This is one of kyoto's oldest shrines, believed to have originated in ancient times when the deity of an iwakura (sacred rock) near the summit of mount matsuo was enshrined as a guardian deity. the main hall, a nationally important cultural property known as "matsuo-zukuri," enshrines oyamakui-no-kami and ichikishimahime-no-mikoto. since the middle ages, the shrine has been revered for its sacred spring, "kame-no-i," and has attracted worshippers from all over japan as the god of sake.