Hino: In the Footsteps of Hino-juku and the Shinsengumi

If you are looking for a hotel in Hino, the area's history can help guide your choice of destination. Within Hino, you will encounter different perspectives on Hino-juku on the Kōshū Road, the Shinsengumi, and historic buildings and memorabilia. These topics are easy to distinguish: Hino-juku Honjin connects a building with the history of individuals, the exchange hall puts Hino-juku in context through an exhibition, while the shrine and museum preserve tangible historical records. Before your trip, you can decide which of these perspectives interests you most.

Hino-juku, the Kōshū Road, and the Shinsengumi

Hino-juku Honjin was the former residence of Sato Hikogoro, a supporter of the Shinsengumi. Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, and Inoue Genzaburo visited the house. It is the only surviving honjin building in Tokyo constructed during the Edo period. Here, architectural history comes together with the memory of several people associated with the house. In the historical sequence of post stations along the Kōshū Road, Hino was the fifth station. This context adds Hino's role along the route to the personal connections of the honjin and offers another perspective on local history.

The Hino-juku Exchange Hall offers a broader overview. It houses a tourist information center and an exhibition of regional materials about Hino-juku, the Kōshū Road, and the Shinsengumi. The second-floor exhibition focuses on Hino-juku on the Kōshū Road; it also covers the Shinsengumi and modern Hino. A diorama of Hino-juku is also on display. This brings the area's historical context together with other topics in a single exhibition. If you are planning a visit, please check the operator's current visitor information.

Shrine architecture and historical records

At Hino Yasaka Shrine, the focus is on architecture and an object of remembrance. The main building was rebuilt in 1800 and made of solid zelkova wood. The walls, columns, beams, and railings are decorated with carvings. The shrine also houses a votive plaque donated in 1858 by 23 members of the Tennen-Rishin-ryu from Hino-juku. The donors included Shimazaki (Kondo) Isami, Okita Sojiro (Soji), Sato Hikogoro, and Inoue Matsugoro and Inoue Genzaburo. The plaque connects the shrine with several names that also appear in historical accounts of the Shinsengumi. Unlike at the honjin, the focus here is on the building's design and the donated plaque.

The Sato Hikogoro Shinsengumi Museum exhibits recently discovered materials, including iron fans associated with Toshizo Hijikata and Hikogoro Sato. The focus thus shifts from buildings and a votive plaque to individual objects. This complements the connection to the honjin, which is associated with Sato Hikogoro as his former residence: here, materials connected with Sato and Hijikata take center stage. The different historic sites and exhibitions therefore have distinct focuses, ranging from architectural history and the Kōshū Road to people and objects.

Discover more destinations: Tachikawa, Itabashi, Musashino, Ōshima, Ōta, Nakano, Akishima, Shinjuku

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