Ureshino Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture
Ureshino was a home of Ninjas
Ureshino was a key transportation hub between Nagasaki and Saga where the Arima clan of the West
and the Ryuzoji clan of the East had a fierce battle.
It was where “people, things, and information” gathered naturally as a
sacred ground for the Shugendo religion which is home to Mt.
Tosen, and an economic hub, Shiotatsu.
It was highly likely that ninjas were active in this area, even from a historical perspective.
When the area became the Hasunoike Domain, the sub-domain of the Saga Domain,
in the Edo period (1603-1868), and Nagasaki was frequented by foreign ships,
spies were sent to seek information on them. It is safe to say that it was ninjas who took on such operations.
大阪からのアクセス
Saga Ninja Village Hizen Yume Kaidou
The only Ninja experience-type theme park in the Kyushu region. It is located at Ureshino Hot Spring. Visitors can enjoy a stroll through the park, where streets from the Edo period have been recreated, try on Ninja clothing, enjoy the excitement of throwing shuriken, shooting guns and other Ninja techniques; and watch the daily Ninja show. The Kids Ninja Academy for children wanting to become Ninjas which is held on weekends and holidays is very popular.
Mount Tosen
Hatten Shrine stands on Mt. Tosen, where its god is believed to reside. Five monk residences were built and Shugendo was practiced. It’s a beautiful mountain located in the southwestern area of Saga Prefecture, which is also called “Hizen (old name for this area) Kofuji (small Mt. Fuji)” because it looks conical from every angle. On the mountaintop, there are natural beech trees that are protected by the logging ban, which are designated as the national treasure of Saga Prefecture.
Hatten Shrine
It was built as a Shugendo monk residence. The deity of fire is enshrined, and its double arched stone bridge is designated as a Prefectural Important Cultural Property. The shrine is located on Mt. Tosen. Jogu (the hall at the uppermost level) stands at the mountaintop. Chugu (the hall at the middle level) is located at the entrance of the mountain, while gegu (the hall at the lowermost level) is at the foot of the mountain on the southeast side. Gegu is the largest. Mt. Gongen surrounds it at the back, and Harai River runs in front of it. With large rocks, one of them named “Ungrateful Rock,” it is said that the area was used for Shugendo training.
Well-known Ureshino Ninjas
Benkei Muso
A.k.a. Denrinbo Raikei who came from the Ming dynasty of China. He was a Yamabushi (mountain ascetic hermit) who mastered Taisha-ryu swordsmanship and the Ninja arts. He belonged to the Hitoyoshi Domain in Higo Province; however, it is said that he stayed in Ureshino for a certain period and taught Taisha-ryu swordsmanship.
Koga Gendayu
Although the details are not known, he is believed to have been a low-ranking samurai of the Hasunoike Domain, a sub-domain of the Nabeshima Domain, in the late Edo Period (around 1780-1850). He was sent to Nagasaki by the Nabeshima Domain every time a foreign ship would arrive.
Tabaru Anuemon
He belonged to the Hasunoike Domain of Ureshino in the early Edo Period (around 1603-1690). When the Shimabara Rebellion occurred in Nagasaki, he was ordered by the Nabeshima Domain lord to leave the Hasunoike Domain to go to the Shimabara Domain, and spied on the movement of the Shimabara Domain lord.