Near the shrine of Okabe village there’s a cat-shaped stone that holds a legend.

In the past, the temple garden was haunted by an old Bakeneko, a diabolical feline capable of transforming itself and change its appearance.

Assuming the guise of a caring old woman, it invited young girls to a dilapidated house with the excuse of offering tea to relieve them of the fatigue of the journey.

Once trapped, the woman resumed her real form, the one of a giant cat, and immediately devoured the young girls.

In some versions of this story, it is said that the Bakeneko was killed by a dog named Shippeitaro.