It is one of the largest in the three prefectures which constitute the Hokuriku region of Japan.

Yamashiro Onsen has a very ancient history, and there are several myths about its foundation.

One story attributes it to the wandering Buddhist monk Gyōki[1] in the Nara period who discovered the springs while following an injured crow and seeing it bathe in the hot waters.

During the Heian period it developed as part of a Buddhist temple called Yakuo-in Onsen-ji (薬王院温泉寺), dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine.

After World War II, it developed due it its ease of access to Osaka and Kyoto.