Cultural Properties in the city of Daisen
1) Okuda Brewery’s Shop and Main Building
Okuda Brewery is one of the oldests breweries in Akita, founded during the Empo Perido (1673-1681). This present building was a creation in 1957 and of a modern Japanese architectural style. The architect is Seiichi Shirai, one of the best architects in post-war Japan.
2) The Interior Hall of Karamatsu Shrine
In early modern times, Karamatsu Shrine was venerated as one of the twelve major shrines in Akita Domain (Kubota Domain). Its principal god was known as the protector of safe delivery and fecundity. The interior hall is placed within the main hall.
3) Weeping Cherry Tree
This weeping cherry tree (prunus spachiana) in former residence of the Toshima Family bears beautiful light red flowers from late April to early May. It is more than 300 years old and among the oldests weeping cherry trees in Akita Prefecture.
4) Weeping Chestnut Tree of Bindare
This weeping chestnut tree stands alone on the slope of the coastal hill of Yodagawa River. Since the latter half of the 19th century until the 1940s, residents of Kyowa Area used the hills of Bindare for pasturing with field burning. This weeping chestnut tree survived the repeated fires.
5) Cedar Tree Avenue of Karamatsu Shrine
The lines of cedard trees stand on both sides of the access avenue from the double entrance gate (torii) to the main hall. The shrine was moved to the present location in 1680 and some of cedar trees planted then are still here. About 60 cedar trees stand in 160 meters, aged from 100 to 320 years, with their natural vigor.
6) Aizen-Myo-o (ragarja)’s Sitting Statue
This buddha statue is in Kozen Temple on Mount Takadera, which is a typical of buddha statues made of cypress wood, with crystal eyes, and coloring. It is of unknown hands, produced probably during the Muromachi era (14th to 16th century), and small in size, 14.8 cm high and 35.5 cm with the podium. For a buddha statue, it is rare to have no light beams and only fire on the backboard.
7) Stone Board Inscriptions in the Ashizawa Common Cemetry
Inscripted stone boards (itabi) offer words of prayers for dead persons, which were somtimes built even before their death. Such stone boards were built in Japan only from the 14th to the 16th centuries. This inscripted stone board was discovered here in 1968.
8) Karamatsu Castle (Ruins)
Karamatsu Castle was a medieval castle, of which dry moats and earthwork fortification from the foot to the top Mount Karamatsu remain. In the late 16th century, Karamatsu Castle was under the control of the Ando Family whose main castle was at Minato (present-day Tsuchizaki in Akita City) and was on the frontline, and often the field of battles, against the Tozawa Family based in the northern part of the Yokote Basin and the Onodera family based in the souther part of the same basin.
9) Weeping Cherry Tree of Bansho Temple
According to the verbal record, the fire during the Civil War of 1868 that destroyed the main hall and the library also burnt the weeping cherry tree. Three young tree buds are said to have somehow survived the fire and, bundled together, grew into one tree.
10) The Lone Cedar Tree of Higurashi
This cedar tree, at Higurashi, Kyowa District in the city of Daisen, was chosen in 1976 “a tree for conservation by the town of Kyowa.” It is a huge tree, more than 300 years old, 7.2 meters around and 26 meters high.