Mt. Ibukiyama has long been worshipped as a place where a water god dwells. The god of Mt. Ibukiyama, defeater of Yamatotakeru, is said to be a large snake and is worshipped as a god of water. Trainees have come since the Nara period (710-794) to attempt to obtain the power of this god by meditating under the waterfalls on the mountain, and large temples have been constructed on each ridge.