🇯🇵 芋ヶ平 (廃村) 蓮如の里 福井県南越前町 Imogadaira, Abandoned Village in Minami Echizen Fukui [4K Binaural]
芋ヶ平（いもがだいら）は、約五百年前に滋賀県東近江の轆轤師（ろくろし）たちが移住し、木地作りと農耕によって定着した山村です。特に芋類を常食とし、村の名前もここに由来すると伝えられています。明治時代には32戸・約280人が暮らし、近隣との物々交換や林業による暮らしが営まれていました。
しかし、1895〜96年の大洪水による山林の失地や、1950年代後半から1960年代の豪雪災害により村は次第に衰退し、1980年には完全に無人の廃村となりました。
現在、かつての集落跡地には石碑と蓮如上人の石像が残されており、室町時代に蓮如上人が北陸巡化の際に身を潜めた「蓮如窟（いわや）」とともに、「蓮如の里」として地域に伝えられています。
なお、蓮如窟を探しました（19:00〜）が、よく場所がわからず、見つけられませんでした。瀬戸の住民の方に伺ったところ、この時期に行くには草も深いし、その場所は地元の人が一緒でないと見つけるのは難しい、とのことでした。
Founded around the late 15th century by woodturners (rokuroshi) migrating from Kunnogahata in present-day Shiga Prefecture, Imogadaira developed through woodworking and agriculture. The village was named for the residents’ staple diet of tubers (“imo”), and by the Meiji era supported about 280 people across 32 households.
Following extensive forest damage during the 1895–96 floods and recurring severe snowfalls in the 1950s–60s, the village’s population dwindled—and it was fully abandoned by 1980.
Today, a memorial stone and a statue of Shin Buddhist reformer Rennyo remain at the site, along with a cave where Rennyo is said to have hidden during his pilgrimage. The area is known locally as “Rennyo’s Sanctuary”, preserving spiritual and historical heritage.
I also searched for Rennyo Cave (from 19:00) but were unable to find it. When I asked a resident of Seto (a village ), they told us that the grass is too thick to visit during this season, and that it would be difficult to find the location without a local person accompanying us.
0:00 Rennyo no Sato Imogadaira 蓮如の里 芋ヵ平
19:00 Searching for Rennyo Cave
Date: 21st June 2025
Weather: 32 / 30 °C Partly sunny
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English Translations for Information Boards.
3:46 In mid-early summer of Bunmei 3 (1471), when Hongan-ji Temple was destroyed, Master Rennyo was pursued by monks from Mount Hiei and fled to Imogadaira to escape danger. At that time, he was guided by an old woman who was working in the fields and hid in a rock cave, where she provided him with three meals.
When the master finally departed, he said to the old woman, "You are the parent of my life. I shall give you a good keepsake," and bestowed upon her a six-character sacred inscription (Rokji no Myōgō). This is called the "Iwaya no Myōgō" (Sacred Inscription of the Rock Cave) and has been passed down to this day.
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3:59 Village Legend
Imogadaira began when woodturners who separated from Egawa Kimigahata (present-day Kimigahata-cho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture) settled there around the late 15th century. The place name is said to have originated from the fact that the residents regularly ate potatoes and other tubers as their staple food.
The residents grew miscellaneous grains, established rice paddies on well-irrigated flatlands, and devoted themselves to farming and woodcraft. Until around the 16th and 17th centuries, they would carry wooden bowls, ladles, mortars, and ash to the Ikeda and Imadate areas to obtain daily necessities.
At that time, all the fields and forests were leased land from Seto. The residents burned with the desire to somehow become independent, and in the Taisho era, they purchased the land, making it the property of Imogadaira for the first time. In Meiji 30 (1897), there were 32 households with a population of 280 people, but due to the heavy snowfall of Showa 38 (1963), most residents relocated to places like Takefu and Harue. Now, the village ruins evoke memories of bygone days.
Erected in January, Heisei 25 (2013) All former residents of Imogadaira