Taishojin-atoHistory and culture

Located about 800 meters north of Tomikura Tōge pass, Taishojin-ato, today a ruin, is located slightly away from the Shin-etsu Trail. This is the place where daimyo Uesugi Kenshin’s troops rested before heading to Kawanakajima in Nagano City, site of one of the most important battles of the Sengoku Era. Overlooking the Iiyama basin, it’s an excellent spot for a break. A stone monument of Batō Kannon, the “horse-head” Boddhisatva, memorializes the many cows and horses that perished on the road carrying goods for Uesugi’s army.