Kubata once flourished as a main post station of the Sanin Kaido Road connecting Kyoto and the Sanin Region. Kubata was also called “Kubata Ichiba” Village in the Edo Period.
Since the soil of this area was unfit for rice cultivation, people planted mulberry trees for silk cultivation. The name of this place is said to originate from the main industry as there used to be many “kuwa-batake” and “kuwa-ta” (mulberry fields) and it was corrupted to Kubata.
Post Station
Kubata is located at the foot of Tobi Pass and near the provincial border between Tajima and Tanba (both present northeastern Hyogo Prefecture). It retains the atmosphere of a bustling post station during the Edo Period. Here, honjin (the rest house exclusive for upper class samurais such as feudal lords and officers of the feudal government) and the barrier station were also installed.
This post station was also located on the path of 33 Kannon temples pilgrimage route in Kansai.
Pilgrims left the 27th temple Enkyoji Temple in the present Himeji City, southwestern Hyogo, for 28th temple Nariaiji Temple in the present Miyazu City, northern Kyoto, through here.
Ichinomiya-jinja Shrine
Ichinomiya-jinja Shrine, the ujigami (the guardian of community) worshiped by Kubata and Sada communities, enshrines Hikohohodemi no Mikoto, also known as Yamasachihiko, the grandfather of the first emperor, Jinmu. Ten years after being designated as a “Sonsha” (village shrine) in the now-defunct Modern Times Shakaku System in 1874, the hall of worship was built. There are also two shrines, Inari-jinja, which worships the god of agriculture, and Sorei-sha, which enshrines the spirits of deceased ancestors.
Zelkova Forests
In the precincts of Ichinomiya-jinja Shrine, there are nine zelkova trees, some of which have stood there for five- or six hundred years. This “Chinju-no-Mori” (Sacred Shrine Forest) is loved by people of the community. As it is rare for such huge trees to be grown naturally and in groups, this forest is designated as a natural monument by Hyogo Prefecture.
Hibuse-no-kami (The God Of Fire Prevention)
A massive fire occurred in Kubara in 1875. Legend has it that when a local resident shouldered the body of Hibuse-no-kami (The God Of Fire Prevention) and descended the mountain at that time, the fire died down. Even now, it is enshrined in the shape of a rod at the skirt of the mountain so that people can immediately carry it anywhere in an emergency.
Hichimen-san
Shichimen-daimyojin (Shichimen Great Luminous Deity) is a deity of guardian of the Lotus Sutra and worshiped by its believers. The small shrine in this picture also enshrines “Sanjuban shin”, a synchronism of Shinto and Buddhism.
Ichigan Fudo-son Image and Two-storey Pagoda
This image and pagoda used to be enshrined at the seventh station of Tobi Pass of the Sanin Kaido Road, as there was a chokepoint during winter due to heavy snow. Ichigan Fudo-son Image has been worshipped as the Buddha which offered blessings for one specific wish. Meanwhile, Two-storey Pagoda was built by a wife of the Kyogoku family, the chief of the Izushi Clan.
Memorial Markers For Loyal Souls and Martyrs of Manchuria Reclamation
Memorial markers quietly and solemnly stand on the moss carpet at the left side behind the main hall of Ichinomiya-jinja Shrine. The one marker pays tribute to the loyal souls of 140 fallen soldiers in Japanese-Sino War, Japanese-Russo War, Manchurian Incident, Second Sino-Japanese War (China Incident) and Greater East Asia War (Second World War). Another marker next to it pays tribute to martyrs of Manchuria Reclamation who drowned themselves, with their names carved.
