Inside Kanayama Shrine

Kanayama Shrine is dedicated to a pair of gods named Kanayama Hikonokami and Kanayama Himenokami 金山比古神（かなやまひこのかみ）　　　金山比売神（かなやまひめのかみ. According to legend, when the main Shinto god named Izanami gave birth to the God of Fire, her lower abdomen got burned. These two Kanayama gods helped to heal her birth wound. Thus, these two gods came to be known as the gods of childbirth and healing of the lower abdomen. They later came to be worshipped as fertility gods, protector of sexually-transmitted diseases (AIDS, etc.), and successful marriage. They are also the gods of bellows, so blacksmiths (who use bellows to fan the fire) also worship this shrine.