Aitsuchi Jinja Shrine

Aitsuchi Shrine is closely tied to the art of swordsmithing. The well beside it is said to have supplied water used by the legendary craftsmen Gorodayu Yasutsuna and Sanjo Munechika to forge blades in the late Heian period, including Higekiri and Hizamaru, prized swords of the Minamoto clan. According to legend, the deity Inari appeared to help complete the work, and the shrine was founded afterward in gratitude. The well was paved in the Edo period, and the path beside the shrine leads up Mt. Otokoyama to Iwashimizu Hachimangu. A compact, quiet stop with an unusually specific story behind it.