Takenaka Jinya

The temple's mountain gate and the entrance of its shoin (study hall) are said to have been relocated from the Nakasendo waki-honjin in Sekigahara. In 1691, the famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho visited the chief priest Kigai here, spending the winter and composing several poems. A monument related to this garden, the Tsukuriki-zuka, was later built on the grounds in 1809, and a hermitage called Shigure-an was added in 1855. Honryuji Temple also hosted notable visitors: in 1634, the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu, stopped for breakfast while en route to Kyoto, and in 1878, Emperor Meiji rested here during his tour of the Hokuriku and Tokai regions.

Tarui was the 57th station of the Nakasendo trail that connected Kyoto with Edo and the first station of the Minoji Trail that connected the Nakasendo to the Tokaido trail. During its heyday, there were 315 hotels. The building marked as the Tarui-juku you see today is the Nagahamaya. When the princess traveled through on the Nakasendo, the men who carried her mikoshi stayed here (she of course stayed at the honjin, the primary inn). The building became a liquor store once the Nakasendo lost its importance. When the liquor store closed, residents were compelled to preserve the building since it is such an important part of the town's history. Today, visitors can stop for a rest and see a few artifacts inside.

Gifu Prefecture has many springs that are known for their pure water. Tarui's water is among them and has been well-known for centuries. It was featured in one of the poems in the Shika Wakashu, an imperial anthology of waka poems, in 1070. Matsuo Basho also stopped here and wrote a poem after drinking the water. Today there is a small, attractive area where the spring water flows and visitors can try it for themselves.

The top shrine of Mino Province, it enshrines Kanayamahiko no Mikoto. There is a large torii gate leading up to the shrine.