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(also or ''bijuru'' (Okinawan)) are heavy rocks used at least since the 8th century CE in Japan to develop or demonstrate physical strength. Commonly found within Shinto shrines, they were used for competition, divination, physical fitness and entertainment; some famous examples have also become tourist attractions, and many have been recognised as Important Cultural Assets by the Japanese Government. Competitive stone-lifting is still continued in modern times, and a number of competitive forms of stone-lifting exist, employing different physical techniques. == History == Strength-stones are found throughout Japan, often at Shinto shrines.〔 In 2005 around 14,000 strength-stones were recorded in shrines around Japan. Of these, around 300 are designated as Important Cultural Assets. Many are inscribed with the names and feats of those who lifted them. The oldest-known inscribed stone is from Shinobu, and dates to 1664. The first recorded incidence of strength-stone lifting is attributed to the samurai Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa in 1089, however the practice itself is much older, dating to before the 8th century. The ''Nippo Jisho'', also called the ''Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam'', a Japanese – Portuguese dictionary published in 1603, includes the term ''chikaraishi'' in the written record as early as the 17th century. The ''Nippo Jisho'', published in Nagasaki and associated with the Jesuit priest João Rodrigues (1561 or 1562 – 1633), identically records both the modern pronunciation and written form of the term ''chikaraishi''.〔 It is one of the few traditional sports not solely the preserve of the samurai class, being popular among peasants and sake brewers.〔 Both professions valued the manual labor of young people, and similar practices called ''kyokumochi'' also existed, which involved lifting sacks of rice or barrels of sake.〔 The sporting aspect of stone-lifting developed in Edo around the seventeenth century, likely evolving from the sack-lifting contests of the stevedores and labourers.〔 Historically, the lifting of strength-stones was exclusively practiced by men. The practice of lifting strength-stones was especially popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries (roughly coinciding with the Meiji period), with organised competitions occurring. Stones used in competition were usually inscribed with their weight, measured in (a unit of approximately ), and if not naturally smooth, were often sculpted into a roughly oval shape.〔 Some strength-stones have become tourist attractions due to the legends attached to them. In Nerima, for example, tourists still visit Sobei's Horse-Headed Kannon Stone, a strength-stone associated with the tale of Kato Sobei from 1840. According to the story, Sobei was awarded possession of a heavy stone that he managed to lift. However, his horse collapsed and died under the weight of the stone, and in its memory, he erected the stone as the horse's grave marker. Another famous stone is the ''Benkei-ishi'', a huge rock supposedly moved from present-day Himeji, Hyōgo, Hyōgo Prefecture to its current resting place on Mount Shosha by the folk hero Benkei (1155 – 1189).〔 The ''Benkei-ishi'' can be viewed at Engyō-ji, high above Himeji. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chikaraishi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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