Ever since Nikko was founded by the high priest Shodo at the end of the 8th Century, Nikko had been worshipped as a sacred place for mountain worship. Once the Toshogu Shrine was constructed as Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu's mausoleum in the early 17th Century, the former city of Imaichi prospered as a post town standing at the point of intersection of the highways of Nikko Kaido, Reiheishi Kaido and Aizu-Nishi Kaido, while the former city of Nikko flourished as the monzenmachi or the shrine and temple town of 'Nisha Ichiji' (meaning 'Two Shrines and One Temple' referring to the Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Jinja Shrine and Rinnoji Temple, which are World Heritages of Nikko). Moreover, the former town of Fujihara, where the Kinugawa-Onsen Hot Spring was discovered in late 17th Century, followed by the Kawaji-Onsen Hot Spring in early 18th Century, developed as one of the leading hot spring resorts of Japan.

Moreover, the former town of Ashio, also founded by the high priest Shodo, was extensively worshipped as the general head-temple of the religious sect known as the Koshinko faith. Upon the discovery of copper veins there at the beginning of the 17th Century, Ashio prospered as the major copper mine of Japan, and contributed greatly to the modernization of Japan.

As for the former village of Kuriyama, its origins are said to lie in the settlement built by fleeing Heike warriors, and there still remain cedar trees known as Heike-sugi and historic sites such as Heike-zuka (burial mounds of Heike warriors). Kuriyama has also thrived as a hot spring resort with the Yunishigawa and Oku-Kinu hot springs.