Hakkaisanson Shrine

Hakkaisan-sonjinja Shrine is located about 10 minutes by car from the Yamato Smart Interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in the city of Minami Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture. It was founded on the basis of oracular instructions from Nakatomi no Kamatari, a seventh-century government official. Kuni-no-Satsuchi-no-Mikoto is one of the gods enshrined there. Clapping one's hands produces an echo, and there is an open space where sound reverberates. Historical relics and votive items and famous sites, such as the sacred cave of Taiken Gyosha, who revived the temple, are found throughout the grounds, and the basalt rock from Mt. Hakkaisan. Festivals that take place here include a thrilling Fire Walking Festival, in which the general public may apply to participate, as well the annual Setsubun Festival, O-Yama-Biraki (the springtime opening of the mountain climbing season), and others.