Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine

Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine, located in Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, is an ancient shrine affectionately known as "Ishikiri-san." The "Tsurugiya" in its name (meaning "sword and arrow") expresses the divine power to cut through even rock with sword and arrow, and it enshrines Nigihayahi-no-Mikoto and his child Umashimade-no-Mikoto. It has long drawn deep faith for healing illness as a "god of tumors and growths." Even today you can see people performing the "ohyakudo" hundred-times prayer walk, making it a power spot full of folk faith.

Highlights

• Ohyakudo Walk: A traditional form of faith in which you pray while walking back and forth a hundred times between the front of the main hall and the hundred-times marker stone on the approach. The sight of people praying with single-minded devotion is unique to this shrine.
• Blessings of Healing: As a "god of tumors," it draws worshippers from across the country wishing for the healing of growths and illness.
• Approach Shopping Street: The approach leading from the direction of Ishikiri Station is lined with fortune-telling stalls, retro shops, Chinese-medicine stores, and sweet shops, offering a stroll with a Showa-era atmosphere.

Enjoying the Seasons

Worshippers come year-round, and it is especially busy with first-visit worshippers at New Year. Located at the foot of Mount Ikoma, strolling the retro approach is fun in any season, and fortune-telling and gourmet food are also appeals. As the approach from the Ishikiri Station side is a gentle slope, the course of walking downhill from Ishikiri Station toward the main shrine is also popular.

Access and Basic Information

• Location: 1-1-1 Higashi-Ishikiri-cho, Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
• Access: About a 7-minute walk from Shin-Ishikiri Station on the Kintetsu Keihanna Line, or about a 15-minute walk from Ishikiri Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line
• Hours: Daytime (shrine office staffed during the day)
• Admission: Free

Practical Travel Notes

• Time to allow: About 30 minutes to an hour for worship at the main shrine and the ohyakudo walk. Adding a stroll along the approach shopping street lets you enjoy about half a day.
• Choosing your access: For flat access, it is about a 7-minute walk from Shin-Ishikiri Station. To walk the retro approach, the course descending from the hilltop Ishikiri Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line toward the main shrine is full of atmosphere.
• Enjoying the approach: The approach from Ishikiri Station is known for its many fortune-telling stalls, and Chinese-medicine shops and street food are dotted along it. The stroll itself, with its Showa-era retro mood, is a specialty.
• Combining with nearby spots: Hiraoka Shrine (first shrine of Kawachi) in the same Higashi-Osaka City is also on the Kintetsu lines. Enjoying a tour of Higashi-Osaka's ancient shrines together is also recommended.

A Quick Tip

This is a shrine perfect for those wishing for health or the healing of illness. If you have time, experiencing the traditional ohyakudo walk is worthwhile. It is recommended to visit along with a stroll on the approach, whose retro atmosphere is an appeal. Known for its many fortune-telling stalls, having your fortune told is also fun.

📚 Sources

This article is based on the shrine's guidance about the history of Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine (Ishikiri-san), the deities Nigihayahi and Umashimade, the healing faith as the god of boils, and the hundred-times pilgrimage, and tourism information for Higashiosaka City. It also draws on guidance for the approach shopping street from Ishikiri Station. Worship hours and offerings may change, so please confirm with official sources before you go.

Visitor Checklist

• Estimated time: About 30 minutes to an hour for worship and the hundred-times pilgrimage; half a day with the approach shopping street.
• How to get around: For flat access, about a 7 minute walk from Shin-Ishikiri Station; for the retro approach, descend from Ishikiri Station uphill.
• Approach highlights: The approach from Ishikiri Station is known for fortune-telling shops, with herbal-medicine shops and street food scattered along it.
• Worship style: If you have time, try the traditional hundred-times pilgrimage.
• Admission: Admission is free.
• Also enjoy: Hiraoka Shrine (Kawachi's first shrine) in the same city is on the Kintetsu line and good for an old-shrine tour.