Heian Period Japan

2016-08-06

tokko dokko Vajra Thunderbolt legends

(kongoosho 金剛鈷, kongoochisho, kennesho, basara) Donnerkeil, Vajra
(tokkosho, dokkosho 独鈷杵, toko; S: ekasuucika vajra, dokosho) - Einspitziger Vajra
Donnerkeil mit drei Spitzen (sankosho; S: tri-sanku) - Dreispitziger Vajra
(gokosho, 五鈷杵 gohoo kongoo, gochi koomyoohoosho ; S: panca-suucika vajra, panca sanku) Fünfspitziger Vajra.
(kukosho　九鈷杵) Neunspitziger Vajra
- and many other variations.

- - - - - Many legends and tales about the Tokko are related to
. Kōbō Daishi Kūkai 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説　 Kobo Daishi Kukai .

Hitting the ground to produce a healing spring or well produces
dokkozui, dokkosui (dokko mizu) 独鈷水　/ ドッコ水, also read
O-koozui 独鈷水（おこうずい）"Vajra Water"
O-Koozui お香水 O-Kozui, "fragrant water"

. sanko-ken 三鈷剣 "three-pronged vajra sword" .
attributed to Fudo Myo-O　不動明王

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Chiba 千葉県 ............................
館山市 Tateyama

. En-no-Gyôja 役行者 En no Gyoja (Jimpen Dai-Bosatsu) . - (634 - 706)
En-no-Ozuno 役小角

At the temple Yoorooji 養老寺 Yoro-Ji thre is a special spring, the 独鈷水 Tokkozui, which never dries out, even in the worst drought.
Once En no Gyoja came to this area on this way from 大島 Oshima and hit the ground with his magic 独鈷 Tokko .

.......................................................................... Fukushima 福島県 ............................
いわき市 Iwaki

At the 薬師堂 Yakushi Hall of 閼伽井薬師 Akai Yakushi

there is a stone in the form of a 独鈷 Tokko, which looks very much like the real thing. But now it is not there any more.
There is also a well (Akai 閼伽井) where Kobo Daishi had hit with his 独鈷 Tokko to produce healing water for eye diseases.

. Joofukuji 常福寺 Jofuku-Ji .
Akaidake Yakushi 閼伽井嶽薬師/ Akaidake Fudo 赤井嶽不動

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二本松市 Nihonmatsu

In former times there was no well in the region, but then came Kobo Daishi, hit the ground with his 独鈷 Tokko and produced water for all in the village.
In some parts of the waterways there are now snakes.

.......................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫 ............................

. Dokkosan 独鈷山, Kaburaiji 鏑射寺 Kaburai-Ji .
Dokko Mizu no Ido 独鈷水の井戸 Kukai Kobo Daishi passed here and dug the well.

.......................................................................... Kagawa 香川県 ............................
さぬき市 Sanuki

. Ookuboji　大窪寺　Okubo-Ji .
The last one of the 88 Henro Pilgrimage.

When Kobo Daishi passed here, he hit a rock with his 唐伝来の独鈷 Tokko from China and indeed, fresh water came forth.

.......................................................................... Kyoto 京都府 ............................

Yokoku Kannon no O-koozui 柳谷観音の独鈷水（おこうずい）"Vajra Water"

. Yookokuji 楊谷寺 Yokoku-Ji .
長岡京市浄土谷堂ノ谷2　 Donotani-2 Jododani, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto

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Tokonagesan Senjuji 獨鈷抛山千手寺 Mount Tokonage-San, Senju-Ji
- 薭田野町鹿谷大タワ７ / 7 Otawa, Rokuya , Hiedano-cho, Kameoka
Rokuya (Valley of the White Deer)

On his way to China, Kukai Kobo Daishi's boat was in great distress and he mad a vow to carve a statue of Kannon with Thousand Arms, if he could return safely to Japan. On the way back he threw his vajra scepter 独鈷 Tokko (Dokko) in the air praying for a place to start his new temple in Japan. Back in Japan he stayed some time at the shrine 春日大社 Kasuga Taisha. The Deity 春日明神 Kasuga Myojin revealed to him that the Tokko had stopped in 丹波国山内庄 Tanba, so he should go there fast and carve the Kannon with 1000 Arms, then the Deity would show him the way.
When Kobo Daishi came to the Tamba region a white deer (messenger of the Kasuga Deity) and showed him the way to the valley. There hang his Tokko in the branches of a pine tree and light shone far and wide. So without delay he carved the Kannon and founded this temple. This is how it got its name.
The Tokko then took off to reach Mount Koyasan (see below).

The Kannon with 1000 Arms of this temple cures eye diseases. The water of the temple well can be used to wash an eye disease away. It is called O-Koozui お香水 O-Kozui, fragrant water.
This cure is especially powerful on the 17th of April and July, when a visit to the temple will count as 1000 days visiting 千日参 sennichi mairi.
The legend knows this about the spring:
Once there was a sparkling light every night in this region, maybe the spook of a fox or tanuki badger, the farmers were worried and one of them shot an arrow in the direction. He felt a hit and went looking. The found the arrow and a bloody trail to the temple Senju-Ji, where he saw that the left eye of the Kannon Statue was bleeding. He pulled the arrow out of her eye and made a vow never to use bow and arrow again.
Soon after this the spring of the "Fragrant Water" begun flowing in the temple compound, healing all kinds of eye disease.

- - - HP of the temple
- source : odn.ne.jp/tokonage_san -

. ganbyoo chiyu kigan 眼病治癒祈願 prayer for healing of eye disease .

. senju Kannon 千手観音 Kannon Bosatsu with 1000 arms .

.......................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県 ............................
角田市 Kakuda 小田 Oda

Kannon Dokko Mizu 観音独鈷水 Dokko Water and Kannon Bosatsu

The Kannon of Mount Tokura 斗蔵山 produced a clear well, お授け清水 O-Sazuke Shimizu,
when Kukai Kobo Daishi passed there.

Tokuraji 安狐山斗蔵寺 Ankosan Tokura-Ji
宮城県角田市小田斗蔵９５ / Tokura-95 Oda, Kakuda-shi, Miyagi
The Kannon Hall was built in 807 by
. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 (758 - 811) .
to house a special bronze statue of a Kannon with 1000 Arms.
In the same year Kobo Daishi passed by and praized the statue as a place with no second in the Northern Region:
紫雲天になびき　奥州無二の霊地なり
- Look at the statue here:
- source : city.kakuda.miyagi.jp/syoko -

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仙台市 Sendai

Kooboo shimizu 弘法清水 "Fresh Water from Kobo Daishi"
In former times the area around Sendai had very poor water distribution.
Once Kobo Daishi passed here and asked an old woman in a poor farmhouse for a drink. The woman had to walk quite a way to fetch some water for the monk. He was very greatful for her deed and produced a spring beside her home. But now it has dried out.

There are other wells and springs related to Kobo Daishi in Miyagi:
弘法清水 Kobo Shimizu （仙台市若林区六丁ノ目）
毬清水 Mari Shimizu （仙台市太白区鉤取栗木)
弘法井 Kobo I （石巻市田代島大泊松盛院）
弘法独鈷水 Kobo Dokkosui（桃生郡河南町北村高福寺)
弘法水 Kobo sui （名取市秋保野尻）

.......................................................................... Nagano 長野県 ............................

Tokkosan 独鈷山 Mount Tokko San
Koizumi Kotaro 小泉小太郎 / Izumi Kotaro 泉小太郎 (Izumi no ko, Taro)

A young priest was studying an Mount Tokkosan, and a beautiful girl came to visit him regularly. But he became suspicious and followed her to the riverside 鞍ケ淵, where she turned into a 大蛇 huge serpent (other sources quite a dragon). In due time the serpent gave birth to a boy and died.
The boy was picked up by an old hag (Tatsu) who named him
Koizumi Kotaro. The boy grew up to be a strong warrior.

龍の子太郎 Tatsu no Ko Taro
A novel, manga and movie telling his story.

- quote -
Taro, the Dragon Boy by Miyoko Matsutani
... In the distant past of Japan a lazy and selfish Taro loves to eat and sleep and wrestle with the animals. With no direction in his life, a Tengu appears that gives him a special potion. With this potion, he gains the strength of a hundred men - but he can only use it when he is helping others. After drinking the potion, Taro, day by day, begins to understand what it means to help others, ...
... his mother, Tatsu, now lives. Tatsu tells Taro why she was transformed, as a mother heavy with child fulfilling her duties to her unborn child, she needed to eat, but neglecting her duties to the rest of her village, she left nothing of her catch for the other workers. ...
- source : wikipedia -

CLICK for more photos and toys with Kotaro !

Kotaro no Haha, Tatsu 小太郎と母龍
Similar legend from 千曲（ちくま）の湖 the lake Chikuma in 信濃 Shinano.
- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com/modules/stories -

source : daiya.co.jp/blog

.......................................................................... Nara 奈良県 ............................
御所市 Gose

. En-no-Gyôja 役行者 En no Gyoja (Jimpen Dai-Bosatsu) . - (634 - 706)
En-no-Ozuno 役小角

When En no Gyoja practised austerities at 葛城山 Mount Katsuragisan at age 17, he was tempted by a beautiful woman. When he hit her with his 独鈷杵 (とこしょ) Tokosho the vanished, leaving behind a bad smell. When he followed the smell in a South-Western direction, he came to a pond and saw her turn into a 大蛇 large serpent. When he tried to fight with her, The Deity of Kamo Ducks 鴨の神 came to his help and drove her away. So this area is now called
Oitsuki no Mori 追付の森 "Forest of Pursuit"
and the deity venerated there is
Oitsuki Daimyoojin 追付大明神 Oitsuki Daimyoji.

Shrine 追着神社 Oitsuki Jinja

.......................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県 ............................

Ikagu Jinja 伊香具神社 - Dokko sui 「独鈷水（ドッコ水）」

Kobo Daishi produced a spring with clear water.
It is a special water source to our day.

滋賀県長浜市木之本町大音 / 688 Kinomotocho Ooto, Nagahama, Shiga

source : 家庭菜園の番人日記

.......................................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県 ............................

. Shuuzenji 修善寺 Shuzen-Ji .
Hitting the rocks with his tokko 独鈷 Vajra, Kobo Daishi produced a hot spring to heal all kinds of illnesses, Tokko no yu 独鈷の湯 Tokko Hot Spring.

.......................................................................... Tokyo / Edo　東京　江戸 ............................
目黒 Meguro

. Meguro Fudo Myo-O 目黒不動 .
Ennin hit the ground with his Tokko and produced a spring with fresh water.

. Ennin 円仁 -　Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 . (794 – 864)

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台東区下谷 Shitaya - 清水稲荷 Kiyomizu Inari

Parents of a child which was very ill prayed to Kukai for help. So he hit the ground with his tokko 独鈷 Vajra and a well begun flowing out with healing water.

.......................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 ............................

higyoo no sankoshoo 飛行三鈷杵 The flying Vajra
三鈷金剛杵
It flew all the way to Mount Koyasan.
Part of the story has been told above, at Kyoto, Mount Tokonage-San, Senju-Ji .

Sanko no matsu 三鈷の松 The Pine and the three-pronged Vajra, Trident Pine
To our day it has some pine needles with three needles.
三鈷の松の葉

michibiki inu 導き犬
Two dogs let Kobo Daishi to the right place, sent by the deity 丹生都比売神 or 狩場明神.

. Koya San in Wakayama 高野山　和歌山県 .
On returning to Japan, Kobo Daishi Kukai looked for the sankosho and finally found it hanging on a pine tree in Koyasan in the year 816. After more than 1,200 years, the pine tree is still revered by monks and visited by many tourists daily.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #tokko #dokko #vajra #thunderbolt #donnerkeil -
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2016-07-12

tabi socks legends

. tabi 足袋 traditional Japanese socks .
- Introduction -

tabi oni　足袋鬼 the Tabi monsterlin
Once the young Tabi-Oni lost his Tabi and went on a long trip to find them again. But after more than a few hundred years he had still not found them. Eventually horns grew on his head and he became a full-blown Oni.
Nowadays young people worry more about a fashionable pattern than about the Tabi themselves.
So the journey of Tabi-Oni continues to our day.
- reference : youkaiwiki.com/entry - 束酢子太郎 -

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Taboo for fishing

In winter it is better to put some ritual sand from the Shrine into the Tabi.

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Aichi 愛知県 .................................
美浜町 Mihama

If you go to bed with split-toe socks on, your eyes will become ill.

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北設楽郡 Kitashitara district

At the pass 御園峠 Mizono Toge there is the grave of 望月右近太夫 Mochizuki Ukon Daiyu. He had been to the pass and for some reason killed one of the local people. An old woman from the village said she would help him flee and gave him some gold to put in his Tabi to protect him from the mountain bandits.
But later he was killed by the locals and they took the gold out of his Tabi.
The family of the old woman was cursed for many generations.

.......................................................................... Aikta 秋田県 .................................

If you sit in the kotatsu 火燵 heated table with split-toe socks on,
you will not be able to see your parents at their deathbed.

The same is told in Gifu 岐阜県.

.......................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県 .................................
和良村 Wara village

kitsune no yome-iri 狐の嫁入り "the fox taking a bride"
Once on a day like that, when a rainbow was seen in the evening sky,a young woman went to the toilet outside at night with her white Tabi on and hair nicely dressed up in a 島田Shimada knot. Then she took a lantern and went off to the mountain.

. kitsune no yomeiri　狐の嫁入り "the fox taking a bride" .
spell of sunshine during a rainy period

Inari fox split-toe socks

.......................................................................... Gunma 群馬県 .................................

On the day of the specal Ebisu ceremonies エビス講, you are not to wear Tabi to walk to the temple.

. Ebisu えびす　/ エビス恵比寿　 .
エビス講 Ebisu Ceremony Group
Ebisu is one of the seven gods of good luck.

.......................................................................... Kagawa 香川県 .................................
三木町 Miki

tanuki 狸 badger
Once upon a time, there was a girl sitting at the beach for a long time. She was wearing white Tabi and had streched her legs. A passer-by asked her twice why she would not go home, but she did not say a word. So he kicked her legs with his wooden 下駄 Geta sandals. She gave a loud cry and disappeard in a moment. Yes, it was a Tanuki after all !

.......................................................................... Mie 三重県 .................................

If you go to bed with your Tabi on, you will become ill.

.......................................................................... Niigata 新潟県 .................................
吉川町 Yoshikawa

itachi いたち / 鼬 weasel
Once a man walked alone on a full-moon night, when a woman approached him. She was wearing white Tabi, a formal 袴 Hakama skirt and carried an umbrella, although it was not raining. When she came closer, she disappeared and only the sound of her steps was to be heard. The man realized he had been tricked by an Itachi weasel.

.......................................................................... Saga 佐賀県 .................................
塩田町 Shioda

Izumi Shikibu 和泉式部
Once upon a time, an old couple without children went to the Kannon Hall to pray for offspring. The temple is located in 和泉村 Izumi village.
The priest from the temple 福泉寺 Fukuzen-Ji (Auspicious Spring Temple) told them they would get a child. They stayed over night at the temple, when they suddenly heard the voice of a baby. A mother deer was giving milk to a human baby! So the old couple took the child home and reared her as their own. She grew up to a most beautiful girl, but she had only two toes, like a deer, and were quite different from human feet.
This child was no other than the poetess Izumi Shikibu. And to hide her feet she had to wear Tabi all her life.

Another version
福泉寺に猪がやってきて仏の茶湯を捨てたのを飲むようになった。あるとき、仏殿の後ろから赤子の鳴く声が聞こえたので見に行くと、件の猪が人の子を産んで乳を飲ませているところだった。暁、藤津郡の塩田庄大黒丸の夢に老僧が現れ、「お前は年頃子を切ったことがある。お前の子が福泉寺の堂の後にいるから取って来いという告げがあり、赤子を取りにいった。これが和泉式部であったという。

Essay: 和泉式部の足袋
by 柳田国男 Yanagita Kunio, 1962 (Teihon Yanagita Kunio Shu 定本柳田国男集)
(The Selected Original Works of Yanagita Kunio).
11 legends to explore
鹿の子 - similar to the Shikibu tale
狐女房 / 熊太郎 / 鹿娘,鹿姫 / .浄瑠璃御前 / 清少納言 Sei Shonagon / 赤染衛門 Akajimeemon
- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

.......................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 .................................
田辺市 Tanabe

Once a beautiful young Samurai came to the Tabi shop. When he showed his leg for a try, they were quite hairy. Then he stumbled and turned into 古だぬき an old Tanuki. He payed two Ryo and disappeared.
But looking closer at the money, it turned into itadori 虎杖 (いたどり) Japanese knotweed, konpachiゴンパチ in the local dialect.

.......................................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県 .................................

If you go to bed with your Tabi on,
you will not be able to see your parents at their deathbed.

The same is told in Fukushima 福島県, Miyagi 宮城県.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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- source - yahoo auctions -

oni tabi 鬼足袋　Demon-Tabi for sale

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

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #tabisocks #tabi #splittoesocks -
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2016-07-02

mukade centipede legends

Fujiwara no Hidesato 藤原秀郷　- Tawara Tota 俵藤太
is shooting the centipede at the Dragon King’s Palace
近江国三上山の百足退治 Omi, Mount Mikamiyama
Print by Tsukioka (Taiso) Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) - 俵藤太絵巻

. Fujiwara no Hidesato 藤原秀郷 - 俵藤太 Tawara Tōda, "Lord Bag of Rice" .
and the Dragon King of Lake Biwa - the full legend.
田原藤太 Tawara Tota

Many legends center around Hidesato Tawara Tota and the centipede.
Read more below.

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. Bishamonten 毘沙門天 Tamonten (Vaishravana) .

The messenger (retainer) of Bishamon was thought of as a centipede (mukade, hyakusoku 百足 ), who also protected the gold mines. Centipedes are said to possess an ability to spot gold mines. Therefore people used to carry centipedes in bamboo tubes when they went to the mountains in search for gold.
The warlords Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin both used a centipede on their flags.
mukade 無加天、蜈蚣

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source : yasumi on facebook

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The following reveals the main legend about the huge centipede from Akagi and the snake of Nikko.
The legends from 日光 Nikko and 近江 Omi are very similar.

jatai no kami 蛇体の神 The Snake Deity
mukade no kami ムカデの神 The Centipede Deity

These two animal deities fought at Senjōgahara 戦場ヶ原 Senjogahara, the "Battlefield" marshland in Nikko.
They were the vassals of the deity of 男体山　Nantaisan in Chuzenji and the deity from 赤城山　Akagiyama.
Now there is an Akanuma　赤沼 "Red swamp" of the blood from the Mukade.
There are other place names relating to these mythological events in Nikko.

赤城と日光の戦い The fight of Akagi and Nikko
昔々のずっと昔、Once upon a very very VERY long time . . .

赤城の神さまと日光の神さまは絶えず争っていた。戦（いくさ）の原因は、日光の中禅寺湖が満々と水をたたえているのに対し、赤城の山は岩だらけで、水が無かったからであった。 ...
- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com/modules/stories -

- quote -
Senjogahara 戦場ヶ原 the "Battle Plain"
Legend has that the gods of two mountains, Mt Nantai and Mt Akagi, fought here over control of
Lake 中善寺湖　Chuzenji-ko.
Nantai was losing so he consulted another god, Kashima Daimyojin, who introduced him to an expert archer called Sarumaru (who was actually one of Nantai’s grandsons). Nantai transformed himself into a white deer to lure Sarumaru out onto the plateau. The gods fought on Senjogahara where Akagi transformed himself into a huge horned centipede and Nantai transformed into a snake.
Sarumaru then shot the centipede through the eye.
Thus the winner was Mt Nantai who now stands watch over the lake.
- source : travelsonasmallisland.wordpress.com -

At Akagi Jinja 赤城神社 Akagi Shrine there is an amulet with the centipede.

source : koinu2005.seesaa.net/article

Since the centipede has "many legs" it will help bring "many legs" to a shop and is thus an amulet for prosperous business.
The Snake Deity is venerated for bringing iron sand to the local river, thus promoting the local iron industry.
The Mukade Deity is venerated for digging underground, helping the mining industry, even finding gold.

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gokoo ゴコウ / 蜈蚣 a long-living centipede

Once a man was beginning to reform his home and when tearing down the entrance, they found a name plate with a nail going right through the body of a centipede. The animal was still alive.
But the name plate showed that it was put in place at least 20 years ago !
A similar story is told about a centipede nailed down with a 祈祷札 temple prayer plate.

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.................................................................................... Aichi 愛知県
幡豆郡 Hazu district

If ants and centipedes come into a house, it will rain soon.

.................................................................................... Akita 秋田県

. oomukade 大ムカデ huge centipede .
藤原喜平 Fujiwara Kihei, also called 悪食喜平 Akujiki Kihei, liked to eat centipedes and snakes

.................................................................................... Aomori 青森県
八戸市 Hachinohe

kaineko 怪猫 the monster cat
Once 老猫 an old cat wanted to do harm to the priest, but he was saved by the crawing of a 義鶏 cock and the cat was killed instead. The cat turned into a 怪猫 monster cat, placed some poisonous animals like centipedes in a water puddle below the roots of an old cedar tree and prepared a poisonous liquid. Then she tried to splash the poison into the soup of the priest, but got caught again. The old cat was burried again properly under the cedar tree and all came to rest. Many years later the buds of a Tsururigusa (of the Asarina family) came sprouting out, right of the eye holes of the cat's skull.

.................................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県
上浮穴郡久万高原町 Kumakogen

Once an old grandpa heard the talk of his neighbours by eavesdropping and now knew where a box of gold was placed. So he went to dig it out. But when he opened it, it was full of snakes and centipedes. The grandpa got angry, went to his neighbours home and threw the contents of the box into the house. But as they dropped down, the snakes and centipedes all turned into golden money.

.......................................................................
富郷町 Tomisatomura

nananinzuka 七人塚 and oomukade 大百足 huge Mukade
昔、大内次郎左ェ門が上猿田を開拓した後、高橋兵庫守の子孫がやって来た。そのため高橋は大内氏に正月の挨拶に行かなければならず、快く思っていなかった高橋はある年、大内氏を名剣紫丸で斬った。このときに力余って茶釜も切ったが、以来、紫丸を抜くと必ず柄から大百足が出入りしていたという怪異が止んだ。この大内氏を祭ったのが七人塚だという。

source : nichibun.ac.jp
大百足。全身が茶色い、巨大な百足が山野を這っている。頭部は水際の村落に近づき、下半身は山に巻きついている。頭は家1軒よりも大きい。
CLICK photo for more details !

.................................................................................... Fukushima 福島県
白河市 Shirakawa

According to an old medicine book from around the year 1720:
If bitten by a centipede, it is best to scratch some 歯くそ plaque from a tooth and put it on the bite.

......................................................................
田人村 Tabitomura

Once Sarumaru Daiyu was hunting a white deer and came down all the way to Nikko. The Huge Mukade 大ムカデ from Nikko eats the children of the white deer, this deer mother had called the famous arrow shooter Sarumaru to help.
He put some spittle on his arrow and shot the centipede dead.
Even now if people want to kill a centipede, they use spittle.

. Sarumaru Daiyu 猿丸大夫 a waka poet .

.................................................................................... Gunma 群馬県　

. Mount Akagisan 赤城山 . *
The 赤城山の神 deity of Akagisan is a mukade ムカデ centipede.

.......................................................................
桐生市 Kiryu town 新里町 Niisatomura

Once Hidesato came to a bridge near 粕川村室沢 Kasugawa Machimurozawa. He walked over the bridge,
but it was in fact a huge centipede.
In memory of this tale there is now the

mukade torii ムカデ鳥居 Shrine gate with a centipede.

.......................................................................
邑楽郡 Ora district 大泉町 Oizumi

At 赤堀 Akahori every year there was a home where an arrow with white feathers stuck in the front door. This family had to offer the daughter to 小沼 Lake Kono, a volcanic lake.
Then one day Hidesato came by and killed the centipede in the lake. Thus the village was saved.

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邑楽郡千代田町 Chiyoda

Hidesato was born in the hamlet of 舞木 Mogi. Since he later killed the centipede from Akagi, the villagers are not allowed to go to Mount Akagi. If they do, they will have great misfortune.

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勢多郡富士見 Fujimi

At Akagiyama there is the valley 九十九谷 Kujukudani (99 valleys). If there would be one more valley, it would be like the 100 valleys of 高野山 Koyasan in Wakayama. Then the fight between Akagi the Mukade and Nikko the Snake started.
The Mukade from Akagi was bound with オカボの藁 the leaves of okabo, Kabocha pumpkin.
Since that time the believers in 赤城様 the Akagi deity do not grow pumpkin.

.......................................................................
沼田市 Numata town 利根町 Tone

The ancestor of the 赤堀家 Akahori family is Hidesato.
After fighting the centipeda at 三上山 Mikamiyama and saving the huge snake, he was married to the daughter of the snake. (Some legends say it was a dragon.)

.................................................................................... Kochi 高知県　
仁淀川町 Niyodogawa

enkoo 猿猴 the local Kappa
Once a Kappa from 吾川郡 the Agawa district was stealing gourds from a field, but one evening he spilled the water from his head plate and could not move any more. A local farmer helped him and poured some water in his plate. To show his gratitude, the Kappa promised that in his home there would never be any 赤百足虫 red centipedes. This came true to our day.

.................................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県
仙台市 Sendai 太白区 Taihaku

二荒山の神 Futarasan no Kami，万二万三郎 Banjibanzaburo, Banji Banzaburo
The brothers Banji and Banzaburo and the matagi マタギ hunters of Nikko.
The brothers were once hunting for a 白鹿 white deer, but lost the track in the middle of the mountain forest. But there was a small shrine and the Deity of 二荒山 Futaarayama appeared. The Deity asked them to do something about the dangerous centipede from Mount Akagi. The God had taken the shape of a white deer to lead the two hunters. When they saw the centipede, each one of them shot one arrow in one eye of the animal and thus killed it.
For their brave deed they got permission to hunt in any forest of Japan - at least that is the legend told by 日光派のマタギ the special Matagi hunters of Nikko.

- quote -
According to legend, the first matagi were the brothers Banji and Banzaburo, who were famous for their archery skills. In a dispute between the goddess of Mount Nikko and the god of Mount Akagi, Banzaburo helped the goddess by shooting out the eye of the Akagi god, who was incarnated as a huge snake (or a huge centipede in some versions of the story).
In return for his meritorious deed, the goddess gave him a scroll granting him the right to hunt in all mountains of the land.
- source : abiroh.com/en/senses-and-suki -

Berggottheit und Banjibanzaburo, Banji-Banzaburo
- reference german : nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp -

- a bit more about Banji and Banzaburo :

. Jikaku Daishi Ennin 慈覚大師仁円 (793-864) .

He made Banji and Banzaburo his disciples.
At 二口峠 Futakuchi Pass
二口峠の頂上で今の山寺の方を眺め、万二の持ち山であると知り、杖を地面に立てて衣をかけ、衣の影だけ借りることになった。陰は見る見る拡がって山寺の所は全部入ってしまう。これを十年借りる約束で証文を渡すとき、大師は手早く十の字の上にノの字を書き込んだ。それを万二がのちに知り、千年貸してしまった。
- and
名取川水源の二口渓谷の左岸に屹立する大絶壁の山、これを陽（ひなた）磐司、背面の大行（なめ）沢右岸を陰（ひかげ）磐司という。万二万三郎兄弟の万二の棲家で岩窟がある。慈覚大師の杖にかけた衣の影が広がっていく話、二荒山の神が二人に助けを請う話、木伐り坊の話などが伝わる。
- and a legend with 弘法大師 Kobo Daishi
もとの名取・宮城の郡境にまたがる根張りの広い山。弘法大師は山容を蓮葉にたとえ、霊場にするため九十九谷まで開いたが (Kujukutani)、天狗に妨げられ一谷を残して紀州に去り、高野山を開いた。
and the Zen priest priest 雲居希膺 Ungo Kiyo (1582 - 1659) 大悲円満国師 Daihi Enman Kokushi　－慈光不昧禅師
慶安3年（1650）慈光不昧禅師雲居和尚が瑞巌寺 Zuigan-Ji を引退してここに隠居したときも、天狗どもが和尚の法力をためそうといって和尚の障碍をしたが、この山を根城とした万二万三郎兄弟が和尚のために天狗を追い払った。和尚はこれを徳として、山上に坐禅堂を建てたときに二王護国大権現の号を贈って一山の鎮護とした。

.......................................................................
tori no haka 鶏の墓 the grave of a rooster
Similar to the one told in Aomori, Hachinohe, about a monster cat.
寛文年間（1661～1673），宗禅時住職が次のような夢を見た。
「自分は檀家の某家で飼われていた鶏である。某家の飼っている古猫が一族を毒殺しようとしていたので，私は毎夜鳴いて警告したが，主人は夜鳴きをする鶏は縁起が悪いといって私を殺して川に捨ててしまった。私は今六郷堰の杭の間を漂っている。主人にこのことを知らせてほしい。」住職が翌朝六郷堰に行ってみると，確かに杭の間に鶏の亡骸が浮いている。住職は急いで某家を訪れ，夢の告げを話した。その時大きな黒猫が駆け込んできて汁鍋の上を飛び越えていったが，その拍子に尻尾の先を鍋の中に漬けていった。これに気付いた和尚が家人に猫のあとをつけさせると，猫は竹薮の中で竹の切り株に尻尾を漬けていた。切り株の中ではトカゲ・ムカデ・ハンミョウ・毒蛾などが腐っていた。毒汁を溜めた場所は，一説では愛宕神社下の断崖の中腹，古杉の根元の洞の中だとも言う。主人は鶏に恩を仇で返してしまった事を悔い，供養碑を建てた。

.................................................................................... Nara　奈良県　

source : xxx
信貴山ムカデの欄間 Centipede ranma transom
朝護孫子寺 . 信貴山 Temple Chogosonshi-Ji, Shigisan

. 信貴山 Shigisan and Bishamonten .

.................................................................................... Niigata 新潟県

Since centipedes are the messengers of Bishamonten, you are not allowed to kill them.
They are seen as 福神様 Deities bringing good luck.

.......................................................................
越後 Echigo

People say that centipedes and 蜘蛛 spiders are killed by putting spittle on them.

.......................................................................
両津市 Ryotsu town

The families of 脇坂甚六郎家 Wakisaka and 三浦甚吉家 Miura venerate Bishamonten.
Therefore they are not allowed to kill any centipedes in their home.
12月31日の晩から正月2日の晩まで、脇坂甚六郎家と三浦甚吉家の当主は脇坂甚六郎家の地神としてまつられている毘沙門堂にお籠りをし、正月3日にはムラの人びとが集まって、毘沙門堂の堂押しが行われる。昔、脇坂家の先祖甚六郎の昼寝の夢に毘沙門天が現れて月布施に連れて行くように告げたので、毘沙門天を船に乗せて二度ヶ浜へ上陸し、屋敷内に堂を建てて安置した。商売繁盛のご利益で参拝する人は多い。また、当家では百足を殺すことは禁忌とされている。

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佐渡郡 Sado district 畑野町 Hatano

Hidesato killed the huge centipede from ニガミ山 Nigamiyama by putting spittle on it.

Fishermen on the boat are now allowed to pronounce the words for 蛇や百足 snake and centipede. If they have to say something about a snake, they use the word naga ナガ "the long thing".

.................................................................................... Osaka 大阪府

. mukade killed by kaburaya 鏑矢 a whistling arrow .

無家賃でも借り手のつかない屋敷に女が一人で住む事になった。ある夜、目が覚めて障子を見遣ると、その外側を幅約１尺、長さ約１丈余りもある大百足が音を立てて移動しているのを見た。その後、家を取り壊して百足稲荷を祀る事が決まった。
...
...
Once there was a huge centipede of almost 6 meters long (長さ３間余り) and a diameter of about 3 cm (直径約１寸).
It was shown as misemono 見世物 a great rarity to the people

.................................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県　
大津市 Otsu

The legend of Tawara Tota, Fujiwara no Hidesato, killing the Mukade, see link above.

俵藤太秀郷が瀬田の橋で三上山の百足を撃ったというが、瀬田と三上山は距離が遠い。このことを近江の人に尋ねると、百足の住んでいた山は、瀬田から1里ほど離れた所の小山であると伝えられているという。
.
Hidesato eventually killed the huge centipede that was threatening the female dragons at the 竜宮 Dragon Palace.
As a reward the servant of the Dragon, a Kappa わっぱ（童）delivered to him a special bale of rice (くびり俵 kubire tawara) and some shakudoo 赤銅 copper

The huge centipede had wrapped its body seven times around 三上山 Mount Mikamiyama.
But Hidesato eventually killed it.
Then he cut its body in three parts. The head fell at the village of 浮気 Fuke, the body at 勝部 Katsube and the tail at 瀬田 Seta. Each village burned the part. But the centipede also put a curse on these villages. So they made huge torches in the form of its head, body and tail and burned them again during the yearly festival. This custom has been cut off in Seta, but is still going on in Fuke and Katsube.

CLICK for more photos of the festival !

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tamukadebagen 多百足馬蚿 / タムカデバゲン
Tamukade Bagen (the local name for the centipede) did a lot of harm to the snake of the 勢多橋 Seta bridge,
but Hidesato killed it to help the large snake.

.................................................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県　
庵原郡 Ihara district 両河内村 Ryogochi

Once a samurai fell asleep at the 中沢峠 Nakazawa pass. A snake came down from the tree and wanted to drink his blood. Suddenly his sword turned into a centipede and drove the snake away.

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source : mag.japaaan.com/archives
Mukadeyama むかでやま
歌川国芳「ほふづきづくし」Utagawa Kuniyoshi - all about Hozuki lantern plants

.................................................................................... Tochigi 栃木県　
鹿沼市 Kanuma, 粟野町 Awano

When Hidesato tried to kill the huge centipede that had wrapped its body around Mount Akagi for seven rounds, he used 99 arrows and could not kill it. On the last arrowhead he put some spittle and now - the centipede was killed.

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宇都宮市 Utsunomiya

国幣中社下野一の宮、二荒山神社の使姫は蛇であった。使いの帰りに百足虫のために片目を潰されて以来、宇都宮に生まれる人は目が小さいと伝えられている。

.......................................................................
mukademushi 百足蟲 / 百足虫 centipede
If a centipede comes into the room of an ill person, this person will die.

.................................................................................... Tokyo 東京

Since a snake and a centipede will double its body when cut to kill it, it is of no use to do so.

.................................................................................... Toyama 富山県　
福野町 Fukuno

Hidesato killed the huge centipede with the spittle of a woman on his last arrow. As a thank-you present he got one snake baby from the Huge Snake. This snake now lives in 縄ケ池 Nawagaike pond.
(Other versions say it was a dragon, not a snake.)

source : geocities.jp/numada777

神島には、俵藤太（藤原秀郷）が放したという蛇の伝説がある。
城端町縄ケ池にある、俵藤太の竜の子の伝説とも関連性があり興味深い.

.................................................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県
富士吉田市 Fuji Yoshida

Snakes like to live in holes so young girls are not allowed to pee against a stone wall. If they do and hit a snake by mistake, they have to chant this spell:
「ヘビもムカデも出てくるな。俺は鍛冶屋の聟殿だ。も刀もまっ赤に焼いてまってるぞ。」
Snakes and centipedes, do not dare to come out.
I am a skilled blacksmith.
I am waiting here with a red-hot sword!

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

source : yasumi on facebook

Mukade from Kusatsu　草津

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

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

source : lazy13.exblog.jp/page
Fujiwara Tota 俵藤太百足退治

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #mukade #centipede #millipede -
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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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2016-06-12

sumigama charcoal kiln legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話昔話 - Introduction .
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sumigama 炭竈 / 炭窯と伝説 Legends about charcoal kilns

Making charcoal was not a specialized work, but most farmers did it in the back woods of their home to use as heating. It was also done during other seasons, when they could sell their charcoal well. It takes about a week to cut the necessary wood and fire it in a special kiln.

. sumigama 炭竈　/ 炭がま (すみがま) kiln for making charcoal .
- kigo for all winter -

sumiyakigama 炭焼竈（すみやきがま）
sumiyaki 炭焼 (すみやき) making charcoal
sumiyakigoya 炭焼小屋（すみやきごや）hut used for making charcoal

sumiyakifu 炭焼夫（すみやきふ）worker making charcoal
... yakigo 焼子（やきご）
... sumioi me 炭負女（すみおいめ）woman carrying charcoal
sumiuma, sumi-uma 炭馬（すみうま）horse carrying charcoal
sumiguruma 炭車（すみぐるま）cart transporting charcoal
sumizori 炭橇（すみぞり）sled transporting charcoal
sumidawara 炭俵 straw bag or sack for charcoal

Kokubunjimura sumigama 国分寺村　炭がま kiln at Kokubun-Ji village

- source : library.metro.tokyo.jp -

Next to 八王子 Hachioji the area around Kokubunji was famous for its charcoal production.

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. Kanayago-kami 金屋子神 Deity of the Blacksmith .
Goddess of Tatara
tutelary of mines, metals, and the techniques associated with them.

source :　たたらの話 - wakou-museum.gr.jp

金屋子神社 Kanayago Jinja, Shimane
Kanayama-hiko-no-mikoto and Kanayama-hime-no-mikoto
There are a variety of curious taboos associated with Kanayago-kami.
- - - - - Among them:
Kanayago-kami hates dogs, ivy, and hemp. She favors wisteria.
Kanayago-kami hates women.
Kanayago-kami likes corpses.

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Aichi 愛知県 ......................................
北設楽郡 Kitashitara district 御殿村 Midono village

Two young boys went to the mountain and did not come back in time. When the villagers went out to search for them, they found them inside the charcoal kiln. When asked what happened, they told about hunting for a squirrel and eventually loosing their sense of space and where they were. So they hid in the kiln and went to sleep there.

.......................................................................... Hiroshima 広島県 ......................................
高田郡 Takada district

Kanayago san 金屋子さん Deity of Blacksmiths
This deity dislikes anything connected to giving birth. Therefore after a birth a woman is not allowed to come near the Tatara 鑪. Even now she is not allowed to come near a charcoal kiln.

. Takadono tatara 高殿鑪 hut for working with metal .

.......................................................................... Ibaraki 茨城県 ......................................

. Tengu practising Sumo with a 炭焼き charcoal maker .

. 稲荷さまのたたり the curse of Inari for smoke of a kiln .

.......................................................................... Iwate 岩手県 ......................................
奥州市 Oshu

deceived by a fox 狐
Around 1877 a vendor of sardines was deceived by a fox, put on a 鎧 war helmet , sat on his horse and wanted to go to war. But when he came back to his senses, he was sitting on a large root of a tree, had a charcoal bag on his hat and hit his own backside (to make the horse go faster in his mind).

source : tsuyama-tokusan/kamoaba
岡山作州福炭俵 auspicious straw bag decorations for the New Year
Okayama, Sakushu

.......................................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県 ......................................

Yamawaro ヤマワロ Kappa
To prepare the rituals for a new charcoal kiln, the villager needed some 神酒 ritual Sake. So he took some money and a flask for the Sake and went to buy some. On the way he met a Yamawaro and got bewitched by him. He could hardly walk straight any more. Then he saw the cork of the flask being taken off and heard someone drinking. When he came to his senses, there was no sake and all the money had gone.

Once a farmer tried to make charcoal in the forest and slept there near the kiln. But all night a Yamawaro disturbed him, breaking branches from the trees. So the farmer went back to the local shrine 大神宮 and got a special amulet. He placed it near his kiln and since that night, the Yamawaro did not show up any more.

Generally, People should not build their homes or kilns to make charcoal in their commuting way.

. Yamawaro, Yama-Waro やまわろ / 山童 "Child of the Mountain" .
- - - - - and his alter ego : Kappa　河童 "Child of the River"

.......................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県 ......................................
本吉町 Motoyoshi

deceived by a fox 狐
A plasterer had helped a farmer with his work and was on his way home. He had gotten some tako 蛸 octopus and iwashi 鰯 sardines and put them in a charcoal bag. But when he reached home, the bag was empty. He found some leftovers of octopus and sardines scattered at the nest of a fox - aaa, he had been deceived by a fox.

.......................................................................... Shimane 島根県 ......................................
飯石郡 Iishi district

Kanayago san 金屋子さん Deity of Blacksmiths
This deity dislikes women and especially women after birth.
If the men make charcoal in the kiln, no woman of this kind may come near or cook food for them close by. She has to make food somewhere far away.

.......................................................................... Tochigi　栃木県 ......................................

. Yamanokami hits a charcoal maker from 鹿沼市 Kanuma city .

.......................................................................... Tottori 鳥取県 ......................................
西伯郡 Saihaku district 中山町 Nakayama

. charcoal maker and Tengu .
Tengu no Kakuremino 天狗の隠れ蓑 The Tengu's Magic Cloak to become invisible

.......................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 ......................................
日高郡 Hidaka district みなべ町 Minabe

hikaru tori 光る鳥 a shining bird
Once a young man walked along a mountain road ad night when he saw a back of charcoal by the roadside. He kicked it down the valley and suddenly a shining bird flew past him. He was shocked and afraid and run fast tor home.

.......................................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県 ......................................

Kitatsuru district 北都留郡

. The Anger of Yamanokami .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
9 炭窯 (01)
91 炭焼き (00) /// 03 炭俵 (00)

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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炭竈やあれが桜の夕けぶり
sumigama ya are ga sakura no yuu keburi

charcoal kiln　--
the cherry tree becoming
evening smoke
.
Charcoal is being made in a kiln. The wood used is that of a cherry tree. The resulting poem is a succinct and poignant expression of Buddhist impermanence.
David Lanoue

- More haiku by Issa with sumigama -

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. sumiuri, sumi-uri 炭売 charcoal vendor, charcoal seller in Edo.

. sumi temae, sumetemae 炭点前 Charcoal Setting .
for the Tea Ceremony

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- #sumigama #charcoalkiln #sumiyaki -
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2016-06-08

baka uma-shika yokai

Hyakki Yakō Emaki

A Yokai beast with one horn, sometimes wearing robes like a monk. The head is long like that of a horse and his hands and nails are like the hooves of a deer. It has only one eye, which can jump out of the eye socket.
Its facial expression is that of a human Baka, a fool.

- quote -
Baka (馬鹿, ばか, or バカ) means "fool; idiot", or (as an adjectival noun) "foolish" and is the most frequently used pejorative term in the Japanese language.

The same 馬鹿 "horse deer" characters that transcribe baka are also used for names in Chinese zoological nomenclature and Japanese mythology.

In the Chinese language, malu 馬鹿 refers to the common "Red Deer; Cervus elaphus", which has a Japanese name of akashika 赤鹿 (lit. "red deer").

Mumashika is a rare alternate Japanese reading of 馬鹿 that names "a yōkai demon with a horse's head and deer's body".
The c. 1832 Hyakki Yakō Emaki 百鬼夜行絵巻 "100 Demons' Night Parade Picture Scroll" depicts it with one eye, horse mouth and ears, and deer horn and hooves.
- source : wikipedia -

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- source : tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives -

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. Tanuki no bakabayashi 狸の馬鹿囃子 the Tanuki Band Procession .
in Tokyo

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県 ......................................
宇和島市 Uwajima town

In 下波村 Shitaba village, the deity ヒダル神 Hidarugami is called
shirami シラミ. They are a kind of misaki ミサキ.
And the local fishermen call it
baka 馬鹿 / バカ .
It comes like a white cloud surrounding a boat and draws it into the ocean.
Baka are the souls of people drowned during shipwrecks. Their souls are appeased at O-Bon and other rituals.
But when the villagers call it Baka, it gets angry and there will usually be a fire soon somewhere.

. Hidarugami ヒダル神 .

. Misaki ミサキ / 御先 / 御前 / 御崎 Legends about the Misaki deity .

.......................................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県 ......................................
天草郡 Amakusa district

Baka sama no sekihi 馬鹿様の石碑 Stone Memorial of Baka sama
It relates to 主留浦浜.

source : amakoma.sakura.ne.jp

If children climb this dangerous stone they often fall down and hurt themselves. Sometimes a sword comes out to cut them.
It might be a local diversion of the dialect, hakajun はかじゅん（墓順）- order of the graves and seats of the elders.

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玉名郡 Tamana district 和水町 Nagomi

From an old 古墳 Kofun tomb there is often a fire coming out, wobbling here and there.
The villagers call it
bakabi (baka no hi) 馬鹿火 "Baka fire", "Baka flames".

- quote -
Etafunayama Ancient Tomb (National Treasure　江田船山古墳
Eta Funayama Tumulus is a sixty-two-meter long, keyhole-shaped burial mound at the center of the Seibaru Tumuli, a cluster of mounds spread out on a plateau on the left bank of the Kikusui River in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu. It is thought that it was constructed in the late fifth century or early sixth century. In 1873, a set of exquisite burial goods was excavated from the sarcophagus-style stone burial chamber (also called a 'house-style sarcophagus with side opening') in the round portion of the mound. ..... From this we can speculate that the individuals buried in this tumulus played an important role in relations between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean peninsula.
- source : marley -

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
(including baka, a foolish person) 馬鹿息子 - to be excluded
86 to explore (14)

完全復刻 - 妖怪馬鹿 - 京極夏彦 Kyogoku Natsuhiko

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #bakaumashika #umashika -
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