Kurozuka

Adachigahara is the setting of one of the oldest and darkest stories in Japanese folklore: an old woman living alone in a cave on the moor who took in travellers, killed them and ate them. The tale runs through classical poetry, a noh play and a kabuki piece, all called Kurozuka, and it is set on this bank of the Abukuma river.

Kanzeji temple stands at the site, keeping the cave the demon woman is said to have lived in along with objects attributed to her, and in the grounds under an old cedar is Kurozuka itself, the mound said to be her grave, with a stone bearing a classical poem. Admission is ¥400 and the temple is open from nine to half past four. It is a strange, quiet place a few minutes from central Nihonmatsu.