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A monument dedicated to the goddess of women's needlework. At the annual needle festival on February 8th, needles are inserted into tofu as an offering of gratitude.
The Awashima Shrine, located in Kada Town, Wakayama Prefecture, has long been venerated by common folk for its spiritual efficacy in treating women's ailments. Over time, this belief transformed, and the shrine came to be revered as the deity of women's needlework and sewing.
The shrine was established in May 1979 by the Fukuoka Branch of the Japan Professional Kimono Tailors Association and the Fukuoka Kimono Sewing Guild. The characters on the front were calligraphed by Mitsumoto Kamei, then governor of Fukuoka Prefecture.
Each year on February eighth, a needle festival is held before the "Monument to Needles," where people offer gratitude for their needles by inserting them into tofu. Afterward, the needles are carefully placed in the stone chamber within the monument, where they rest in peace.
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