Kama-ura

Historical Footprints

The old shrine name has previously been written using the characters for ‘Stone’ and ‘God’, but in earlier land records (The Unyoushi, 1717), it was actually written about with the currentlyused characters of ‘Stone’ and ‘Above’. Problems arise in determining whether the original authentic pronunciation of these characters was ‘Ishigami’ or ‘Isono-kami’.
The enshrined god, or ‘kami’, ‘Futsunushi-tama-no-mikoto’ was the assigned envoy in the Kuniyuzuri (Land Relinquishing)myth and it should be noted that he is an ancestral kami of the Isonokami( formerly Mononobe) Clan, (a Shinto group strongly opposed to Buddhism back in the Kofun Period 250-538).
Taking into mind the fact that there is an Ishigami-jinja enshrined in both the neighboring bay ‘Shiotsu-ura’ and the Saigo-cho area to the West ,we can sense the strong influence of the ‘Isonokami’faith. A further perusal of the Izumo Fudoki shows the name of Mononobe Omi in his role as District clerk without rank for the Tatenui area. These connections to the areas of Kama-ura, Shiotsu right up to Saigo-cho, probably reflect the emerging authority of the Mononobe-Clan at the time.

Pilgrimage Route Guide

Located on the west side of Shiotsu-ura, Kama-ura also has a shrine of the same name ‘Ishigami-Jinja’. According to records, during the Muromachi Period, the daimyo Ouchi Yoshitake fled here with his family. Such was his attachment to the shrine that he was instrumental in developing it and worshipped here deeply.

In terms of size, it’s referred to in the Izumo Fudoki as being ‘180m wide’.

Heading past Kama Harbor one will come to a steep hill where the road separates.  Heading right towards the wind turbine area takes you to the Uppurui Bay Kozu Shrine. Going left will lead to such a hilly road that will make you wonder if there is even a road ahead but will finally lead to a winding road that goes down to the beach. Going left 300m from here will take you to the Kita Hama Community Center. Take the opposite route to the right and you’ll end up at Kozu Shrine in Uppurui Bay.