Kibitsu Shrine

Kibitsu Shrine

Called Kibi-no-kuni in ancient times, the Kibi region was so powerful that it could even compete with the Yamato Dynasty (government that ruled over Japan mainly in the Yamato region during 4th-7th centuries). Even today, valuable cultural assets and huge burial mounds remain in this peaceful rural area. The Kibitsu Shrine in the eastern part of the Kibi region is where the Okibitsuhiko-Daijin is enshrined. Okibitsuhiko-Omikami is the general who brought stability and peace to this region. As legend goes, he was the one who built the foundation of the current Kibi culture. The shrine's Honden and Haiden were reconstructed in 1425 and both are designated as national treasures. Here at the Kibitsu Shrine, a special ritual called Narukama-Shinji is conducted in which a pot is beaten and the sound that comes from doing so is used to determine if your wish will come true or not. Additionally, this is the shrine where the legend of driving away the ogres has been handed down which served as the base for the folk tale Momotaro (story of a boy born from a peach who, after growing up, drove the evil ogres away).