Hakusan Hibashi Shrine

Shirayama Hime Shrine is a shrine in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and the head shrine of the more than 2,000 Shirayama shrines across Japan. It enshrines Mt. Hakusan in Ishikawa as a sacred mountain (shintai). Hakusan has long been regarded as a holy site of mountain worship, and locals also call it a sacred area where you can receive the “water of life.” The precincts hold many Important Cultural Properties including National Treasure swords, and you can view historically and culturally valuable treasures in the Treasure Museum (paid). The enshrined deities are Shirayamahime-no-Okami, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, and Izanami-no-Mikoto. Shirayamahime-no-Okami is also known as Kukurihime-no-Kami and is called a “knot-tying (en-musubi) deity,” making the shrine popular with young visitors as well. A cliff-carved Buddha called Katagari Jizo is said to help with tooth ailments if you offer chopsticks and pray. The grounds are lined with cedar and asunaro trees over 1,000 years old, and it’s famous as a sacred place where people say the air changes when you enter. Access: about a 20-minute walk from Tsurugi Station.