[12] The shrine is near Hotaka Station, and located in a Chinju no Mori or sacred forest full of Japanese cedar and pine trees.

The sea god Watatsumi, and his son, Hotakami no Mikoto (Utsushihikanasaku [ja]) the tutelary deity of the Azumi people.

[1][13] The migrants searched extensively across Japan until they eventually found the Azumino valley and settled there, giving up their nautical lifestyle for an agricultural one.

[1] At the Hotaka Shrine in Azumino City, there is an annual festival at which people express their gratitude for the gift of water.

In the city, there is a traditional spot in which all three rivers (Azusa, Karasu and Nakabusa), as well as the water from the melted snow of Kamikochi's mountains, meet.

[18] During this celebration, the Azumi People commemorate their direct connection to water and their gratitude for it as it has always assisted them – both in their history as skilful seafarers and crop farmers.

It has a clear, mirror-like reflection, and is classified as one of the most revered places to worship the deities of the Azumi people.

[20] Today, the Myojin Pond accommodates many visitors as the water that lays within is a reminder of the culture, tradition, and history of the Azumi people.