If from Imatomi village you go a little deeper into the surrounding mountains, there is an area known as ooyama.

In a tiny village which sits amid terraced rice fields, there is a small and isolated shrine. If you pass under the wooden torii (archway) which has kanji characters which read “daijinguu” written on it, you will find an even smaller shrine within the compounds of the larger one. A charming stone statue is enshrined here. The figure is wearing a black hakama and a green tunic. In her hands, she holds something which faintly resembles a rosary. Perhaps this statue was secretly held to represent the Virgin Mary by Hidden Christians living in the surrounding area– who knows?