Ishinomori Shrine is an ancient mountain shrine established during the late Heian period at the base of a spiritually receptive mountain. Rather than existing as a militant or combat-oriented shaman site, the shrine was founded to preserve long-term spiritual harmony through ritual continuity, human–spirit mediation, and careful stewardship of the land.

For most of its recorded history, Ishinomori Shrine remained removed from major shaman conflicts, including the Shaman Fight. This prolonged era of uninterrupted practice and isolation is known as the Long Quiet, during which the shrine’s spiritual systems operated steadily without external interference.

Ishinomori Shrine (石ノ森神社, Ishinomori Jinja)

---

History

Origins and the Heian Incident

The land surrounding the mountain was not originally plagued by widespread spiritual chaos. Instead, disturbances arose from a single source: a spiritually sensitive man whose unresolved negative emotions attracted a malignant spirit. This man, Ishinomori no Masatsune (石ノ森 正恒), was the grandson of a Buddhist monk who had settled in the region generations earlier. Masatsune possessed innate spiritual perception but lacked the knowledge and control to regulate his abilities.

As Masatsune’s emotional instability worsened, a truly malevolent spirit latched onto him, gradually affecting the surrounding land and making settlement difficult. The disturbances were localized but persistent, manifesting through misfortune, spiritual agitation, and fear among nearby villagers.

During this period, Hao Asakura, in his first incarnation and traveling as an onmyōji, encountered the situation. Recognizing Masatsune as someone dangerously similar to himself in youth, Hao felt sympathy rather than hostility. He identified the true malignant spirit, destroyed it, and taught Masatsune foundational techniques to control his furyoku and emotional output.

With the malignant influence removed and Masatsune stabilized, the land rapidly recovered. Crops flourished, spiritual disturbances ceased, and the area became viable for permanent settlement.

---

Hao Asakura and the Birth of the Shrine

Rather than departing immediately, Hao remained in the region for a time, observing Masatsune’s growth and the community’s recovery. The local villagers, unaware of Hao’s true identity but awed by his power and presence, began to revere him as a divine protector of the land.

Amused rather than offended, Hao allowed this belief to form. A statue depicting his appearance as an onmyōji was erected, enshrining him as the guardian deity of the newly named Ishinomori Shrine. While the veneration was human in origin, Hao did not dismantle it, recognizing that belief itself could stabilize the land’s spiritual framework.

Masatsune formally established the shrine at the mountain’s base, designing it as a spiritual anchor aligned with the mountain’s natural energy flow.

---

The First God-Marriage and the Miko Line

Masatsune’s younger sister, Ishinomori no Ayame (石ノ森 菖), had recently returned from training at a larger shrine, having become a fully ordained miko. Drawing on ancient Shinto and shamanistic traditions—particularly those associated with tamayori-hime, shrine maidens who symbolically bonded with kami as mediums—Masatsune proposed a ritualized divine marriage.

Ayame entered a symbolic spiritual union with the shrine’s enshrined deity, Hao Asakura, not as a romantic act but as a sacred contract. This rite bound the miko directly to the shrine’s spiritual systems, allowing her to serve as a living anchor and intermediary between human and spirit realms.

This ceremony became institutionalized as the God-Marriage Ceremony, passed down through generations of Ishinomori mikos. Each leading miko inherited not only the role but the accumulated spiritual continuity of her predecessors.

---

Tamamo no Mae and the Sesshō-seki Deception

Centuries later, the shrine became indirectly involved in the legend of Tamamo no Mae. Contrary to popular belief, Tamamo was not the true source of the calamities attributed to her. An Ishinomori priest, aware of her true nature, collaborated with the imperial onmyōji Miura no Suke, who believed Tamamo to be an irredeemable evil.

An actual malignant spirit was deceived into taking Tamamo’s place during the sealing ritual at Sesshō-seki (殺生石, the Killing Stone). Miura no Suke believed he had successfully sealed Tamamo, while in truth, the true evil spirit was destroyed.

Afterward, the Ishinomori priest revealed the truth to Tamamo and offered her sanctuary at Ishinomori Shrine. Deeply grateful, Tamamo accepted and pledged herself as a guardian of the shrine. From that point onward, she watched over the land and its mikos in secrecy, her presence known only through faint folklore of a golden fox.

---

The Long Quiet

Over centuries, Ishinomori Shrine remained stable and deliberately uninvolved in shaman politics. Rituals changed little, knowledge narrowed to what was necessary for continuity, and the shrine became known as a place of calm rather than power.

Each successive leading miko inherited increased spiritual depth, heightened sensitivity, and natural resistance to spiritual pressure. Tamamo no Mae continued her silent guardianship, acting only to deter threats that would disrupt the shrine’s balance.

---

Modern Era

By the late 20th century, Ishinomori Shrine appeared outwardly unchanged. Daily rites continued, and the village coexisted peacefully with the shrine.

Asame Ishinomori, the current heir, was raised within these traditions. In 1999, upon completing her ascension rites, Hao Asakura appeared, revealing the shrine’s true origins and its dormant relevance to the Shaman Fight. This marked the end of the Long Quiet and the shrine’s reentry into global shaman affairs.

---

Current Status

Despite renewed significance, Ishinomori Shrine remains true to its original purpose: maintaining balance, continuity, and protection of the land. Its role has not changed—only the world has caught up to it.