Welcome to Oku-Kambayashi
A place of clear, limpid spring water that nurtures life.
Located deep in the mountains in the easternmost part of Ayabe City, the Oku-Kambayashi is an area that has retained its ancient and pristine nature and habitats for rare plants and animals, and is also known as a "water source village” with abundant spring water.
Water Source Village and Ancient Forest
In the ancient forest in the Oku-Kambayashi area, there still grows a group of horse chestnut trees over 1,000 years old, which are said to grow only in places where pristine waters flow. Other diverse plants such as wild iris (shaga), oriental paperbush (mitsumata), and princess skunk cabbage (himezazenso) grow wild, and when they are in bloom, nature creates a fantastic spectacle.
Scenic Beauty of the Four Seasons
Fireflies flickering along the river, a sea of clouds on Mt. Kimio, golden ears of rice... The Oku-Kambayashi area offers seasonal scenic beauty created by a combination of natural conditions, such as clean water, clean air, and temperature differences.
Rice Grown in a Village of Water Sources
Surrounded by mountains, Oku-Kambayashi has long been a rice producing area. The rice is grown in a perfect environment with mountain water flowing directly from the mountains, fertile soil carried by water from the forest and deposited over many years, clean air, and temperature differences between day and night, all of which are ideal conditions for rice cultivation.
Standing at Forest’s Edge, the national treasure, Niohmon of Komyo-ji Temple
Komyoji Temple on Mt. Kimio is an ancient temple said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku in 599. The entrance gate, Niohmon, stands majestically at the end of the mountain path and was built in 1248, and is designated as a National Treasure. The two ‘kongorikishi’ statues that were placed with the construction of Niohmon are called "Nioh-san" and have long been familiar to local people.
