Shinmei Shrine — Ishigami-san

Women write a single wish, never two, and leave it in front of the sacred stone.

In Osatsu, a village of fisherwomen, a small shrine within the Shinmei Jinja is a place of pilgrimage for women: the sacred stone Ishigami-san is said to grant women a wish (one only, never two) written on a slip of paper and left in front of the rock. The local ama (the women who free-dive for pearls and seafood) have venerated it as a protector for generations, and on their work headgear they sew a star and grid motif, the same symbol used against accidents at sea. On 7 May, the traditional rest day of the ama, the men of the village cook for and serve the women during the spring festival.

Shinto shrine attached to the Shinmei Jinja in the village of Osatsu, a historic community of pearl fisherwomen and ama on the Toba coast.

ℹ️ Free entry, no fixed hours. By Kamome bus from Toba, about 40 minutes to Osatsu, then 7 minutes on foot; car park available.

Sources: kankomie.or.jp · toba.gr.jp · kankomie.or.jp

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