Cherished Legend·Rakutō / Shishigatani

Otoyo-jinja (guardian mice)

The shrine stands in Shishigatani, south along the Philosopher's Path, and is said to have begun in 887 with the enshrinement of Sukunabikona to pray for the recovery of Emperor Uda. At its sub-shrine, the Ōkuni-sha, a pair of stone mice recall the Kojiki tale in which a mouse saved the deity Ōkuninushi from a wildfire. One holds an orb, for love and children; the other a scroll, for success in study. Other messenger figures—snakes, monkeys, a black kite—fill the grounds as well.

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These notes come from desk research. Local traditions vary.