Motoisekonojinja Shrine

Kono Jinja, known as Moto-Ise, was named the first shrine of Tango province in 719 and ranks as the most prestigious old shrine in the Tanba and Tango region. It enshrines Amaterasu and Toyouke — the same deities as Ise Grand Shrine. Among its many treasures, the pair of stone guardian lions before the main hall stands out: rarely for komainu, they are designated Important Cultural Properties, and were once thought to be the oldest stone-carved pair in Japan. Their bearing so impressed visitors that copies were placed at shrines nationwide, Yasukuni among them. In the stone garden Miare-no-Niwa, built from natural stones gathered from sacred mountains across Japan, a suikinkutsu turns dripping spring water into a faint bell-like tone.