En no Ozunu

   = En no gyoja (dates unknown: latter half of seventh century) A mountain-ascetic who lived in the kingdom of Yamato on Mount Katsuragi where in the Kojiki and Nihongi it is recorded that a deity called Hito-koto-nushi revealed himself to the emperor. En was credited with great powers including the ability to command the kami to draw water and gather firewood. The sixth yama float in the second day's procession of the Gion matsuri on July 24th tells the story of how En-no-gyoja built a bridge by making a demon called hito-goto carry stones for him. In 699 he was exiled to Oshima for leading people astray. Regarded as the founder of Shugendo, En is also known as En no ubasoku (layman En). At a thousand-year commemoration in 1779 he received the title of Jinben Dai-bosatsu.