The Tales of Tohno

Introduction

All these stories were told by Sasaki Kyoseki*, a resident of Tohno**. I transcribed the story that he had been visiting me from time to time in the evenings since about February of last year, in the year Meiji 42（1909）, when he told me this story. He is not a good talker, but he is a sincere person. I also wrote it verbatim, as I felt it. In my opinion, there are probably a few hundred more such stories in Tohno. We are hungry to hear more stories. There must be countless legends of mountain gods and mountain people in places deeper than Tohno among the mountain villages in the country. I hope that telling these stories should frighten the inhabitants of the plains. This book is a precursor to that.

At the end of August last year, I traveled to Tohno. There are three urban areas on the road about 10 miles from Hanamaki***, and the rest are just green mountains and wilderness. There is very little sign of the inhabitants than the Ishikari Plain**** in Hokkaido. Or maybe it's because it's a new road and there are fewer residents. The castle town of Tohno is a bustling city. I borrowed a horse from the station master and toured alone through the suburban villages. The horse was wearing an atsubusa made of black seaweed because it was prone to horseflies. Sarugaishi Valley was fertile and well-developed. Many of the stone pagodas on the roadside are incomparable to other areas. From a high point of view, the early rice was just ripening and the late rice was in full bloom and all the water was flowing down into the river. The color of the rice varies from one type to another. In some of the fields, if the rice color is the same in all the fields, it is a family-owned field, so-called a famous family. I don't know the place names of areas even smaller than the small administrative unit because I'm not landowners. It is a place name that is invariably written down in old deeds of sale and concession. If you go across the Tsukumoushi Valley, Mt. Hayachine is hazy and the shape of the mountain resembles the shape of a sedge hat or a Katakana character "he". In this valley, the rice was ripe very late and the fields were all green. A bird, whose name I don't know, crossed the path in the middle of a narrow rice field with a chick in tow. The chicks were black in color with white feathers mixed in. At first I thought it was a small hen, but when they hid in the grass beside the ditch and disappeared from view, I knew it was a wild bird. On the mountain of Tenjin gods, there is a festival and a shishi-odori is performed. Only at this time, the dust rose lightly and red things fluttered in the air, reflecting on the green scenery of the village. "shishi-odori" means "deer dance".Five or six children, wearing masks with antlers, dance with swords. The flute is high in pitch and the song is low, so it's hard to listen even when you're around. When the sun goes down and the wind blows, the drunkens voices are lonely, the women laugh, and the children run but I can't do anything about the loneliness of the trip. On bon festival*****, it is customary for a house with a newly dead person to hang a red and white flag high and invite the souls of the dead. If you ride a horse on the pass and look east to west, this flag is set up in about a dozen places. Dusk slowly envelops the spiritual mountain with people who are leaving the area where the villagers live permanently and travelers who have visited temporarily. There are eight small Kannon****** shrines in Tohno. They are made of a single tree. On this day, you can see the lights of many worshipers from the top of the hill and hear the sound of bells. In the grass at the crossroads are straw dolls used in the rain and wind festival. It lies there like a weary person. The above is the impression I had in Tohno.

These kinds of books, in my opinion, are not the least of the modern fads. No matter how easy it has become to print, some people could argue that it would be impolite to publish such books and try to force one's maniacal taste on others. But I dare to declare. Who doesn't want to talk about these things to people after seeing an area where these stories can be heard? I don't have such a quiet and discreet person, at least not among my friends. Of course, books like "Konjaku-monogatari-shu*******"（Anthology of Tales from the Past） written 900 years ago in Japan were already a long time ago when they were written, but the contents of these books are current events. Even those who are more pious in their intentions and more sincere in their attitude than they are often told by others. In the very slightest respect that other people speak and write, his story is worth the same as hearing from a bland and innocent dainagon （Heian-era nobleman）. As for the tellers of modern fairy tales and a hundred supernatural stories, their aspirations are so old-fashioned that it is impossible to say that their stories are not false. It would be a shame to secretly compare this to another. In short, the contents of this book are current facts. Simply for this reason alone, I cannot believe that there is a worthy reason for this book to exist. But Sasaki is only 24-25 years old and I'm only 10 years older than him. What if there is someone who says that it is out of line to use that power without worrying about problems, big or small, even though we are born in an age where there is a lot of business? What if some one accuses him of sharpening his ears too much and curling his eyes too much like the horned owl on the mountain of the gods? I can't help it. I have to take on this responsibility alone.

The aging owl which doesn’t fly and sing in the far forest may laughs.

*Sasaki Kyoseki:（1886-1933）A folklorist, writer and A collector of folk tales. His real name is Kizen. He was born in Tsuchibuchi Village, Iwate Prefecture. After having the friendship with Yanagita Kunio at Waseda University, he researched and collected the folk tales in his hometown.

**Tohno: It is located in the inland part of Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region.

***Hanamaki: It is located in the midwestern part of Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region.

****Ishikari Plain: A plain located in the western part of Hokkaido.

*****bon festival: It is also called obon, urabon or urabon-e. A Buddhist event held around July 15th of the lunar calendar. It is said that the spirits of ancestors will return, and people make offerings on there days.

******Kannon: One of the bodhisattvas of Buddhism. It is universally believed in in Japan.

*******Konjaku-monogatari-shu: A collection of tales established at the end of the Heian period. The book contains scripture from India, China and Japan.

transcribe......（動）書き写す

from time to time......時々

sincere......（形）誠実な

verbatim......（副）逐語的に

inhabitant......（名）住民

plain......（名）平地

wilderness......（名）荒野、手つかずの自然

castle town......城下町

suburban......（形）郊外の

seaweed......（名）海草

horsefly......（名）アブ

fertile......（形）肥えた

stone pagoda......石塔

incomparable......（形）比較できない

ripen......（動）成熟する

owned......（形）所有している

invariably......（副）いつも

write down......記録する

deed......（名）証書

hazy......（形）霞がかった

sedge......（名）スゲ

in tow......後ろに従えて

ditch......（名）溝、水路

antler......（名）鹿の角

customary......（形）慣習となっている

dusk......（名）夕暮れ

envelop......（動）覆い隠す

permanently......（副）永久に

temporarily......（副）一時的に

worshiper......（名）礼拝者

weary......（形）疲れた

fad......（名）流行

impolite......（形）無礼な

maniacal......（形）熱狂的な

dare......（動）あえて～する

discreet......（形）用心深い

pious......（形）敬虔な

horned owl......ミミズク