Screen Pilgrimage Real places behind anime and film, across Japan

TV drama · 2005

Yoshitsune — filming locations

4 places you can visit, in Iwate, Yamaguchi, Kyoto. Every entry gives the nearest station, how long the walk is, and what to mind when you get there.

Open on the map

Many of these are shrines, schools and people’s streets. Read the conduct note before you go.

Locations · 4

Chusonji Temple

Iwate Start here

The gold hall of the Fujiwara who sheltered Yoshitsune, and where the drama ends. A World Heritage site.

Getting there
Hiraizumi Stn · 32 min walk
Before you go
  • Admission fee required
  • Worshippers come first
  • Very crowded — expect queues
  • A real trail — wear shoes you can climb in
Sources
義経 (NHK大河ドラマ)

Dannoura Battlefield (Mimosusogawa Park)

Yamaguchi Start here

The strait where the Taira were destroyed and the child emperor drowned — the end the whole story runs towards.

Getting there
Shimonoseki Stn + 15 min by bus · 3 min walk
Before you go
  • Watch for traffic — do not step into the road
  • Keep your voice down
  • Only there at low tide — check the times before you go
Sources
義経 (NHK大河ドラマ)

Motsuji Temple

Iwate

The Pure Land garden of the same Fujiwara capital, laid out as it was in the twelfth century.

Getting there
Hiraizumi Stn · 15 min walk
Before you go
  • Admission fee required
  • Worshippers come first
  • Keep your voice down
Sources
義経 (NHK大河ドラマ)

Kuramadera

Kyoto

The mountain temple north of Kyoto where the boy Ushiwakamaru is said to have trained.

Getting there
Cable car from Kurama Stn, then the temple path · 25 min walk
Before you go
  • Admission fee required
  • A real trail — wear shoes you can climb in
  • Worshippers come first
Sources
義経 (NHK大河ドラマ)

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