A Hot Spring Town
with 800 Years of History
A Hot Spring Town with Good Old-Fashioned Charm
Owani Onsen, with its 800 years of history. The streets are lined with old public baths and modern villas.
There is a peaceful atmosphere, full of lessons from the past. A hot spring inn sitting alongside the waters of the Hira River.
A continuous atmosphere of warmth amidst the chaos of life.
Along the river here, hot spring inns sit at the heart of Owani’s yukko culture, making this area a beloved hot spring town and Tsugaru’s hidden retreat for centuries.
OWANI
ONSEN
HISTORY
The History of Owani Onsen
Streetscape Vestiges of the Past
With the opening of Owani Station on the Ou Main Line in 1895, the baths here bustled with a great many visitors. Around this same time, the pleasure quarters thrived with people seeking recreation. Tender-hearted Tsugaru geisha, with skin as white as snow, were very popular and were said to be as numerous as barmaids at the time. Top-rate Japanese restaurants and cafes stand side by side, overshadowing nearby towns and cities, and rickshaws come and go without ceasing.
While times have changed along with the town’s appearance, colorful remnants still remain throughout the town today.
The Enchi Shonin Legend, Owani Onsen’s Origin
In the late Heian or early Kamakura period, while journeying through the eastern provinces, Enchi Shonin became ill while building Kohaku-ji Temple in Kuradate, meant to enshrine Vairocana as the principal deity (actually Amitabha). In a dream, he was told there was a hot spring in the area (now the sacred Oyu baths). It is said that in doing so, he was healed.
The Tamenobu Legend, Owani Onsen’s Origin
Tsugaru Tamenobu, who founded the Tsugaru Domain, came down with a severe eye disease in 1593. According to legend, he was visited by Bhaisajyaguru in a dream, who told him washing his eyes in the Owani hot springs would cure his condition. He is also said to have discovered a scalding hot spring gushing up from beneath a large stone, a site now known as Yukonsekido.
The chloride-sulfate spring waters of Owani Onsen are colorless, gentle on the skin, and excellent at retaining heat.
The chloride-sulfate spring waters – colorless, gentle on the skin, and excellent at retaining heat – are said to be effective for neuralgia, rheumatism, gastrointestinal disorders, cold sensitivity, arteriosclerosis, and skin diseases.
Life With Hot Springs
Hot springs are good for more than healing.
Hot spring heat is used to cultivate bean sprouts and produce miso. The Ushi no Yu Festival began from the belief that bathing at the hour of the ox on the Day of the Ox would prevent illness. In addition to a town headman, a person was also appointed to oversee the hot springs, known as a yusei. As you can see, rich hot springs have flowed continuously since ancient times in the foothills of Mt. Ajara.
