The pilgrims carry colorful banners and are accompanied by traditional drums and flutes [1] The primary kami of Iwakiyama Shrine is the Ōkuninushi (大国主), referred to here as Utsushikuniotama-no-kami (顕国魂神).

The foundation of the Iwakiyama Shrine predates the historical period, and Mount Iwaki was a holy mountain for the local Emishi tribes.

Several subsidiary shrines were built around the base of the mountain in an area called the Tokoshinai (十腰内) by the local inhabitants.

[2] Many of the structures of Iwakiyama Shrine date from the early Edo period, and were built in 1694 under the sponsorship of the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki Domain.

The Honden, Heiden, Oku-no-mon and Ryōmon are built in the yosegi-zukuri style with decorative wood carvings, which have given the shrine its nickname of “Oku-Nikko” after the more famous structures of the Nikkō Tōshō-gū.