Towada Shrine

Towada Shrine sits at the edge of Lake Towada and carries two founding legends. The first credits military commander Sakanoue no Tamuramaro with establishing it in 807. The second follows a Buddhist priest named Nansonobo, instructed by the gods to travel until his sandals wore out. They broke at the lake's shore, where he then defeated a monstrous serpent threatening the lake's guardian deity, eventually becoming one of the lake's own protectors. When the Meiji government ordered the separation of Buddhism and Shinto, Nansonobo's remains were relocated to a small subsidiary shrine within the grounds, where they remain today.