The Background of the History of Misaki Town

　Misaki Town is located in the southernmost part of Osaka Prefecture, a nature-rich town surrounded by both the sea and mountains. This town is home to the Tannowa Ruins, an archaeological site where remains and artifacts from the later Jomon Period (c. 14,000-300 BC) and Yayoi Period (c. 300 BC-300 AD) have been excavated. Many ancient tombs, such as the Sairyo Kofun and Udonohaka Kofun tumulus sites, can also be found here, providing a glimpse of ancient Japan. 　There is also local folklore relating to the Ki clan, which is referenced in the Nihon Shoki (a classical Japanese historical text completed in 720), and places such as these tumulus sites and Funamori Shrine are connected to that lore. Additionally, at the end of the Tanagawa Rekishi Kaido Road, there are notable spots such as Kozenji Temple, which houses the statue of a seated Dainichi Nyorai that is an Important Cultural Property and also regarded as the Great Buddha of Misaki; Ubusuna Shrine, which is home to rare statues of Komainu (mythical lion-dog creatures) made of roof tiles; and Richi-in Temple, where there is a statue of Hideyoshi Taiko, upon which Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the samurai and feudal lord who unified Japan in the late 1500s) himself attached pieces of his own beard. In 2020, Katsuragi Shugen was certified as a Japan Heritage site. Misaki Town also has Kosenji Temple, where the grave of the mother of En-no-Gyoja, who was a founder of Shugendo (mountaineering asceticism), is located. The second Sutra mound (the remains of Shinpukuji Temple), one of the 28 Sutra mounds of the Katsuragi Twenty-eight Shuku (a pilgrimage trail comprised of 28 Sutra mounds), which starts on Tomogashima Island in Wakayama City’s Kada district, can be found in Misaki, as can Jigen-in Shrine. The history of Misaki Town can be felt in the air, making for experience you are sure to enjoy.