Onon no Imoko Shrine

Ono no Imoko is enshrined in this shrine located on the Karausuyama Burial Mound. Imoko was reportedly from Ono, Shiga County in Omi Province. In 607, he was appointed by Prince Shotoku as the first official envoy to the Sui Court, and went to Sui China to pave the way for diplomatic negotiations on an equal footing with the powerful Sui Dynasty. He is known for giving a diplomatic message that began with “The emperor of the land of the rising sun is writing to the emperor of the land of the setting sun” to Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty.