Gyuba Doji (a boy riding on ox and horse) is a stone statue located in back of Hokyointo (stone stupa) in Hashiori Pass on the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Ancient Road. The statue is only 50 cm tall but it is a symbol of the Nakahechi route.
Next to it stands the statue of En no Gyoja, the founder of mountain practice. It is said that the figure represents the tragic Emperor Kazan on the pilgrimage to Kumano Shrine. Emperor Kazan ascended the Imperial throne at a young age in the middle of the Heian period (794-1192) but was tricked into abdicating by the Fujiwara family’s conspiracy. After his abdication, he became a Buddhist priest and was given the appellation of Hoo (pious ex-emperor).
The name of the pass, Hashiori (literally meaning “breaking chopsticks”), is derived from the old story that when the emperor’s party had a meal at this place, they broke stems of Japanese pampas grass and used them in place of chopsticks.
Gyuba Doji statue keeps on giving a gentle look to the pilgrims on the Nakahechi route.