Oiwa Inari Tamiya Shrine was founded in 1879 by the head of the Tamiya family after Oiwa, the family’s daughter, devoted herself to worshiping this Inari, which resulted in the family’s financial stability and the revival of their fortunes. The shrine has since been worshipped for household safety and business prosperity. In 1914, an actor playing the role of Oiwa—the main character of ghost story, Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan—dedicated a “Hundred-Step Stone” to pray for the success of a performance at the Osaka Naniwaza Theater.
A round stone of the Tamiya family crest—Inyo Magatama Tomoe—is placed on the stone stand, and the word “Hundred-Step Stone” are engraved on the front. It is registered as a cultural property together with the torii gate.
The play “Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan” was written by Tsuruya Nanboku IV, and Ichikawa Udanji IV played the lead role of Oiwa in the public performance at the Naniwa-za.
