A Soto Zen temple said to have been founded in 1367 by Ashikaga Yoshiakira. The pagoda was built in 1388 as a five-story tower; in 1692 the top two levels were removed because of decay, leaving the three stories seen today. It was designated a national Important Cultural Property in 1949. The view of the Onomichi Waterway framed by the pagoda is one of the town's signature scenes.
Sources: ononavi.jp online.bunka.go.jp tabi-mag.jp
This moment in the journey
To a town of slopes, literature and movies
I came to Onomichi, in Hiroshima. A freight train rolled over the railway bridge near the station, and a short climb up the slope opened onto a view of tiled roofs and the Onomichi Waterway beyond a three-story pagoda. Up on the hill, the ropeway cars were gliding to and from Senko-ji temple.
This is a town famous for its slopes, its literature and its movies. The writers Hayashi Fumiko and Shiga Naoya lived here, and Ozu Yasujiro's Tokyo Story and Obayashi Nobuhiko's Onomichi trilogy were filmed here. My borrowed home was a wooden house with a railed balcony on the second floor. When I slid open the door to the veranda, the rooftops of the town lay right in front of me.
Watch this scene on YouTube0:21
More notes from this journey
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Octopus rice (tako-meshi)
A regional dish of Hiroshima handed down in Mihara, Onomichi and Fukuyama.
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Neko no Hosomichi (the Cat Alley)
A narrow lane of about 200 meters starting beside the three-story pagoda of Tennei-ji.
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Senkoji Ropeway
A ropeway linking the town center with Senkoji Park in three minutes.
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
The Onomichi Waterway and a town of slopes, literature and film
The Onomichi Waterway is the narrow strait between Onomichi proper and the island of Mukaishima, and it has made Onomichi one of the Seto Inland Sea's leading p…
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
HIBI COFFEE
A small coffee stand that stood beside the railway tracks partway up the hill.
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Nekonote Pan Kojo
A tiny bakery in a renovated old house, tucked into a maze of alleys where cars cannot enter.
From: Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi
More notes from Chugoku & Shikoku
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Onomichi-yaki
Onomichi's okonomiyaki is called Onomichi-yaki.
From: Onomichi ramen and homemade okonomiyaki
Tadotsu, Kagawa
Shippoku udon
A winter dish found throughout Kagawa.
From: Drawn by the sea breeze and the cats to Sanagi Island
Mitoyo, Kagawa
Niku mosso
A beef version of mossou-meshi, a traditional dish of Mitoyo.
From: A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea
Matsuyama, Ehime
Mackerel sandwich with Setouchi lemon
Breakfast in a fishing village on the Seto Inland Sea, made with the region's Setouchi lemon and eaten on the beach in front of the inn.
From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze
Matsuyama, Ehime
Jako-ten, prawns and Ehime wagyu on a charcoal grill
Jako-ten is a deep-fried fish-paste cake from the Nanyo region of southern Ehime.
From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze
Matsuyama, Ehime
Tai-meshi, sashimi-bowl style
Ehime has two kinds of tai-meshi.
From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze