During the rule of Takeo, the Black Falcon earned his fame. This outlaw was a hero of the people, but relentlessly pursued by his enemies, until eventually there was nowhere left to run. In desperation, he had a message sent to his lover, Mishuri, instructing her to meet him upon Kūsho Shinzō, the Elder Brother. There, they would flee Ikaiguchi and begin their life anew.
When eventually the Black Falcon reached the mountain, Mishuri was not waiting, and in his grief, he flung himself from the mountaintop. Mishuri was true to her lover, but the message she had received had instead told her to meet her lover upon Otō Shinzo, a different mountain. When she learned of her lover’s demise, she too cast herself into the void rather than live without him.
Legend tells that the god Arashi, taking pity on the lovers, transformed their souls into hunting birds, but in her haste made one a falcon and the other an owl. Forever the lovers would be destined to hunt, one at night and one during the day, only catching fleeting glimpses of one another from their differing worlds.
It is this imperfect deliverance that the temple of Kashinsha embodies. Those who make their way to this holiest site find refuge and peace there, and the common sighting of the owl and falcon in the temple is a reminder of Arashi’s mercy. Sunlight shines through the oracular roof, illuminating the single tree inside. Magic and mercy share the interior of the temple, even though any stay is necessarily followed by a journey once more through Hana no Meiro.