ABOUT
About this spot
Reigando is a cave at the back of the grounds of Unganzen-ji, a Soto Zen temple in Matsuo-machi, Nishi Ward, Kumamoto. It is known as the place where the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is said to have retreated in his later years and written his strategy book The Book of Five Rings. The temple is popularly called Iwato Kannon, and is the 14th temple of the Kyushu Saigoku pilgrimage and the 20th of the Higo 33 Kannon pilgrimage. Unganzen-ji is said to have been founded in 1351 in the Nanboku-cho period by Toryo Eiyo, a Zen monk who came from Yuan China. The Kannon image in the cave is said to have been enshrined before the temple existed, and Zeami's Noh play Higaki tells how the poet Higaki visited this Kannon every day. A stone four-faced Horse-headed Kannon is enshrined in Reigando. Musashi is said to have shut himself in this cave in his later years in Kumamoto and written The Book of Five Rings. It is a story handed down as tradition, but people still come to the place where Musashi, who saw the sword and Zen as one, is said to have quietly faced himself. Besides Reigando, the highlight is the stone statues of the Sixteen Arhats and Five Hundred Arhats lined along the slope of the hill behind. They were made in the mid-Edo period and are said to have been dedicated by the wealthy merchant Fuchidaya Gihei of Higo. Expressive stone figures are scattered over the mossy slope, but they were damaged in the early Meiji era by the anti-Buddhist movement, and many arhats are headless. The treasure hall holds a wooden sword said to have been used by Musashi in his duel with Sasaki Kojiro and a self-portrait. The grounds were designated a Kumamoto Prefectural Historic Site and Scenic Spot in 1975, and the spring at the water house in the grounds is one of the Kinpozan springs selected among Japan's "Heisei Meisui 100". The area is known for strange rock formations and autumn leaves and is also called "Higo Yabakei". From the Kuroiwa observation deck of Iwato no Sato Park, Mt. Unzen-Fugen can be seen across the Ariake Sea. The temple holds a Spring Festival on March 18, a Fudo-son Festival on September 28 and an Autumn Festival on October 18. The path to the cave goes up a slope in the hill behind, so wear comfortable shoes. Allow about one hour for worship and viewing the arhats. Opening hours and admission fees are not given in the sources, so please check with the temple before visiting. The site is far from other sightseeing spots: Kumamoto Castle and Sakuranobaba Josaien are about 8 km away in a straight line. It suits a full-day trip by car or bus combined with sightseeing in Kumamoto city.
Last updated October 22, 2026