Nakagoto Shrine

"This shrine is located about a 20-minute walk from JR Kuroe Station. It enshrines the Shinto deities Nagusahiko-no-mikoto, Nagusahime-no-mikoto, and Hachioji-no-mikoto. Since ancient times the entire surrounding area has been referred to as Kuroushigata, meaning ""black cow lagoon."" Legend has it that a black stone shaped like a cow is buried in the lagoon's tidelands. The shrine has even been portrayed in the Manyoshu, the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry. A stone monument bearing a verse from the Manyoshu has been erected on the grounds of the shrine. The ""Kuroushi no Mizu"" that flows from the shrine's springs has been selected as one of the Top 50 Waters of Ki no Kuni. Nate Gembei, the founder of the Nate Shuzo-ten, began making sake with this water starting in the Edo period."