The shrine located at the highest point in Nishinomiya is“Rokkosan Shrine” ← Apparently it can be read either Mukoyama Jinja or Rokkosan Jinja ^^;
Here it is on the map↓
Believe it or not, the address is Yamaguchi-cho Funasaka! A bit surprising!
The name written on the torii gate was “Hakusan no Miya”
The entrance from the prefectural road looks like this It seems you can technically drive up to the parking lot, but it looked narrow, steep, and pretty scary ^^;
Next to the road where cars go up, there’s a path for pedestrians, and along the way Oinari-san and Yamanochi Okami were enshrined.
At the top of the slope was Hakusan-hime Kannon !(^^)!
If you go to the left of the Kannon statue, you’ll find the Family Cedar, and the main shrine comes into view The shrine grounds aren’t flashy, but everything feels very well cared for (^^♪
This is what the worship area in front of the main shrine looks like. Up the stairs you can see in the back is where the Ishi no Hoden is enshrined.
Mamaa, there’s something called “Ishi no Hoden” at Rokkosan Shrine. Do you know anything about it?
“Ishi no Hoden,” huh? There’s an old Nishinomiya folk tale about it (^ ^)
I’ve never heard that. What kind of story is it?
To put it simply, a long, long time ago… there was a drought, and the farmers of Koshikiiwa were at their wits’ end (・_・;) Then they heard that if they built an Ishi no Hoden at the highest point of the mountain and prayed, their wish would be granted and rain would fall.
So what happened?
The farmers talked it over, and the people of Kami-Shinden made the stone roof, while the people of Shimo-Shinden made the lower part. They decided to build the Ishi no Hoden on Mt. Rokko.
So each area handled a different part.
They found the stones, made the roof and other parts, and the day came to carry them up the mountain.
Back then there were no cars, and it was a mountain path, so it must have been really tough.
I’m sure it was. It must have been heavy.
And after the people of Kami-Shinden worked hard to carry the roof up, the people of Shimo-Shinden didn’t show up for quite a while, so they lost patience, left the roof there, and went home.
What? They just went home?
That’s right. Even though everyone had worked so hard to build it together… So the people of Shimo-Shinden took the roof down from the rock, placed it on the lower part, and assembled the “Ishi no Hoden.”
Even though it was so heavy… That sounds like it would lead to a fight later.
Exactly. At the celebration after the “Ishi no Hoden” was completed, they ended up arguing, and the all-important rain never fell.
That’s a problem! After all that effort, too.
They couldn’t go on without rain, so they made peace and all prayed together from the bottom of their hearts at Koshikiiwa, saying “Please let it rain!” m(__)m
So, did it rain?
Not yet! The smoke from the goma fire used in the prayer ritual rose high into the sky all the way to the “Ishi no Hoden.” The villagers also took torches and went up to the mountaintop, to the “Ishi no Hoden”… and when their prayers echoed there, huge black clouds appeared, and big raindrops began to fall.
Because the villagers’ hearts became one, the deity granted their wish!
That’s why the right door of the Ishi no Hoden is engraved with the fact that it was built in 1613 by parishioners of Koshikiiwa Shrine.
What an amazing old tale!
Toward the back of the Ishi no Hoden
★Hakusan no Miya, the name written on the torii gate… The deity here is said to be Kikurihime no Mikoto, a deity of marital harmony and matchmaking (^ ^)
Many deities are enshrined next to it
There’s a sign saying it is a subordinate shrine of Hirota Shrine, but
