Itabu Station

nihongo|Itabu Station|飯給駅|Itabu-eki is a passenger train station on the Kominato Line in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Basics

Opened in 1926, Itabu is a single orbit station, with a few benches on the platform. Unmanned. Average daily passenger is nine, making it one of the most remote stations in Chiba Prefecture.

Legend

Itabu is said to have a legend on Prince Ōtomo. The Prince was defeated in the civil war in 672 (Jinshin War), and sought refuge in the eastern provinces. The villagers welcomed the royal refugees and treated them with hospitality. The Prince had three children, and he left them in Itabu when he moved on to further wilderness. The children were later caught by the imperial pursurers, and were murdered at the local shrine. Three white pigeons came by in the following day, and would not leave the shrine. Surprised villagers built a monument in honour of the prince's children, and the pigeons were no longer to be seen. The shrine is since called the White Pigeons, which stands next to the Itabu Station.

The legend is a local myth, and is not historically established. The eastern provinces generally supported the opponent of Prince Ōtomo, thus it is unlikely that he would go to the east to look for his sympathisers after the war.