The "Ekotoba" describes the preparations for the rebuilding thus: at the onset of spring, the governor ("kokushi") of Shinano would appoint officials who collected the necessary funds from the populace from checkpoints or toll booths (関 "seki") set up in provincial roads in exchange for "mifu" (御符), official certifications stamped with the sacred seals of the Upper and Lower Shrines. The rebuilding of the shrines was undertaken by artisans assembled from all across the province, while thousands of people were assigned the task of erecting the "onbashira" into place, one or two thousand for each pillar.