2015-08-28

shiro castle legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Shiro - Japanese Castle Legends お城と伝説 

Many castles come with a legend at their beginning.
They are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone.




Fukuyama Castle

. The Japanese Castle (shiro, -jō 城) .
- Introduction -

- under construction -
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The basic information about every castle is now in the wikipedia.

Japanese castles (城 shiro)
- source : wikipedia -




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.................................................................. old castle 古城 ............................

07 to explore


.................................................................. castle ruins 城跡 ............................

23 to explore


.................................................................. castle where xxx resided 居城 ............................

05 to explore


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- - - - - ABC List of castle names :

. tenshukaku 天守閣 castle tower, castle keep - Legends .
Fukui Castle (福井城 Fukui-jō) / Maruoka Castle (丸岡城 Maruoka-jō) / Ōgaki Castle (大垣城 Ōgaki-jō) / Himeji Castle (姫路城 Himeji-jō) / Odawara Castle (小田原城 Odawara-jō) / Matsumoto Castle (松本城 Matsumoto-jō) / Osaka Castle (大坂城 or 大阪城, Ōsaka-jō)



.................................................................. Edo Castle 江戸城 Edo-Jo, Edo Jo, Edo-jō ............................

 Edo Castle 江戸城 Das Schloss von Edo - Legends



.................................................................. Hikaku no shiro 飛鶴の城 ............................
Miyagi 志田郡 Shida district

Castle of the flying crane
The hill where the castle is located is called 館山 Tateyama. It had been built by a Lord named 渋谷 Shibuya. Then came 伊達正宗 Date Masamune and raided the castle, with nothing to remain. On the night when the castle fell in the hands of Masamune, there was the sound of many birds wings heared before the castle vanished.
This all happened because someone had betrayed the castle owner. It had been built on a hill in the form of a crane 鶴. So Masamune's soldiers changed the form of the hill and the castle was lost.

The castle of Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松城is called
鶴ヶ城 Tsurugajo, Tsuruga Castle, Castle of the Crane.
The castle looks like an elegantly flying crane.



.................................................................. Himeji Castle 姫路城 ............................


source : himejijo-jpn.info
Shrine for Osakabe no Kami

A female deity called Osakabe no kami おさかべの神 is venerated in the top of the tenshukaku 天守閣 main castle tower.

Other sources quote Osakabe no Miko as a Yokai 妖怪 monster.
長壁姫、小刑部姫、刑部姫、小坂部姫 Osakabe hime, Osakabe-hime - Princess Osakabe
She comes out once a year and tells the fortune of the Castle owner.
The castle was built on a mountain called 姫山 Himeyama where the deity Osakabe 刑部(おさかべ)大神
刑部明神 Osakabe Myojin was venerated.
This deity and its shrine were re-located at the time Toyotomi Hideyoshi had the castle built anew.



- source : wikipedia -



.................................................................. Kumamoto Castle 熊本城 ............................

The soul of its founder, Kato Kiyomasa, is still alive in the castle. He protects the outer corridor from enemies, who try to enter the castle.

. Kato Kiyomasa 加藤清正 (1562 - 1611) .

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juukurei, juu kure i 銃くれ井 "well to give back the gun"

Once an armed soldier placed his gun at the side of the well and left. While he was gone, an officer came and took the gun away. Since his gun was lost, he jumped into the well to commit suicide. From that day on, when it rained, there was a voice heared from the depth of the well, calling "Give me back my gun!". 「銃を返してくれ」


source : evening-eye.net



.................................................................. Maizuru no shiro 舞鶴の城 ............................
Fukuoka - 三池町 Miikemachi

Castle of the dancing crane
During the time of rivalry between the warlords 群雄割拠 this castle had a special power.
When looking down from the castle the formation and numbers of the enemy could be clearly seen. When the enemy approached, it looked rather low but when the enemy retreated it retained its former hight. When the enemy had reached the sixth juncture uphill to the castle, the castle began to look higher and higher and they could not advance.
But then the enemy built a well on the spot that was about the backbone of the crane and so the castle lost its magical power.


.................................................................. Matsue Castle 松江城 ............................

. Tengu no ma no yuurei 天狗の間の幽霊 The Ghost of the Tengu Room .



.................................................................. Matsumoto Castle 松本城 ............................

The Jōkyō Uprising of local farmers. Jookyoo soodoo 貞享騒動 1686
When Tada Kasuke and his followers (gimin 義民) were executed they cursed the castle. Due to their deep grudge, the castle began to slant to one side.

Tada Kasuke (多田加助)
(? - January 1,1687, or in the third year of the Jōkyō era)

was a Japanese farmer who led a failed appeal for lowered taxes in Azumidaira,
..... He was caught and executed along with twenty-seven farmers without trial. The rebellion has been called the Jōkyō Uprising, Jokyo Sodo, or the Kasuke Uprising 加助騒動.
- Read the details here:
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Kappa 河童

Below the tower keep of Matsumoto castle there was a famous cherry tree called 八幡太郎駒繋ぎ桜, Hachimantaro koma tsunagi, where "Hachiman Taro bound his horse", - its stump is still there and now a new tree is blossoming.



This is one of the many trees related to Kappa legends and festivals about koma tsunagi no ki 駒繋ぎの木 "a tree to bind the horse".

. Kappa densetsu 河童伝説 Kappa Legends - Introduction .

. Minamoto no Yoshiie Hachimantaro 源八幡太郎義家 . (1039 - 1106)


.................................................................. Matsuyama Castle 松山城 ............................

There are various castles with this name, "Pine Mountain Castle" in Japan.

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天狗 Tengu - Ehime

A retainer of 蒲生家 Kamo clan of Matsuyama, 松本忠四郎 Matsumoto Chushiro, went to 久万山 Mount Kumasan and played the flute for a Tengu. When asked for a reward, he said he did not want anything, but the Tengu handed him a box for writing utensils 文箱. When the Lord Kamo opened the box there was a piece of paper with the words 蒲生家断絶 - The Kamo clan will be extinguished. And indeed, so it happened soon after.
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katame no buna 片目の鮒 crucian carp with one eye
One of the seven wonders of Matsuyama castle are the crucian carps with one eye in the moat.
When 弘法大師 Kobo Daishi Kukai was on his pilgrimage in Shikoku, a villager had grilled crucian carp for dinner and gave half of it to Kukai. Kukai threw the carp into a well and it came back to life. But it had only one eye.

This is one of the seven wonders around Matsuyama castle.
松山の七不思議 Matsuyama no Nanafushigi! The others are :

. Matsuyama no nana fushigi 松山の七不思議 seven wonders of Matsuyama .




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Miyagi

. Isoragami 磯良神 - Azumi no Isora 阿曇磯良 .


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Shimane, 江津市 Gotsu

kubizuka 首塚 head mound
尼子と毛利が争った頃、松山城主は毛利に敗れて戦死した。落城の際、城主は姫に城の名宝を託して落ち延びさせた。土地の豪族がこれを知り、姫を殺し名宝を奪って死骸を川に投じた。村の首塚は落城の際の武士の死骸を祀ったものだが、今でもそこを通ると、剣戟の声と女の叫び声が聞こえるという。



also called 川上城 Kawakami Castle.
The castle had been built in 1303 by 川上孫二郎 Kawakami Magojiro.
It was a mountain castle (yamashiro), but is lost now.
- source : saigoku no yamajiro -


.................................................................. Nagoya Castle 名古屋城 ............................

Ise no Shiro 伊勢の四郎
Once Ise no Shiro 伊勢の四郎 captured some robbers in a deep mountain forest, but he saved the daughter of one in exchange for a pair of golden shachihoko 鯱.



They are still to be seen on the roof of Nagoya castle.
They were crafted not only to show off the power of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but also took a role of war funds in an emergency.
... However in 1726, 1827, and 1846, when the domain of Owari experiencing financial difficulties, the Owari government removed the shachihoko scales and recasted them.
In addition, the government covered the shachihokos with wire netting
in order to protect them from big water birds named 'kou' in Japanese (these wire nets made for a funny story later).
A legend said that the 'kou' brings a dead twig aflame. The 'kou' once made a nest and put the fin to good use.

- More photos and stories :
- source : kikuko-nagoya.com -

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kabashira 蚊柱 pillar of swarming mosquitos

Once at the moat near 名古屋城南門 the South Gate of the castle there was a pillar almost like smoke, of an amazing hight and length. It was made of millions of mosquitos.
People later learned that the lord of the castle had died that night.


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Kiyomasa no makuraishi (chinseki) 清正の枕石 pillow stone of Kato Kiyomasa

At the South-Western end of 篠島 Shinojima in Aichi there is a huge rock formation that would make many "pillow stones" for a castle wall. 加藤清正 Kato Kiyomasa, who was a famous castle builder, wanted to move them to Nagoya and had many workers undertake the job. But it was just not possible to move the rock and Kiyomasa had to give up and leave them behind.


- Ise island, Shinojima -

Although Shinojima is a small island, it has a history rich with stories.
- source : green shinto -



.................................................................. Osaka Castle 大阪城 ............................

19 to explore



.................................................................. Sendai Castle 仙台城 ............................

. Saint Mongaku 文覚上人 and the 太郎坊 Taro-Bo / 次郎坊 Jiro-Bo cedar trees .

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kame no miya 甕の宮 / 御瓶明神

昔、仙台元鍛冶丁の熊谷という侍屋敷に高さ三尺ほどの甕を祀った祠があり、甕の宮とも御瓶明神ともいった。熊谷氏の先祖が伊達郡梁川に伊達家の家臣としていたころ、邸内に降ってきたといい、素盞鳴尊が八岐の大蛇を退治した時の8つの酒甕のうち、6つは海中に沈み、2つ残ったうちの1つという。ある時、藩主が一見したいと仙台城へ運んだが、登城口の扇坂で何十人の力でも動かなくなり、殿が「天が熊谷に授けたものゆえ他所へは行かぬと見える、早々に返せ」といったら急に軽くなったという。


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Oogizaka 扇坂 Ogisaka slope

. 足長小僧 Ashinaga Kozo- Yokai .

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roosugi 姥杉 the old cedar tree

鉄道が敷かれたときに伐られた姥杉が、夜な夜な泣いた。*他にも姥杉は多数あるが由来、伝承はない。以下に地名を記す。仙台市・川内仙台城本丸跡(今なし)、仙台市太白区長町茂ヶ崎旧大年寺楼門前、仙台市青葉区八幡五丁目山上清水姥神(今なし)、遠田郡涌谷町箆岳観音堂、栗原郡築館町双林寺。

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sara yashiki 皿屋敷

仙台城二之丸裏門通と中坂通の十字路西南角の屋敷。二代藩主忠宗のとき、家宝の皿10枚のうち1枚を割った女中が手討ちにあい、井戸に投げ込まれる。夜な夜な皿を数えて泣く声がし、侍の家に変事が起こって死に絶え、屋敷は荒れ果てる。大年寺二世の月耕禅師が四代綱村に願って隠居屋敷としてから、怪はやむ。

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yamaga myoojin 山家明神 -

山家清兵衛公頼は伊達家に信任され、長子秀宗の懐守役となり、元和元年(1615)秀宗が宇和島十万石の封に就くとき、付け家老として従う。公頼の忠誠は上下の信頼を集めたが、家老桜田監物がそねみ讒訴したので、秀宗は公頼の屋敷を襲って殺させる。時に元和5年(1619)6月晦、公頼は死すともこの冤を雪ぐといって死ぬ。その夜仙台城の政宗の前に血まみれの公頼の姿が現れ、冤を訴える。政宗は怒って秀宗を勘当、監物以下次々に変死する。宇和島に和霊明神を建てて祀り、仙台にも立町通東二番丁南角の山家氏邸内に山家明神を建て、毎年6月晦に祭りを行なう。公頼が蚊帳の釣り手を切り落として殺されたというので、昔この夜は蚊帳をつらなかった。


.................................................................. Yamashiro 山城 "Mountain Castle ............................

84 to explore
shachihoko to explore

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looking up
at the castle tower -
I am the ANT





. Gabi Greve at Fukuyama Castle .

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日本伝説拾遺会 - 日本の伝説17 名城物語

- Reference in English -

yokai database 妖怪データベース - 800 (002)
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -

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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師 空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese Legends - 伝説 民話 昔話 – ABC-List .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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- #castlelegends #castle #japanesecastles #shiro #schloss -
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