Cho-stone & Joyato

Cho-stones were stood on the approach to a shrine or a temple for a guidepost every 1 town (approximatel 109 meters). These were left in the front approach to Akihasan.

“Joyato” means a streetlight working through every night. Many of them are made of stone and classified in a kind of stone lanterns. They were built in the old times, for example the Edo Era. When they were built, they lightened and guided the way to Akihasan. The old Japanese people lighted rapeseed oil or candle in them every night for the travelers to visit Akihasan. These were probably the route signs to this religious mountain.

But the other of them were built by more religious motives. In Japan, most of our houses are made of wood, and easy to be burned. So old Japanese people were entirely dependent on a fire-proof belief. Akiha belief had spread all over Japan in no time. Then many branches of the Akiha shrine have been built all over our country and a construction of “jyoyato” in the neighborhood became to be popular. Someone represented his neighbors to visit the Akiha shrine, took back a wooden or paper charm for their safe against a fire and put it in their “jyoyato”.

Now we can find many stone lanterns on the road side, especially in Ensyu district, Shizuoka prefecture.