Gujo Hachiman, in the mountains of central Gifu Prefecture, is an old castle town famous for its clear water, the summer Gujo Odori dance festival and its food sample (plastic food) workshops. It is sometimes called the “water town.”
Walking the Castle Town
A map at the station shows the walking routes. Narrow lanes lined with dark wooden townhouses run beside small stone canals. In Igawa Komichi, crystal-clear water flows past houses and carp swim in the channel. Along the way you find temple gates, small shrines with Jizo statues and red torii gates.
A Renovated Traditional Townhouse
We visited an old merchant house that has been beautifully renovated. It has long earthen-floored corridors, tatami rooms with shoji screens, white-plastered storehouses and a small courtyard garden with stone lanterns and pine trees. Some rooms are now used as a shop and gallery.
Sogisui Spring and the Yoshida River
Sogisui is Gujo’s most famous spring and was the first site selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Waters. The water is divided into stone basins, each for a different use, and local people still take care of it. Nearby, the Yoshida River runs through the center of town, so clear that you can see the stones on the riverbed. We also passed a shop selling realistic food sample replicas, a Gujo specialty.
Gujo Hachiman Castle
A walking trail leads up through the forest to Gujo Hachiman Castle, a white castle standing on a hilltop. It was rebuilt in wood in 1933 and is one of the oldest wooden reconstructed castles in Japan. At the foot of the castle is a statue of the samurai Yamauchi Kazutoyo, his wife and her horse. From the top there is a sweeping view over the town and the surrounding mountains.
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