The couple rocks at
Futami Okitama Shrine in
Mie Prefecture Ise City have been known for a long time, as depicted by in the
Edo period, and are generally used as a symbol and prayer for marital bliss and domestic safety, maritime security and great catch, and is said to be a symbol of
Iwakura Shinko in
Kojindo, which means a symbolic place or object in
nature, especially megaliths,
rocks, and
mountains, were considered
shintais and believed to be places where
kamis resided. For this reason,
shimenawas and
toriis were decorated as proof that a deity resided there (kanzumaru). It is also an embodiment of the concept of duality that pervades ancient and current Shinto, such as the idea that this world consists of Utsushi-yo and
Tokoyo, and the
Seven Lucky Gods of
Ebisu and
Daikoku, two of the
Seven Lucky Gods, are believed to be one, and the counting of
chopsticks and
footwear as one set or one pair is also said to be unique to Japan. In the
Kojiki, there are many myths about married couples, from
Izanami and
Izanagi to
Sarutahiko Ōkami and
Ame-no-Uzume. It is thought that these became
Sai no Kami (Dōsojin), and were connected with the belief in a rock formation. This is why
Jizō and Dōsojin are often depicted as a couple or as a pair of large and small rocks or stone statues. This kind of belief in married couples has spread throughout the world over time and has become familiar in the form of married couple's bowls, etc. At the same time, it is deeply related to the belief in child-rearing and child-bearing in the framework of
family, such as
householder and home. The '
Iwana' are deeply related to the belief in child-bearing, child-rearing, and the treasure of children. These ideas of
rock-building belief,
Omote-Taiwanai and
matrimonial belief (also called matrimonial harmony, which is the basis of
ancestral spirit belief) are combined to form the object of enshrinement at the couple's rock. == Oshimenawa ==