Famous scenic spots
This is the database of famous scenic spots in INBE, AWA.
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Iwato Shrine
On the south side of Iwato Shrine, green schist bedrock is exposed in places, and holes like a stone pit can be seen in the rock. These are called potholes, and they are holes made in the rock by water flow in the past. There are about 14 large and 14 small potholes, but the largest are 90 centimeters in diameter and one meter deep, and some are always filled with water, while others are gourd-shaped, so there is a lot of variety.
Legend has it that this is the site where the Aba tribe used to plant clams to make textiles by gouging out stones to make mousses, which were then used to make thread, which was then washed in a pond and dried on the rocks. There is also a hole 35 centimeters in diameter and 35 centimeters deep on the highest rock, and it is said that the water in the hole does not run dry even in dry weather and does not overflow even in heavy rain. This is recorded in the Awaji.
It is also said that when the Emperor Tsuchimikado came to this place, he was cured of his illness by this sacred water. It is also said that when this sacred water was polluted, wind and rain would occur, according to the Tenjikawashinomiya Enki.
Because this sacred water is so venerable and precious, the local people built a shrine to the Funado deity in front of the shrine, equipped it with a water container, and sent a priest to the shrine. It is said that because the sacred water was so venerable and precious, the local people built a shrine to Funatojin in front of the shrine and installed a water container, which was filled with the sacred water by a priest, and that visitors to the shrine would use the small bamboo ladle provided to fill the container with the sacred water and take it home, never touching the sacred water in the rock cave.
The area around Iwato Shrine was the original bed of the Yoshino River. It is a characteristic of green mud schist that potholes are formed when the rocks on the riverbed are worn away by the action of running water. In addition, there are a series of river remains such as Iwato Pond, Gakunomori Pond, and Lotus Pond in Kawashima. It is estimated that the Yoshino River flowed from Yutate, Yamakawa Town, to Kawada River, then eastward through Kawashima Town, Gakushima, and from Kubota, Yamakawa Town, to the present location of the Yoshino River.
On September 17, 1997, the potholes at Iwato Shrine were designated as a "Yamakawa-cho designated historic site and natural monument of scenic beauty.
