Nioza Rekishi no Michi — the Nioza historic street

photo by shikabane taro · CC BY 3.0

photo by panacheart · CC BY 3.0

The passage cut into the tuff in front of the old Shinkoji is among the 100 Urban Landscapes (1993).

At the foot of Usuki Castle, a neighbourhood of narrow lanes cut into tuff rock (hardened volcanic ash from Aso), with stone walls, tiled roofs and temples: Zenpōji, Hōonji and others. The cut in the rock in front of the former Shinkōji temple is one of the most photographed views. Selected in 1993 as one of the ‘100 Urban Landscapes of Japan’ by the Ministry of Transport.

Nioza, at the foot of Usuki Castle, is a neighbourhood of narrow paved lanes made by cutting into the tuff hill (solidified volcanic ash from Aso). The name comes from the Niō gate of the Gion (Yasaka) shrine, and tradition links the area to Kasuga no Tsubone, wet nurse of the third Tokugawa shogun. Former residences of high-ranking samurai, long gates and several temples, including Zenpōji and Hōonji, stand side by side here. The most distinctive stretch is the passage cut into the rock in front of the former Shinkōji temple, often cited as the signature view of Usuki. In 1993 the neighbourhood was selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as one of the ‘100 Urban Landscapes of Japan’. The walking route is about 1.6 km, an hour's walk.

ℹ️ Free to walk at any time. Access: 10 minutes' walk from JR Usuki Station; 10 minutes by car from the Usuki interchange of the Higashi-Kyūshū Expressway.

🚉 Kami-Usuki · 12 min walk

Sources: visit-oita.jp

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