Resting quietly on the grounds of UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gango-ji Temple, the Frog Stone boasts a fascinatingly dark history. Once feared as a lethal 'killing stone' and later installed at Osaka Castle by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it was long believed to be haunted by vengeful spirits that drove souls into the castle moat. After mysteriously vanishing during World War II, the boulder resurfaced in the 1950s and was welcomed at Gango-ji, where it transformed from a cursed relic into an auspicious symbol. Today, travelers can visit this peculiar landmark while the temple still conducts annual summer memorial services to honor the spirits tied to its past.
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- unesco world heritage
- history
- oddities
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