Cultural Assets－Other

Located in the center of Okinoshima Island, Shinja-ike Pond (“Deep Dragon Pond”) is one of the five ascetic training sites that remain on the four islands of Tomogashima. According to tradition, En no Gyoja who heard of islanders being attacked by a dragon every night caught the creature, clipped its claws so that it could do no further evil, and confined it to the pond. Since En no Gyoja had reached an agreement with the dragon that it could only leave the pond when a whistle was played at night, legend has it that one must never blow a whistle near the pond. A stone monument at the center of the pond today is said to have been used to contain the dragon.