Ryujin Hot Spring Village (Ryujin/Komatagawa)

　In the middle of the mountains in the middle part of Wakayama Prefecture, Ryujin Onsen is a quiet village where you can hear the scent of trees and the murmuring of a river. Ryujin Onsen and Komatagawa Onsen are located on the upper reaches of the Hidaka River, which originates from Mt. Gomadan, the legendary highest peak in the prefecture. Ryujin Onsen was discovered a long time ago by Ozuno, a practitioner of the role, and later it is said that Kobo Daishi opened a bathhouse according to a dream of Nanda Ryuo, so it was named Ryujin Onsen.Since then, it has nurtured its history for 1300 years. rice field. In the Tokugawa period, the lord of Kishu Tokugawa Yorinobu, who liked this hot spring, built a special ryokan in this area for recreation. is. It is also known as one of the three hot springs of Japan, along with Gunma's Kawanaka Onsen and Shimane's Yunokawa Onsen. Komatagawa Onsen is a hot spring quietly gushing from the Komatagawa River, a tributary of the Hidaka River, right next to Ryujin Onsen. Near Ryujin Onsen, there are Onsenji Temple, and Mandara Falls (20 minutes on the promenade) that appear in Kaizan Nakazato's novel "Daibosatsu Pass" Ryujin Volume. You can meet various footprints left by ancient people, such as Tenchukura (a 20-minute walk from Ryujin Onsen and a short distance from Komatagawa Onsen), where a loyal patriot was imprisoned.