Stork-themed Ema (wooden plaques with written prayers) placed by worshippers can be seen hanging as offerings to the gods and are available for purchase at Avian Tot, a vintage-style tearoom across the street from Kukuhi Shrine.
Those who are lucky might see a stork flying above Kukuhi Shrine during their visit.
Information listed below was last updated 04/2026 and is subject to change.Contact the business directly for updated information. Note, most businesses can only speak Japanese.
BUSINESS INFORMATION
- Business Name
- Kukuhi Shrine
- Business Hours
- AVIAN TOT: 8:00～18:00
- Telephone
- AVIAN TOT: 0796-24-2052
- Homepage
-
http://www.happywing.jp/kukuhi.html
This site is in Japanese.
- Entrance Fee
- Free
- Language Support
-
Sorry, but only Japanese is spoken.
OTHER
- Parking
- Free parking lot
Just north of the Hyogo Park Of The Oriental White Stork lies a shrine dedicated to Toyooka’s protected natural treasure.
Kukuhi Shrine hidden amongst the Toyooka countryside trees is known for receiving worshippers hoping for a child or who are already expecting.
According to the legendary book Nihon Shoki, an ancient prince who had been mute for the first 30 years of his life spoke his first words here. While with his father the emperor, a stork flew across the sky.
At the sight of it, the prince suddenly asked, “What is the name of this bird?”
The emperor was greatly pleased by this and ordered for the bird to be brought to him.
The stork came to be revered as a sacred bird. The land the bird inhabited was named Kukuhi, and a shrine was built there to enshrine the tree deity Kukuchi-no-Mikoto.
Kukuhi Shrine’s name can also be linked to the older Japanese word for “stork,” which is “kukui.”