The short story of Kanji pictures
Kunitachi City, home to Yaho, adopted the plum flower as its emblem in honor of Yaho Tenmangu Shrine’s famous plum garden. As you can see, the city emblem depicts a plum blossom. This symbol was designed by Seki Gantei , a local artist who lived here in Yaho.
Seki Bin (1930–2023) was born here in Yaho. He became a sculptor alongside his older brother, Seki Gantei—a very rare case at the time for two brothers to both become artists.
Interested in displaying his art in public spaces for many people to enjoy, Seki Bin entered Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai) to study sculpture. However, creating large bronze sculptures was extremely expensive. He gave up on bronze and decided to work with stone instead, as it was both affordable and durable.
Yet he faced another obstacle: the university didn’t offer a stone sculpture course. Undeterred, he found a tombstone carving company, where he learned how to select and carve stone, as well as how to make his own tools, such as chisels and hammers. Through this experience, he developed a unique technique that gave stone a soft, silky appearance.
He left behind more than 50 stone sculptures here in Yaho—including the reclining bull at Yabo Tenmangu Shrine and the Benzaiten at Nanyoji Temple. You can enjoy his artwork anytime throughout Yaho in Kunitachi City, making the entire town feel like an open-air museum!
This statue of Benzaiten at Nanyoji Temple was carved by the stone sculptor Bin Seki, who was born and raised here in Yaho. In 1985, he created this statue from a single massive Indian stone using only a chisel and hammer. Since Benzaiten is known as the deity of art, you could say Bin Seki himself embodied the goddess through his masterwork!
| 名称 | 南養寺 |
| 所在地 | 〒186-0011 東京都国立市谷保６２１８ |
Legend has it that when Sugawara no Michizane passed away, a bull pulled the cart carrying his body. Along the way, the bull suddenly stopped and refused to move, seemingly out of grief for his death. This statue at Yabo Tenmangu Shrine represents the bull from this famous legend.
| 名称 | 谷保天満宮 |
| 所在地 | 〒186-0011 東京都国立市谷保５２０９ |
| HomePage | https://www.yabotenmangu.or.jp/ |
This painting depicts a replica of the ‘Takuri-go’ -Japan’s first domestically produced gasoline-powered automobile, manufactured in 1907.
It is in Yabo Tenmangu. now.
In 1908, a drive led by Prince Arisugawa Takehito at the wheel of this Takuri-go was held from Hibiya Park to Yabo Tenmangu Shrine. The party’s safe return to Tokyo became the origin of praying for traffic safety.
In honor of this event, Yabo Tenmangu holds the ‘Classic Car Festival’ every December, bringing classic cars from all over Japan together to parade through the shrine grounds and the local neighborhood.
| 名称 | 谷保天満宮 |
| 所在地 | 〒186-0011 東京都国立市谷保５２０９ |
| Homepage | https://www.yabotenmangu.or.jp/ |
Sugawara no Michizane was so intelligent that the Emperor highly recognized his talents and promoted him to a high position in the court. However, this led to tragedy: his rivals framed him with false accusations, resulting in his exile to Kyushu, far from Kyoto, where he later passed away.
After his death, his spirit was said to have ascended into the sky and become a vengeful god of thunder, striking his rivals’ homes with fierce thunderstorms. Terrified by these disasters, the people built this shrine to appease his spirit and worship him as the deity of thunder in the year of 947.
In fact, the name “Tenjin” originally means “the God of Thunder”!
Ishida-Sanyaku, a renowned remedy for bruises and muscle aches, was created by Toshizo Hijikata’s family around 300 years ago. Back then, Ishida was a district of Yaho Village, and a young Toshizo would walk around the Yaho area selling this medicine, carrying a wooden basket on his shoulder.
| 名称 | 土方歳三資料館 |
| 所在地 | 〒191-0021 東京都日野市石田２丁目１−３ |
| Homepage | https://www.hijikata-toshizo.jp/ |
The Honda family has resided here in Yaho for over 300 years. As prominent local leaders, they historically supported the community as both veterinarians and physicians.
Since the Hondas were related to the Hijikata family, a young Toshizo Hijikata frequently visited this house to study literature and learn about world affairs.
The Former Honda Family Residence still stands today. Even now, you can see the grand gate, which was specially built with extra height so that doctors could ride through it on horseback.
| 名称 | 旧本田家住宅（※修復工事中） |
| 所在地 | 〒186-0011 東京都国立市谷保５１２２ |
Originally, the Honda family served as horse trainers and veterinarians in Kawagoe during the Edo period. The second head of the family showed such exceptional dedication to the Tokugawa Shogun that he was honored with a gifted saddle cover (kura-ooi) directly from the Shogun.
Later, in 1621, the family relocated to Yaho by the Shogun’s direct order.
| 名称 | 旧本田家住宅（※修復工事中） |
| 所在地 | 〒186-0011 東京都国立市谷保５１２２ |
Toshizo Hijikata(1835-1869), who formed the Shinsengumi in 1863 to protect the Tokugawa shogunate, used to visit his relatives in Yaho to study literature and learn about world affairs.
Later in life, he came to be known as the ‘Last Samurai.’ It was during his younger days here in Yaho that his samurai spirit was truly forged.
| 名称 | 土方歳三資料館 |
| 所在地 | 〒191-0021 東京都日野市石田２丁目１−３ |
| Homepage | https://www.hijikata-toshizo.jp/ |