Keya Kurotatsu Shrine in Fukui

At the eastern foot of Mount Asuwa, there is a shrine called 'Keya Kurotatsu Shrine' in Fukui city. Kurotatsu literally means 'Black Dragon'. Although the exact date of its foundation is unknown, this Shinto shrine was built in ancient times to quell the rioting Kuzuryu River (Kuzuryu means nine-headed dragon) as well as to be one of the four shrines of Japan which guard the country from the four directions:

• East: Kashima Shrine in Ibaraki,
• West: Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima,
• South: Kumano Shrine in Wakayama,
• North: Kurotatsu Shrine in Fukui.

I didn't know there was such an important shrine in my neighborhood! The Black Dragon here is said to have strong power to dispel evil spirits. This shrine is known as one of the Power Spots of Japan!