The setting of Japan's oldest known oni (demon) extermination legend, said to be where Emperor Kōrei defeated a pair of demon brothers.
Standing 326 meters tall in the former Mizoguichi area, this mountain is said — just as its name suggests — to have once been home to demons (oni). The legend begins in the reign of Emperor Kōrei, the seventh emperor, when a pair of demon brothers — the elder Ōushikani and the younger Otōushikani — made Mt. Kizumi their base and terrorized the surrounding villages.
What makes the story of their defeat particularly striking is that it was won not by force, but through cunning. According to the legend, the younger brother was lured out with bamboo-leaf-wrapped dumplings (sasadango), while the elder was cornered by bamboo leaves blown on the wind. The site mascot rabbit offering dumplings to a demon is a reference to this very tale.
The mountain has a hiking course, and is said to look like the face of an okame (a round-faced woman) or an oni mask depending on the angle from which it is viewed. For the full story, see the Mt. Kizumi Legend article in 'Stories from History.'