Ryūjin Onsen (龍神温泉) is an ''
onsen'' (
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
) located in
Ryūjin village, now a part of
Tanabe, Wakayama City in
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
Ryūjin Onsen was discovered in the 7th century by
En no Gyōja, the founder of
Shugendō.
Kōbō Daishi, founder of
Shingon Buddhism visited the spot in the 9th century. During the
Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
(1603-1868), the onsen was used as a resort area by the
Tokugawa ruling family, whose castle was in
Wakayama city. Today there are old Japanese inns (
ryokans) using the names ''Kamigoten'' (Royal Palace) and ''Shimogoten'' (Lower Lodgings), from the old feudal system.
It is said to be the third best onsen for beautifying your skin in Japan.
See also
*
Kōya-Ryūjin Quasi-National Park
References
''Article contains translated text from
龍神温泉 on the
Japanese Wikipedia retrieved on 17 March 2017.''
External links
Homepage in JapaneseDetailed description including mapsProfile on Japan Hoppers
Hot springs of Wakayama Prefecture
Spa towns in Japan
Tourist attractions in Wakayama Prefecture
{{Wakayama-geo-stub