A legend associated with the Cattle Tying Stone tells of a time during the Warring States period when the area, under the control of Shingen, Takeda faced severe hardship due to being cut off from salt supplies by rival warlords. However, Kenshin Uesugi, a warlord of Echigo, a rival lord himself, sent salt to Shingen’s domain, believing citizen suffering was against the warrior's code. This act gave rise to the phrase "sending salt to one’s enemy."

The stone is said to have been used to tie the cattle that transported salt from Itoigawa through Omachi to Matsumoto. Commemorating Kenshin's deeds, a market originally for salt and later for sweets began, as Matsumoto was a prominent producer of candies in the Meiji period. Nowadays, the "Candy Market" held on the second Saturday of January, offers sweets and lucky daruma dolls, drawing large crowds.

Let’s turn to look over our right shoulder while facing the stone. You'll see the Takami Bookstore, a business over 200 years old that started in the Edo period and continues to this day.