Kurobane Shrine in Otawara sits on a bluff above the Naka River and was founded as the guardian shrine of the Kurobane Domain castle town, receiving the fervent devotion of the Ozeki clan who prayed here for the stability of their domain and the prosperity of the people. The haiku poet Matsuo Basho is said to have wandered the surrounding area during his roughly two-week stay in Kuroha on the jour…

Kurobane Shrine is said to have been founded in 1576 as the guardian shrine of the castle town of the Kurobane Domain. The domain was ruled by the Ozeki clan, who are recorded as having venerated the shrine as their tutelary deity, offering prayers for the prosperity and stability of both the domain…