For the New Year’s shrine visit stamp rally “Ashiya Mutsumi no Miya Mode”, which takes you around six shrines in Ashiya City, we visited the fourth shrine: “Iwazono Tenjinsha” in Iwazono-cho!
↑ It’s a quiet shrine surrounded by trees, located near Ashiya Municipal Hospital.
Here’s the map↓
The address is 43-1 Iwazono-cho, Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
Inside the Grounds of Iwazono Tenjinsha
↑ A stone monument showing the enshrined deities and the shrine’s history
The enshrined deities are Sugawara no Michizane, Akiba Okami, and Konpira Okami. The shrine is said to bring blessings for academic achievement, business prosperity, and protection from hardship.
↑ The main shrine building. The komainu guardian dogs wearing red aprons are so cute!
↑ There was also an ox wearing a matching red apron.
↑ This stone statue in front of the entrance torii gate is apparently of En no Ozunu, who is said to be the founder of Shugendo! Locals seem to call him “Gyoja-san.”
↑ If you take the side path on the right side of the entrance torii gate…
↑ There was a small park with a slide and swings!
The “Ashiya Mutsumi no Miya Mode” Stamp
↑ The stamp was placed in front of the main shrine building, on the left-hand side as you face it!
↑ The stamp featured a large illustration of En no Ozunu, also known as “Gyoja-san”!
In Closing
Like the previous stop, “Ashiya Shrine,” this shrine is also located fairly high up in the hills! You can walk here from Ashiya Shrine, but if you’re coming from the station, taking a bus would be a good option too.
There are only two shrines left in the “Ashiya Mutsumi no Miya Mode” series! Which shrine will be next? Try making a guess!
