Izumi Shikibu Memorial Stupa

On the grounds of Engyoji Temple stands a stone stupa erected in 1233 to honor Izumi Shikibu, a celebrated Heian period poet known for her 31-syllable waka verse. The stupa commemorates an exchange of poems between Shikibu and the temple's founding abbot Shoku around the year 1002, in which she sought spiritual guidance. Her poem, beginning with the image of moving from darkness into greater darkness, was selected for an imperial anthology, the highest honor of the era. At over 800 years old, the stupa is the oldest inscribed stone monument in Hyogo Prefecture, though most of its parts have been repaired or replaced over time.