Japan Heritage story
Chikuma, city of the moon: the moon in every rice terrace
月の都 千曲
For over a thousand years, poets have come to Chikuma in Nagano to see the moon over Mount Obasute. In late May, when the terraced rice fields are flooded, the moon shines in one paddy after another, a sight called tagoto no tsuki, the moon in every field.
Key facts
- Theme
- Sea and waterside, Festivals and rituals
- Era
- Heian, Edo
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 月の都 千曲
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- －姨捨の棚田がつくる摩訶不思議な月景色「田毎の月」－
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 長野県（千曲市）
The story
A Heian-period poem in the Kokin Wakashu made the moon over Mount Obasute famous, and the poet Fujiwara no Teika later called this place the city of the moon. In the Edo period Matsuo Basho came to watch the moon rise over Mount Kyodai, and writers followed him to Chorakuji. The name Obasute, abandoning the old woman, inspired legends of leaving old parents in the mountains, but these were stories written in the capital to teach respect for one's elders.
The Obasute rice terraces were opened on the slope after a large pond was built uphill in the early Edo period, and they are still farmed with its water. Utagawa Hiroshige drew a magical print with the moon shining in every paddy at once. In reality you see it field by field as you walk the paths between them, which is half the fun.
What to see
- Obasute rice terraces: paddies of all sizes on the slope below Mount Obasute, still fed by an Edo-period pond.Google Maps 姨捨の棚田 (opens in a new tab)
- Chorakuji: the moon-viewing temple with Basho's memorial stone and a 20 m rock poets once climbed.Google Maps 長楽寺 千曲市 (opens in a new tab)
- JR Obasute Station: a switchback station at 547 m with one of Japan's three great train window views.Google Maps 姨捨駅 (opens in a new tab)
- Takemizuwake Shrine: where lion dances are offered at the mid-autumn festival on 14 September.Google Maps 武水別神社 (opens in a new tab)
Plan your trip with the Nagano prefecture guide and see more nature.
Good to know
- Come in late May, when the terraces are flooded for rice planting, to see the moon in the fields.
- Watch the moon rise from the platform at JR Obasute Station, almost at eye level.
- Stay at Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen and try white sarashina soba, oshibori udon and oyaki.
Questions travellers ask
What is tagoto no tsuki?
The moon reflected in each flooded rice terrace. You see it in one paddy after another as you walk the paths.
Is the Obasute legend true?
No. The tale of leaving old parents in the mountains is literature from the old capital, meant to teach respect for elders.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Katsuragi Shugen: where mountain asceticism began
- Kawachinagano: a town where the Middle Ages live on
- Nyonin Koya: the temples where women prayed instead of Mount Koya
- Oyama Mairi: the Edo people's pilgrimage and day out
- Starry Jomon highlands: obsidian mines of central Japan
- The Kiso Road: life in the mountains on the Nakasendo
- Ueda's Shioda-daira: the ley line of sun and earth
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.