Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
15 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
22 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Tosa Omirokusama Shrine
AO Edited

Omirokusama Shrine

Plagued with warts? Leave a frog at this small shrine in the city of Tosa, and you may be cured.

Tosa, Japan

Added By
Chiara Terzuolo
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Endless parade of amphibians   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
Endless parade of amphibians   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
All frogs are welcome   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
Clearly lots of people with wart-related issues   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
Frogs…everywhere   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
The entrance is deceptively frog-free   ChiaraT / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Move over cat temple, there's a new animal in town. From the outside, this little shrine in Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture does not appear particularly special, resembling thousands of similar local shrines around Japan. However, once you pass under the low torii gates, you are thrown into a  world of green... as in, "it's not easy being green."

The shrine is thought to date back to 1899, when a local farmer came across a tiny shrine in his field after a typhoon. He dug it out, and after returning home placed it under the eaves of his storehouse. However, his household soon became plagued with warts and other unpleasant skin ailments. At his wit's end, the man went to seek counsel at another famous shrine. After explaining his issue to the Shinto priest, he was told that the god in the small shrine wished to be placed somewhere else. 

To placate the unhappy spirit, the farmer built a shrine for the sacred object in 1901. As the whole family began paying their respects and praying at the new shrine, all their warts and skin issues started to miraculously disappear! The enshrined god became known as a curer of warts, attracting those in seek of solace from across the country. 

Grateful supplicants began leaving frog-themed gifts to the god, likely inspired by the amphibians' wart-like skin. There are clearly a lot of happy, wart-free folks around, going by the sheer number of frog statues, stuffed animals, and figurines stuffed into every corner of the shrine. From surprisingly realistic ceramic statuettes to beloved frogs from cartoons, visitors are sure to be stunned by the sheer quantity of variations on the frog (and toad) theme.

Frog-lovers (and wart-suffers) alike can stop by on their way to the Niyodo River, or when checking out the famous hydrangeas of the nearby town of Haruno.

Related Tags

Frog Shrines Healing Legends

Know Before You Go

The shrine is tucked along a bend of the Niyodo River, about a 30 minute drive from central Kochi City. There are some buses that run to the hearby town of Haruno, for those without wheels.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

ChiaraT

Published

July 12, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://tosacity-kankou.com/blog/life/omirokusama/
Omirokusama Shrine
Nakajima
Tosa, 781-1151
Japan
33.493468, 133.44641
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tsuribune Shrine

Kochi, Japan

miles away

Berobero no Kamisama

Kochi, Japan

miles away

Sawada Mansion

Kōchi-shi, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Nearby Places

Tsuribune Shrine

Kochi, Japan

miles away

Berobero no Kamisama

Kochi, Japan

miles away

Sawada Mansion

Kōchi-shi, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Related Places

  • The Demon Oak Tree.

    Hirosaki, Japan

    Demon Oak Tree of Onizawa

    A mountain demon once helped a local villager construct a canal, after which he sat on this oak tree to rest.

  • Shinodanomori Shrine, Izumi.

    Izumi, Japan

    Shinodanomori Shrine

    A mystical shrine dedicated to a forest that once covered the area and the legendary fox spirit who lived there.

  • A simple box of soba noodles with aburaage (fried tofu), the foxes’ favorite food.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Inari Soba Mansei

    This 400-year-old noodle joint was once frequented by a fox-turned-monk, according to local folklore.

  • A prayer board depicts a girl assumed to be Tekona.

    Ichikawa, Japan

    Tekona Reijindo

    This one-of-a-kind shrine is dedicated to a girl who was too beautiful for her own good.

  • View of the well from across Priest Hill

    Reading, England

    Holy Well of St. Anne

    Once the site of medieval pilgrimage for its healing powers, this well was lost and later rediscovered.

  • The cloisters

    Meritxell, Andorra

    Basílica Santuari de Nostra Senyora de Meritxell

    A beautiful modern church dedicated to the teleporting patron saint of Andorra.

  • The Coleman Frog

    Fredericton, New Brunswick

    Coleman Frog

    This bullfrog grew to an alleged weight of 42 pounds on a diet of whiskey, baked beans, and June bugs.

  • Mahō Jinja (Magical Shrine)

    Soja, Japan

    Mahō Jinja (Magical Shrine)

    This unusual "magical shrine" honors a legendary raccoon-dog god that stowed away to Japan from some far-off land.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.