[Japanese Famous Stone] Assorted Pebbles, Set of 4, Packaged, Approx. 25g each, Total approx. 100g [gr-g2002]

◇What is "Io Stone"?

This andesite is collected from Mt. Tomuro and Mt. Io, and is said to be from an undersea volcanic eruption 15 million years ago during the Miocene period of the Neogene period.
Mt. Iwo is also worshipped as a sacred mountain, and Yakushi Nyorai is considered to be the original Buddha. It is also known as a place where lightning strikes, and a paper was presented at an American academic conference stating that the energy of the thunderbolts acts on the rocks and plants of the Iwo-Tomuro mountain range, causing many medicinal herbs to grow and changing the water quality to that of a famous spring.
It has been known as a medicinal stone since the Heian period, and is recorded in the "Iwoseki Yuraiki" as being effective for stomachaches, burns, wounds, eczema, etc., and was highly prized by the Kaga domain, who prohibited it from being taken out of the country.
It is said that when Emperor Gensho and Emperor Kanmu fell ill, they were prescribed medicinal herbs and Iouseki, and were completely cured.
It was approved as a food additive by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 1985.
*This information is based on historical facts and is not intended as a medicine.

◇What is "Yamato Stone"?

There are many place names related to the Iwato Hidden Myth, and it was collected near Amanoyasugawara, where the eight million gods are said to have held a meeting.
This stone began to form 14 million years ago, during a period when the Japanese archipelago was active, and it is difficult to find green stones, making them beautiful and highly valuable.
It is also said to emit terahertz waves, has a good mineral balance, and contains potassium 40 (40K), which is expected to be useful not only in maintaining health but also in a variety of fields, such as deodorizing and revitalizing the water, and is attracting attention.
It is said to be protected by the eight million gods and to bring health, longevity, and youth.

◇What is "Sanukite"?

Also known as Sanuki rock or Kankan stone, it is a very dense copper pyroxene andesite, and is a rare stone that makes a metallic sound when hung from a string and struck.
This beautiful sound reverberated throughout the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
It is one of Japan's 100 best geological sites, and in 2016 it was selected as Kagawa Prefecture's "Prefectural Stone" by the Geological Society of Japan.
Depending on the place of origin, Sanukite comes in male and female forms, and their properties differ.
They also have unusual shapes such as those eaten by insects, rotten wood, pine cones, and dried bonito flakes.

◇What is a "Karst Stalactite"?

A karst plateau stretches across the border between Ehime and Kochi prefectures.
Karst is a calcareous land where rain falls on the ground and dissolves the limestone, creating spaces and forming limestone caves.
Ehime Prefecture has a very long cave that stretches over 500m.
This calcareous land is said to be the result of ancient coral reefs that did not fossilize when southern Ehime Prefecture and Kochi Prefecture were still located near the equator, leaving only the calcareous remains.
The fossilized form of this is Tosa cherry blossoms.
It has become one of the 100 most famous caves in Japan and is currently designated as a natural monument of Ehime Prefecture, so it is no longer possible to collect raw stones.

◇What is "Towada Stone"?

It has been attracting attention in modern times as a stone that emits negative ions.
It also has good thermal emissivity and emits far infrared rays when heated.
It absorbs moisture well and its color changes depending on how much moisture it absorbs.
It is soft and easy to process yet durable.
In Akita Prefecture, there is a legend that Hachirotaro, a hunter (matagi), turned into a dragon and lived in Lake Towada.
There are also many other mysterious legends, such as the story of the white rat that is the incarnation of the gods, that remain in Towada, which has been nurtured by nature, and it is thought that this is because the area has a mystical energy.

◇What is "Chura-umi stone"?

"Churaumi" is an Okinawan dialect word that means beautiful sea.
This is a sedimentary rock called chert that is mined on Okinawa's beautiful coastline.
The pure smoothness and color of the waters of Okinawa are captivating.
It is hard and cannot be easily scratched by a blade.
It is a precious stone in Okinawa, where the geology is made up of coral fossils.
They come in a variety of beautiful colors, from blue to red, reminiscent of the Okinawan sea.
It is said that it exerts even more power when combined with a Shisa.

◇What is "Togakushi stone"?

Mount Togakushi is one of the locations of the legend of Ama-no-Iwato that remains in various parts of Japan.
It is said that Ama-no-Iwato flew down and gave it its current shape.
It is also known as a mountain for Shugendo, and it is said that by coming here you can pray for rain and have your sins wiped away.
It is also connected to the Wakasa mermaid legend, which says that "if you eat mermaid meat, you will become immortal."
If you fail, you become a monster.
There is a legend that says, "
The woman who ate the mermaid's flesh, a nun named Bikuni, is said to have lived to be 800 years old, and a stone associated with her still remains to this day.
This legend is also the basis for manga and novels, and it is a mysterious land with many myths remaining.
The stone is a type of andesite granite that is very hard, and with beautiful white spots on a black background, it is one of Nagano Prefecture's most famous stones.

◇What is "Five Colors Stone"?

Inscribed stone from the Niyodo River in Kochi Prefecture.
The Niyodo River is known as the "cleanest river in Japan" and is known for its beautiful clarity, so much so that it is nicknamed "Niyodo Blue."
The five-colored stones that can be collected in this area are widely used as interior and garden stones.
Shikoku is an area where you can see a variety of colors such as arknites, solomonites, and quartz, but there are some places where you can see five different colors, and this is a famous stone that can only be found in certain areas, such as Goshikihama on Awaji Island.
When the five colors become conglomerate, it is called Goshiki Sasazareishi.
Currently, mining of both is prohibited by law and they cannot be extracted.

◇What is "IZU Hexagonal stone"?

Lava from the Pliocene epoch (approximately 5 million to 2.58 million years ago), when the Earth was cooling rapidly.
After this, a long ice age continued until 10,000 years ago, causing mass extinction of species.
It is an intrusive rock made of amphibole dacite, formed when lava solidified underground and formed pentagonal to hexagonal columnar joints that emerged from the ground (columnar joints).
Most are about 10 to 20 cm thick, and when mined are a light blue color, but because they contain iron, they rust and turn reddish over time.
Because of its unusual shape, it has been loved for a long time, with people simply placing it in their gardens as an object of art.
Currently, Izu Roppongai stone is no longer mined and is difficult to obtain.
In Japan, the same structure can be seen in Genbudo Cave in Hyogo Prefecture and Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture.

◇What is "Angel Snow Light"?

Granite diamonds are said to be the most expensive rock in the world.
It looks as if the "light of angelic blessings" is falling like snow.
Its main components are quartz, feldspar, and biotite, and it is characterized by fine biotite.One of its charms is that the mysteriously sparkling biotite appears to float on the surface of the stone.
It is a hard stone that "easily maintains its shape forever," and represents "eternal youth and longevity" and "prosperity for generations to come."
It is also said to be the birthplace of Kobo Daishi Kukai and Abe no Seimei, and is said to bestow transcendent powers on humans.

◇What is "Tosa Sakura"?

Tosa Sakura is a precious limestone containing coral fossils from 423 million years ago (Silurian period of the Paleozoic era).
Tosa cherry blossoms are produced near the summit of Mount Yokokura.
Parts of Shikoku, including Kochi Prefecture, were located near the equator in ancient times and were underwater, so they contain fossils of honeysuckle corals, chain corals, and sea lilies.
It was called "cherry blossom" stone because of its pale pink surface.
Sakamoto Ryoma said he was going to see the cherry blossoms and headed straight to Kyoto, where he changed the course of Japanese history.
This is a Tosa stone that truly brings to mind Ryoma.

◇What is "Sacred Mount Fuji Lava Stone"?

This is lava from the eruption of Mount Fuji in 1707 (the 4th year of the Hoei era).
The eruption at this time created a large hole in the middle of Mount Fuji.
A volcano with an altitude of 3,776.24m.
It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, and remains an object of worship in Japan today.
The lava from the sacred Mount Fuji, which contains the enormous energy of magma activity, is a mineral with grounding properties that stores the energy of the Earth.
Mount Fuji lava has a very high far-infrared emissivity when heated, and is attracting attention as it is said to be effective in preventing colds and illness when applied to the skin.