Travel Guide Mano

Mano was the island's capital until the 14th century. Three kilometers in the direction of Niibo and Ogi, Myōsen-Ji temple, founded in 1271 and rebuilt in the 17th century, houses a five-story pagoda where Hino Sakemoto, a supporter of Emperor Go Daigo, exiled by the Hōjō and murdered on their orders in 1332, is buried. From there, a small path leads through rice fields to Kokubun-ji, the oldest temple on the island. Two miles away is Mano Goryō, the tomb of Emperor Juntoku, exiled in 1222 to Sado by the Hōjō for twenty-one years following a rebellion that was to give him power. From Mano, buses connect Ryōtsu in 40 min, Sawata in 15 min, and Ogi in 1 hour.