Last time I was spending my Sunday in Yokohama, I found this very strange shrine on the road going to Sankeien garden…
Why does this shrine celebrate turtles and kitchen brushes?!
Do you want to know more?
This very small shrine located just three minutes walking from Sankeien garden is called “Kame no ko sama”.
The main spot is a big stone called “Stone of the little turtle”.
A long, long time ago, fishers got a turtle, a lucky animal in their net, and that turtle changed into a stone.
Then, it is said that the spirit of the god protecting the throat came into this stone and could cure many throat diseases like cough or asthma for example.
People have to give a kitchen brush they use to clean the rice bowl of the sick children to the god and in return, he will cured the troubles.
It’s a very interesting and unusual story, isn’t it!
There’s even a more than 100 years-old brand of kitchen brushes made in Yokohama which started from this legend:
http://www.kamenoko-tawashi.co.jp/
More pictures and explanations in Japanese here :
http://kamematsu.net/kamenoko.html
Map:
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