Shikizu Seven Wonders: A Self-Guided Legend Walk

Official walking-course map

Follow a roughly 2 km village course linking seven stones, wells and shrines associated with Yamatohime and Kūkai; take the tourism association's route map and close the wildlife gate.

Verified site photographs are being prepared.

Verified site photographs pending

Discover Shikizu Seven Wonders: A Self-Guided Legend Walk

Shikizu's Seven Wonders are seven local stories placed along and around the old Ise Honkaidō, not seven paid attractions. The Mitsue Tourism Association describes a roughly two-kilometre course with a stamp box at each site. Some points are humble rocks or a former well site, and their value lies in reading the landscape and traditions together. One of the seven, Himeishi Myōjin, has its own guide on MyNara; this article is for the walk as a connected experience, not a way to count the same shrine twice. Bring the association's illustrated course map because one point on this page cannot represent every turn, gate and path junction.

Start by reading the course, then the stories

The association orders the sites as Komouke-ishi, a stone said to produce small stones; Tsukimi-iwa, where Yamatohime is said to have watched the autumn moon; Meoto-iwa, two rocks that supposedly return together when separated; the site of Yamatohime's hand-washing well; Kōbō Well, attributed in legend to Kūkai's staff; Kanatsubo-ishi, associated with a golden rooster on New Year's morning; and Himeishi Myōjin. These are local beliefs, not proven historical events or promises of fertility, healing or a spring that can be drunk. The older official course PDF calls the fourth stop a former well site, whereas the current association text describes a well: look for the marker instead of expecting open water.

Use the walking map, not a car route between pins

The association's downloadable course map shows a short route through the village with small side paths and a gate, while its separate stamp sheet is designed for collecting the seven marks. The published KML places the first stone around 34.507066, 136.201105 and Himeishi Myōjin around 34.511076, 136.215118. These are overview points, not surveyed trail entrances or a navigation line. Two kilometres is the association's approximate course length and does not include travel from a bus stop, parking space or a return to the starting point. Download the PDF before leaving mobile coverage, allow time to retrace steps and do not substitute a Google driving route for the signed walking course.

Respect an inhabited and farmed landscape

The association specifically says the approach to Komouke-ishi has a wildlife-exclusion gate and asks visitors to close it again on leaving. Keep to publicly marked paths, do not move stones or leave paper on plants, and keep clear of homes and cultivated land. The place names refer to blessings in oral tradition; they do not justify touching an object where signs or residents ask you not to. A stamp box is not proof that a path is passable every day. After rain or in winter, check local notices and avoid a narrow or slippery section rather than trying to reach all seven.

Place the walk in its Ise Road context

Mitsue's roughly 14-kilometre stretch of Ise Honkaidō once carried travellers toward Ise and still has stone waymarkers and former lodging-house scenery. The Seven Wonders route is only a small part of that larger road, and the national historic-site designation of the Kuratori, Sakura and Iwasaka passes does not automatically cover each of these seven stones. Use the village's current heritage information for a longer walk and plan a separate return connection. If short on time, Himeishi Myōjin and nearby Maruyama Park can be visited as individual stops, but the legend sequence makes more sense with the full map.

What to look for

Seven linked legends in an approximately 2 km self-guided course

Downloadable association course and stamp maps

Wildlife gate, village paths and the former-well distinction matter

Photo notes

No Seven Wonders site photographs are licensed for MyNara. The site logo is a placeholder. Keep identifiable homes and residents out of photos without permission, and do not enter farmland or move stones for a better angle. The association's route illustrations are linked as sources, not republished here.

Plan your visit

LocationShikizu district, Mitsue Village · pin is the first mapped stone, not a start gate for the whole route

Visitor detailsLocation: Shikizu, Kōzue district of Mitsue Village; first pin is Komouke-ishi, not the whole routeLength: Association: about 2 km for the seven-site course; access and return distance extraStops: Six rocks/wells or former well site plus Himeishi Myōjin; use the mapped sequenceMaps: Download the tourism association's course PDF and separate stamp sheet before travelAccess rule: Close the wildlife gate at the Komouke-ishi approach after passingFee / hours: No current fee or daily access window verified; check village notices and local conditionsVisitor information sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Confirm current hours and fees before visiting.Check source for visitor details The legends are traditions, not medical or fertility claims. The association's current page calls stop four a well, while its course-map PDF calls it the site of a former well; this guide follows the more cautious map description. Current stamp-box condition, path access, fee, parking, bus transfer, accessible terrain and private-property boundaries need local or field confirmation. The village's current Tsue-mi-go runs 08:30–17:15 daily except 29 December–3 January, with three seats and a ¥300 cash fare per ride for non-residents; book weekends/holidays and weekday trips before 09:00 by the previous business day and confirm the permitted stop and return. Himeishi Myōjin already has its own place article and is not a second new facility inside this walking guide. No field survey, image licence or independent editorial signoff yet.

Getting thereFirst download the association's Shikizu Seven Wonders course map; it shows the walking sequence, side paths, gate and nearby road-station and Maruyama Park context. The map pin here marks only the first stone according to the association's public My Maps KML. Do not navigate a car directly to the first-stone coordinate: ask the association where parking or a safe bus drop-off is currently permitted, and establish the return journey. The route length of roughly 2 km excludes those connections. The Ise Honkaidō runs through the same district, but the entire 14 km village section is a different undertaking.

Official walking-course map Official information See this area on the map

Make a day of it

These are related stops near the map anchor, not measured stages of a route. Check the operator's access rules, current closures and signed paths before travelling.

Sources & editorial status

Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.