Visit the power spots of love stories on the Japanese heritage island of Innoshima (Mt. Shirataki and Jizohana)

Mount Shirataki

72-22101 Innoshima Ohamacho, Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture

Mt. Shirataki was originally a training ground for ascetic monks. Approximately 700 stone Buddha statues are lined up between the mountain g...

Shiratakiyama (Five Hundred Arhats and Kannon Hall) is a famous spot for its 360-degree views of the Seto Inland Sea and Innoshima, so why not stop by when you visit the Shimanami Kaido?

This time, a team of people from Taiwan, Thailand, and Tokyo will be heading to the summit (227m). It's about a 20-minute walk from the parking lot, and we're grateful for the bamboo walking sticks provided.

Looking east from the summit observation deck.

Five hundred arhats are lined up on the north and south sides. It is said that no two have the same face. There is also a bell tower experience, which is limited to one per person.

The Legend of Shirataki: The Rock of Love (from Shigei Folktales)

Once upon a time, in the village of Shigei, there lived a kind and pretty girl and a large, strong and handsome young man. The two fell in love and vowed to be married.

At that time, a sumo tour visited the village, and a young man who showed promise said, "Wait for me for three years, and I'll come back to see you when I've become a great sumo wrestler," and then departed for Kamigata.

The girl believed in the young man and waited, but when the three years promised to her came to an end, she became heartbroken and threw herself into the sea to her death.

Meanwhile, the young man trained hard and became a full-fledged sumo wrestler, calling himself "Shirataki." When the young man returned to the village to retrieve his daughter, he found out that she had jumped off the cliff and died.

One night, as he was grieving and lamenting, the Kannon of Mt. Shirataki appeared at his bedside and reveled in his sorrow. The young man found a rock on the beach at Fukaura that was the incarnation of the girl who had jumped off the cliff. He carried the rock, which must have weighed 50 kan (about 190 kg), to the top of the mountain by himself, and dedicated it to the Kannon Hall. He then spent the rest of his life offering prayers for the girl.

March 2009, Shigei Town Cultural Assets Association, Shigei Town Ward Mayors' Association

The Love Legend of Jizobana

You can only reach Nose Jizo at low tide, so be sure to check the tide times on the day you plan to visit.

It is difficult to reach Nose Jizo, and it is a deserted place with hardly any people passing by on weekdays, but because of this, it is said to bring good fortune, so it is recommended for those who are worried about matchmaking, fertility, safe childbirth, etc.

From the Jizohana parking lot in the eastern part of Innoshima, it is a 10-minute walk down the coast. It is not yet low tide, but Jizohana is already visible.

The Jizo statue is on the other side of the rock, so I gave up after praying nearby. I got to experience checking the tide times for myself.

This Jizo statue was carved to commemorate the soul of a young girl who was captured and punished by the Innoshima Murakami pirates long ago. It is also believed to be a "blessed Jizo statue that grants any wish a woman may have."

The Love Legend of Jizobana

Kanayama Matabei Yasutoki, lord of Mikasaki Castle (on what is now Jizohana Cape), arrested the daughter of Takahashi Kurodo of Suo, who was on her way to the capital by boat to study koto, for breaking into a checkpoint. However, he was completely captivated by the girl's beauty and the exquisite melody of her koto playing, and ordered her to stay on the island and serve him, but the girl refused, as she was in love with a young man in Suo.

Then Yasutoki became angry and cut his daughter down on the beach.

Soon afterwards, at night, Yasutoki began to hear the sound of the koto along with his daughter's sobbing, and he was tormented every night.

So he carved a Jizo statue into a natural stone on the beach and performed a memorial service for his daughter's spirit, and was no longer troubled by the ghost.

Afterwards, a young man from Suo who heard the story followed the girl on his Jizo-no-hana and plunged into the sea. Tears began to fall from Jizo's eyes and quickly turned into pebbles and scattered all over the place.

It is said that if a girl prays to this Nose Jizo and takes home a pebble containing the girl's wish, her love will come true, and many young women visit the shrine hoping for love.