Amenomiya no Watashi, Public park in Rokusei, Nakanoto, Japan
Amenomiya no Watashi is a small historic park in Chikuma, Nagano, on the bank of the Chikuchuma River, marking the Sengoku-period river crossing where Uesugi Kenshin is said to have crossed secretly at night to attack Takeda Shingen's headquarters during the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima. A stone monument inscribed with a Chinese poem by the late-Edo scholar Rai San'yo stands on the grounds.
Amenomiya no Watashi is tied to the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima, when Uesugi Kenshin is said to have descended Mount Tsumugi at night and crossed the river here to strike Takeda Shingen's headquarters. The site was later fixed about 800 metres south of the present Chikuma River course, confirmed in 1938 from the testimony of local elders. It faces Yokota Castle, a stronghold in the battles of Yokota-Gawara and Odate, and fighting also occurred nearby at the Nibu Castle during the Nanboku-cho period.
The site is marked by a stone monument inscribed with a Chinese poem by the late-Edo scholar Rai San'yō, which helped make the crossing famous. Nearby stands Amamiya Hiyoshi Shrine, known for a triennial rite in which four dancers wearing lion heads are hung upside down from a bridge railing.
The site is a small historic park with no parking; the nearest car access is about 2 km, a 5-minute drive, from the Koshoku interchange on the Nagano Expressway. By train, walk about 25 minutes from Yashiro Koko-mae Station on the Shinano Railway; the former Amenomiya Station on the abolished Nagano Dentetsu Yashiro line stood 5 minutes away on foot.
The current Chikuma River runs about 800 metres north of the crossing; the spot was fixed here only in 1938 (Showa 13), when elders' oral tradition placed the Sengoku-era ford at this point rather than near Iwanohashi bridge. A stele inscribed with Rai San'yo's Chinese poem about the battle stands in the small historic park.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,224 contributors worldwide.