Katsuragi Hitokotonushi Shrine

History and Divine Virtue

Katsuragi Hitokotonushi Shrine stands at the eastern foot of Mount Katsuragi in Moriwaki, Gose, and enshrines Katsuragi no Hitokotonushi no Okami together with Emperor Yuryaku. The Kojiki relates that while the emperor was hunting on Mount Katsuragi, a party identical in appearance to his own appeared before him; asked its name, the deity replied that it was Hitokotonushi of Katsuragi, who pronounces good and evil alike in a single word. From this story the deity is handed down as one who will hear any wish, provided it is made in a single word, and local people have long called the shrine "Ichigon-san." Above the stone stairway of the approach stands a great ginkgo said to be twelve hundred years old, the Chichi-icho, whose hanging aerial roots have made it a place of prayer for nursing mothers and for children. The precincts overlook the Nara basin, and the shrine forms part of the Katsuragi Kodo trail, walked together with Takakamo and Takamahiko shrines.

Visiting Notes

• By long custom, prayers here are made in a single word. Choose the one wish that matters most.
• The Chichi-icho ginkgo, with aerial roots hanging from its trunk, is a prefectural natural monument.
• A haiku monument to Basho below the precincts and the farmland scenery of the Katsuragi Kodo trail reward a leisurely visit.
• The autumn festival on September 15 features rites designated an intangible folk cultural property of Gose City.

Deities and Location

Enshrined Deities

Katsuragi no Hitokotonushi no Okami, Wakatakeru no Mikoto (Emperor Yuryaku)

Location

奈良県御所市森脇 (Nara)

Access

From Kintetsu Gose Station, Nara Kotsu bus to Miyadobashi, then about a 25-minute walk.

Lineage

Michihiraki: Opening the Way, Purification & Renewal

Visiting hours, goshuin (shrine stamps), and festival dates change; please confirm the latest information through each shrine's official announcements. If you find an error in this entry, we would be grateful if you let us know.