Udo Shrine: Nursing Water (Ochichi-mizu) 鵜戸神宮：お乳水

Official explanation

The water in this basin is drawn from the “nursing rocks” of Udo Shrine, which protrude from the cave wall on the left. The water in the cave is believed to have been revered by the local people since ancient times, because it never freezes and used to flow copiously, thanks to a stream that flowed underneath the rock. It is thought to have been used during childbirth, and symbolized a sufficient supply of breast milk, which was a matter of life and death before the invention of infant formula. Visitors can use the ladles provided to drink the water, which is also used to make the candy that has been manufactured at the shrine since the Edo period (1603–1867) and is sold at the amulet office by the entrance to the cave.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.