Ishikawa-ike Pond (Tsurugino-ike Pond)

At the edge of the pond is a stone monument inscribed with a Man’yoshu poem about Tsurugino-ike, written by Princess Kinohime, Emperor Tenmu’s daughter. According to the Nihon Shoki chronicles, two lotus flowers blooming from a single stem were found at this pond. The Soga clan mistakenly took this as a good omen of future prosperity.