road for about 2 hours. Even nonstop, it takes about 4 hours in total. Alternatively, you can take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Nasu Shiobara Station and rent a car from there.
All of them are quite a distance of about 100 km downhill in the mountains, but you can enjoy a drive with spectacular views of the mountainous area. Why don’t you plan a sightseeing tour of Hinokishinomura this fall, along with hiking in Oze?
© Source travel watch
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