• Osakabe Hime's true identity remains a mystery. According to popular belief, she is actually a wise nine-tailed kitsune. According to other sources, she may be a snake spirit or the ghost of one of Emperor Fushimi's favorite courtesans. She is the sister of Kama Hime, a youkai sorceress who lived in Inawashiro Castle in Mutsu Province.
• Another common legend is that it was originally the Kami Mountain on which Himeji Castle was built. When Himeji Castle was expanded by Hideyoshi in the 1580s, the temple dedicated to the local goddess of Mount Hime, Osakabe-kami, was destroyed. In the 1600s, when the lord of the castle, Ikeda Terumasa, became mysteriously ill, it was rumored that his illness was caused by the goddess's anger for having her temple destroyed.
• To appease the goddess of Mount Hime, a small temple was built in the fortress, and in honor of Osakabe-kami a temple was erected on the top of her mountain. Osakabe-kami may be Osakabe Hime's true identity.