Read time: About 8 minutes
Hey there. Hiroshi here, from “Ramen, Beer & Blog.”
Have you ever heard the name “Ono no Komachi”?
She’s a Heian-era poet, often called one of the Three Great Beauties of Japan.
Did you know that her birthplace is said to be in Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture?
Yeah, I didn’t know either.
My wife, our Shiba Inu Momiji, and I walked a short hiking trail from the Komachi Shrine trailhead up to a little mountain called Takamatsu-yama. My honest impression? Quaint, to put it nicely. A little underwhelming, to put it bluntly.
But that’s exactly why I thought, “Maybe now’s the time to visit while it’s still a hidden gem.”
Who This Post Is For
- Anyone looking for an easy trail to walk with family or dogs
- Anyone with even a slight interest in Ono no Komachi
- Anyone looking for a hidden walking spot near Atsugi
- Anyone who wants something closer to a stroll than a real hike
The Takeaway
The fact that a place connected to one of Japan’s Three Great Beauties is this quiet and uncrowded might just mean it’s a great deal right now.
Parking & Access Info | What You Need to Know First
Here’s the key info for anyone thinking about visiting.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Komachi Shrine trailhead, Ono, Atsugi City, Kanagawa |
| Trail name | Takamatsu-yama Hiking Course |
| Elevation | 147m (482 ft) |
| Parking | Free, about 10 spots |
| Restroom | Public restroom at Komachi Green Space |
| Route | Parking lot → Komachi Shrine → Takamatsu-yama → back the same way |
| Time needed | About 1 to 1.5 hours round trip |
| Difficulty | Beginner-friendly, families & dogs welcome |
The parking lot holds about 10 cars. When I went, it was mostly empty.
The trail is well-maintained and easy to walk. Sneakers would be just fine.
Apparently, This Is Where Ono no Komachi Was Born
Right after starting the walk, signs for “Komachi Shrine” start appearing.
I was thinking, “Komachi Shrine? What’s that about?” Then I learned that this area is said to be the birthplace of Ono no Komachi.
Ono no Komachi.
The poet who wrote the famous verse in the Hyakunin Isshu. One of the Three Great Beauties of Japan, a female poet from the Heian period.
Honestly, I was surprised. “Wait, in a place like this?”
When I looked into it, the place name “Ono” in Atsugi is deeply connected to the ancient Ono clan, who produced figures like Ono no Imoko and Ono no Tofu. Ono no Komachi is believed to be part of this same lineage.
In 1486, during the Muromachi period, a monk named Dokou Jugo passed through this area and recorded that locals told him “this is where Komachi was born.” Dokou himself wrote that he found it “doubtful,” but the point is: the locals have been telling this story for over 500 years.
There’s another interesting angle from the Edo-period document “Shinpen Sagami Kokudo Fudoki.” It notes that beautiful women called “Uneme” were historically sent from this area to the imperial court. The theory is that this reputation as a “land of beauties” gradually merged with the legend of Ono no Komachi.
In other words, this legend isn’t completely made up. There seems to be some kernel of truth at its core.
Walking the Takamatsu-yama Trail (147m / 482 ft)
The trail is called the “Takamatsu-yama Hiking Course,” and the summit is 147 meters.
147 meters.
Numbers-wise, this is closer to a walk than a hike. But that’s exactly what makes it nice.
My wife was walking ahead with Momiji. The trail is wide enough and well-maintained enough for dogs.
Along the way, there are wooden signposts everywhere, so there’s no worry about getting lost. They show distances like “Komachi Shrine 1.0km” and “Takamatsu-yama 0.85km,” so you always know how far you’ve got to go.
The view from the summit was surprisingly open for such a small mountain. You can see across the Sagami Plain, and on clear days, apparently even Yokohama Landmark Tower and Tokyo Skytree are visible.
Partway along the ridge, there’s a small Akiba Shrine. It’s been a place for locals to pray for fire protection since ancient times. That’s what I love about low mountain hiking, these little shrines tucked away quietly.
Getting Honest at the Komachi Well (Kewai-ido)
On the way down, I came to a spot marked “Komachi Well.” In smaller text, it also said “Kewai-ido” (Beauty Well).
This is where Ono no Komachi supposedly used the water for her makeup, or used the water’s surface as a mirror.
There’s also a Kamakura-era legend: Tango no Tsubone, a concubine of Minamoto no Yoritomo, fled here to escape the jealousy of Yoritomo’s wife, Hojo Masako. Masako’s curse turned Tango’s beautiful black hair white overnight. Desperate, Tango prayed to Komachi-hime for 17 days, and on the final day, her hair turned black again.
It’s said that Tango, moved by this miracle, rebuilt the shrine, which is the origin of today’s Komachi Shrine.
…So, how does this historically significant well look today?
I’ll be honest. It’s pretty underwhelming.
Only the well frame remains, and it’s dried up. There’s a sign, but my genuine reaction was, “Wait, that’s it?”
I know this sounds harsh for such a famous person’s memorial, but I couldn’t help thinking, “They could spruce this up a bit and make it more welcoming.”
Nearby, there’s also the “Komachi Mound,” where her belongings (a comb and hair) are said to be buried. This one actually had a proper sign, and you can tell the locals still maintain and care for it.
There are also the “Seven Mysteries of Komachi,” including seaweed-like algae growing in a river far from the ocean, bamboo with nodes on only one side, and fog that always rolls in on her death anniversary. The fact that these stories have continued for over 1,000 years is pretty amazing.
Japan’s Three Great Beauties’ Hometown: A Hidden Gem Right Now
After finishing the walk, what I kept thinking was: this place is packed with potential.
Ono no Komachi. Even I know who she is. Probably most Japanese people know the name.
And yet, the parking lot was empty. The trail was quiet. You could walk in peace.
Komachi Shrine is said to offer blessings for preventing gray hair, beauty, eye health, and literary talent. It has real potential as a “beauty shrine.” In spring, cherry blossoms bloom and the atmosphere is lovely.
But right now, hardly anyone comes.
As I was walking, I couldn’t help wondering, do the descendants of the Three Great Beauties still live around here? Are there more beautiful people in this neighborhood? Once I started thinking about it, I couldn’t stop, and I actually found myself wanting to move here.
Just a hopeless 50-something who can’t help noticing beautiful women.
But flip it around: the fact that you can visit Ono no Komachi’s shrine in peace and quiet right now means it’s a hidden gem.
You might just take some of that beauty luck home with you.
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Wrapping Up
Komachi Shrine to Takamatsu-yama.
147 meters. More of a stroll than a hike.
But it was a place where legends from over 1,000 years ago still quietly live on.
The Komachi Well was underwhelming, and I do wish they’d fix it up a bit. But then again, places with that “locals only” feel tend to lose their charm when they get too polished.
Whether Ono no Komachi was really born here, nobody truly knows.
But the locals have been telling this story for over 500 years. That alone makes it worth the walk.
Momiji seemed to enjoy it too, so it gets a thumbs up for dog-friendly hiking.
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