Koumare Ishi: Inexplicable Rocks That Predict the Deaths of Monks (Ep. 59)

<p><em>Koumare Ishi</em> is one of the <em>nanafushigi</em> or seven mysterious occurrences from my area. The belief is that a rock is born from the side of the mountain, and when it falls the head abbot of the nearby temple, Daitoku, dies. It's been going on for hundreds of years, and even today there is a perfectly round stone poking halfway from the mountain.</p> <p>Below are some of the past koumare ishi. They are used as the gravestones for past head abbots at the temple.</p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1252 aligncenter" src="https://www.uncannyjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_4648-300x225.jpg" alt="Koumare Ishi Gravestones at Daitoku Temple" width="300" height="225" /></p> <p>Below is a photo of the river today. You can see the next koumare ishi poking out from the side of the cliff.</p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1253 aligncenter" src="https://www.uncannyjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_4632-300x225.jpg" alt="Koumare Ishi coming out from side of cliff" width="300" height="225" /></p> <h3>You can also find me on:</h3> <p><strong>Twitter:</strong> <a href= "https://twitter.com/UncannyJapan" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/UncannyJapan</a><br /> <strong>Facebook:</strong> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer">https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/</a><br /> <strong>Patreon:</strong> <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura</a><br /> <strong>Instagram:</strong> <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/</a><br /> <strong>YouTube:</strong> <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqAtoUS51HDi2d96_aLv95w" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqAtoUS51HDi2d96_aLv95w</a><br /> <strong>Website:</strong> <a href= "https://www.uncannyjapan.com/" target="_bl