Mitomo Shrine 朋友神社（みともじんじゃ）

Official explanation

The Shinto deity Sukunabiko no Mikoto, the god of medicine and knowledge, is worshipped at the Mitomo Shrine. In the Kojiki, the oldest written record of ancient Japanese history published in 712, Sukunabiko no Mikoto helped Onamuchi no Mikoto, one of the principal deities worshipped at Nikko Futarasan Shrine, to rule Japan.

Although the shrine’s exact age remains unknown, the stone water basin used for ritual purification is engraved with the Chinese characters for 1753. From this, it is thought that the Mitomo Shrine has stood here for at least 250 years. Visitors customarily wash their hands at the stone water basin in front of the shrine before offering a prayer. This practice is believed to purify the worshipper, and also shows respect to the Shinto deities.

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.