Oct 21, 2013 - 1 min read

Kosenji Temple

Worth stopping by

By Aline Laborde

Community writer

View of Yubatake from the temple's stairs

The Genroku Era shrine to protect travelers to Kusatsu Onsen

Come by and test your luck by grabbing a Omikuji in English

Kosenji temple is a Buddhist temple that celebrates the glory of Kusatsu Onsen. It is located up the hill from Yubatake (湯畑) and is easily accessible from Nakazawa Village. It contains many monuments, one of which is dedicated to the famous Edo Period Haiku Poet Issa Kobayashi (1763-1827) who visited Kusatsu Onsen three times from Tokyo. He wrote:

Through the steam
Clearly seen
The shape of the moon

There is also a monument with a poem written by the Haiku poet Basho praising the healing properties of Kusatsu’s waters.

Although you can travel to Kusatsu Onsen easily unlike travelers from the Edo Era, don’t let that stop you from appreciating this Bhuddist temple in your Yukata and Geta wooden clogs.