前のエピソード――1 Explanatory Mythological Legend 1

(A) Mt. Unzen*

Mt. Unzen in Hizen Province, rising high through the clouds in the center of the Shimabara Peninsula** that juts out into the Ariake Sea*** in Shiranui, Tsukushi Province, is certainly the home of hermits.

jut out......突き出る

hermit（名）隠者、仙人

Once upon a time, an old man worked for the imperial country when the Mongols attacked****. He was dressed in a white kimono, with long hair, and his way of working was not considered human. When someone asked him who you were, he answered that he was an unknown man living in Mt. Unzen in Shimabara, and instantly the figure disappeared like smoke. Later he was enshrined as a god at Kunitama Shrine, a county shrine***** in Yumoto today.

enshrine（動）祀る

There used to be a giant named Misogoro in Shimabara. One day in winter, as warm as spring, he looked forward to sitting on Mt. Unzen basking in the sun and washing his face in the sea ahead. Karano Pond, halfway up Mt. Unzen, is the scar of a hoe he used to plow his fields as a pleasure and is said to be Yusima Island in the Ariake Sea, where a chunk of earth fell during that time. On Yushima Island, it is said that Amakusa Shiro gathered his comrades for a military meeting at the time of the Shimabara Uprising******, and it is also said to be Dango (discussion) Island. (Shajin Ichikawa, Ariie, West Hizen Province)

chunk（名）塊

comrade（名）仲間

(B) Oni's Footprints

In Yamaguchi Village, Kitamatsura County, Hizen Province, there is a mountain called Mt. Yumihari. It is a mountain shaped like the back of a cow, opposite Mt. Atago, the shape of Mt. Fuji, across the Aiura River. This is close to the famous Tsukumo Bayes*. At the edge of the river near the foot of Mt. Atago to the west, there is a large rock called Nagaiwa (The Long Rock), which is about 7 ~ 8 meters long. Around the middle, slightly to the side, is a round stone about a foot and five inches in diameter, with water leaking from around it. There used to be an oni** near here. It is said that a stone was thrown by this oni, straddling Mt. Atago and Mt. Yumihari, hit this rock and made a hole in it as it is now and got stuck. Also, the hole in Nagaiwa near this hole is said to be the footprint of the oni. (Chusekisei, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture)

Follow the railroad tracks between Yokokawa Station and Matsuida Station at the foot of Usui Pass* in Kozuke Province, and there are stupidly large footprints on the flat stones on the north side of the road. And there is something similar in the paddy fields five to six meters away from the cliff face on its south side. The former is the right foot, and the latter is the left foot by the roadside.

Once upon a time, when Minister Yuriwaka** used an iron bow to shoot an iron arrow at Mt. Myogi*** to test his skill, the arrow flew through one of the peaks of Mt. Myogi. You can still see the hole in the train. Those are his footprints at that time. If you go to Myogi Shrine, you can see a framed bow about 5 feet long and 7 ~ 8 centimeters thick with its corresponding arrow. This is Minister Yuriwaka's bow and arrow. (Gunma Monky, at a foot of Gunma Mountains)

corresponding（形）矛盾しない、一致する

(D) Daidara Houshi*

Ishimori, Higashi Yamanashi District, Kai Province, doesn't make ramie yarn. Bad things happen when they are forced to make it. A monstrous priest named Reira Bocchi carried two mountains on his back with a carrying pole made of yarn made of ramie, but the carrying pole broke in two around the stone forest, and one mountain became a stone forest and the other a salt mountain. For this reason, it is said that they don't make ramie here. The stone on which Reira Bocchi sat is said to be found all over the county.

ramie（名）カラムシ

yarn（名）糸

monstrous（形）怪物のような、異常に大きな

In Iwatahara, Iwata County, Totoumi Province, there is a small pond in which rainwater has accumulated, and locals call it Daidara Bocchi's urine pot. Around Fukuroi Village in the same county, there is a hollow in the rice field called the footprint of Daidara Bocchi.

accumulate（動）蓄積する、溜まる

In addition to the cases of Kai and Totomi mentioned above, there seem to be other stories about monstrous giants. Just to list a few things I hear, there is a place called Giant's Urine on Mt. Oguso in Naka County, Iwami Province. It is said that this is where the man urinated, straddling Mt. Isari and Mt. Oasa, so it is still possible to produce crops without using fertilizer. According to a legend handed down in Tenaga (a person with long hands) Shrine, Kamisuwa Town, Shinano Province, a man named Deirabochi once owned several farm ponds. It is said that the land in each case was more than 10 ares. It is also said that the footprints of the giants Tenaga and Ashinaga (a prson with long legs), the servants of Suwa Myojin**, are the reservoir in the above-mentioned depression. Next, Akaike in Kibe, Hachiman Village, Tano County, Kozuke Province, is said to have been formed by the footprints of Daidara Bocci, who sat on Mt. Akagi*** and stretched out his legs, straining to make this swamp. There is also a giant's footprint on a mountain in a place called Abota, Kazusa Province. Apparently, there is one in Hiraoka Village. It is said that a man of great strength called Dattaibo once lived near Shiizuka, Hitachi Province. In addition, "Mino Koseki Ko****" (A Study of the Remains of Mino Province) says that there are footprints of Taihei Houshi near Oshimizukabuto Village, Ishizu County, Mino Province. It is also written that he crossed Lake Biwa in Omi Province. According to "Zensan-shi***** (The Complete History of Sanuki), "the rock at Sakou Temple in Nagao Village, Sanuki Province, measures two feet long, one foot wide, and four to five feet deep, and is where the giant kicked the ground. It is of a similar kind that appears in "Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki******, "and there are probably many examples in old books. (Kyoko Yamanaka)

urinate（動）排尿する

straddle（動）両脚で跨る

fertilizer（名）肥料

(E) Mt. Haguro*

Around Kinu River**, about four miles north of Utsunomiya City, Shimotsuke Province, is the circular and tall Mt. Haguro, about 1,500 feet above sea level.

This mountain is said to have been dropped here by Deidenbome in the past because the vine broke off while he was carrying it on his back bound with a wisteria vine from somewhere. As proof of this, many wisterias grow in the nearby mountains, but not a single one has ever grown on Mt. Haguro. This is not part of the story, and when you actually go there, you can hardly find wisteria.

vine（名）蔓

wisteria（名）フジ

Then it is said that Deidenbome sat on this mountain and washed his feet in Kinugawa River. I wonder if the 2 swamps now at Ashinuma are about 20 ares wide along the Kinu River in his footsteps at that time. It goes without saying that one part of the swamp is called Ashinuma. It means foot swamp. When there are still people with very large feet, the locals laugh and say that they are Deidenbome. (Kotaro Ono, Haguro Village, Kawachi County, Tochigi Prefecture)

(F) Mt. Haruna Fuji*

There are many tales of Tengu on Mt. Haruna, one of the three mountains of Kozuke. Born at the foot of it, I heard the following story many times as a child.

A long time ago, a Tengu** wanted to build up Mt. Fuji overnight, so he carried soil with a mokko*** and piled it up. Picking it up gradually, another cup brought it to level with Mt. Fuji, and a rooster crowed. The Tengu was mortified to hear it and shed a drop of tears, which is called Shiraji Pond, a mortar-shaped waterless hollow on the right side of the path from Ikaho**** to Haruna Shrine in the direction of Mt. Fuji. Shiraji is a dialect of Kozuke that means mortar. Lake Haruna is a scar from the soil of Mt. Fuji. Because it is said that another cup would have made the real Mt. Fuji, the mountain made by Tengu is called Mt. Haruna Fuji, or commonly called Mt. Hitomokko (1 mokko).

mortify（動）悔しがらせる

mortar（名）すり鉢

Some people say that "Shiraji" is not a tear, but a mark of Tengu putting his strength into the akuto （heel） of one leg and twirling it, saying he was frustrated. Akuto is a dialect of the heel.

Note: Mt. Haruna Fuji is about four miles northwest of Takasaki City. It looks like Mt. Fuji in Suruga. Beside it is a small mountain. There is a lake over the mountain. Very long ago, two giants competed to build a mountain. One of them decided to make Mt. Fuji in Suruga and the other Haruna Fuji, promising that the deadline would be until the roosters sounded. The man who makes Mt. Fuji in Suruga came to the man who makes Mt. Haruna Fuji around the time of the rooster and said, "Hey, are you still doing it? You'd better stop now." That's why he quit. Another cup was supposed to be the same height as Fuji in Suruga, but he lost because he stopped. Right next to it is a mountain called Mt. Hitomokko, a cup of soil from that time, and the scars from the sand taken from it became the lake it is today. The soil used to make Fuji in Suruga was picked in Kai Province, so even today the soil in there is mortar shaped. It is said that the man sat on Mt. Akagi and washed his feet in the Tone River*****, and the place where he removed the sand from his shin is now the Sunegami (the shin god) Shrine. (Tofusei, Gunma Prefecture)

rooster（名）雄鶏

shin（名）すね

(G) Mt. Futago*

Once upon a time, there lived in Mt. Hakone** a person called Amanjaku***, who I don't know if a man or a god, but who was extraordinarily powerful.

Amanjaku had a great desire to chip away at Mt. Fuji, and one night he did so, carrying the crushed earth on a pole and dumping it in Sagami Bay. Izu Oshima Island**** was made from discarded soil.

chip away......崩れる

discard（動）捨てる

Perhaps the next night was inconvenient for him, but he started work late, so dawn broke around Mt. Hakone on his way to Sagami Bay. He had no choice but to throw the soil he was carrying there. The discarded soil produced two similar mountains. That is the present Mt. Futago (twins), which has the same name on the right and left. (Takeo Ishii, Soga Village, Ashigarakami County, Sagami Province)

(H) Mt. Tenjin* and Mt. Unebi**

In Yagi, Yamato Province, there are two mountains called Tenzin and Unebi. Once upon a time, when Benkei*** carried earth in a mokko on a pole and came this far, perhaps because they were so heavy, the pole snapped in two with the sound of 'Yagi'. That is why the name of the place, Yagi, was born. The soil in the mokko split into two parts, creating Mt. Tenzin and Mt. Unebi. Then Benkei got so tired that he sat down on a nearby pine, which broke from its base.

split into......分かれる

The pine is enshrined in the present Benkei Myojin Shrine. (Yoshimatsu, Takeda)

(I) Mountains in Hasoji

There are two mountains in Hasoji Village, Ikaruga District, Tamba Province. They are exactly the same in height, shape, and everything else, and they look so much alike that we'd like to call them two gourds. Locals say that Shuten Doji*, who used to live in Mt. Oe, could carry it with a pole and threw it here. (Toru, Takagi)

(J)Nishima Island

There are two islands named Nishima Island at the entrance of Misumi Port*, Higo Province. These two islands are believed to be rocks where a Tengu broke his pole and fell into the sea while carrying it from somewhere in the past, and a handprint on the wall of a nearby mountain is still visible today, which is said to be the mark of the Tengu's hand at that time. (Chosui, Amakusa, Higo)

(K) Mt. Otoko and Mt. On'na

In Doi, Ono Village, Tomata County, Mimasaka Province, there are mountains facing each other called Mt. Otoko and Mt. On'na. Mt. Otoko is slightly higher.

Once upon a time, Otona-sama was able to carry these two mountains, but apparently they were so heavy that he sat down to rest on a mountain shaped like three stacked masu called Mt. Masugata in Kagami village. When he rested, the two mountains he left down were the present Mt. Otoko and Mt. On'na. His descent caused the lower southern half of Mt. On'na to collapse, and it remains so today. As he sat down, he began to grind the tea leaves and the powder accumulated to form Mt. Chausu in what is now Kagami Village. It is said that while he was sitting on Mt. Masugata, he stood on one leg at Sawada, Kagami Village, where the Ashigata (Footprint) embankment still stands today. This embankment is exactly the shape of the bottom of a tabi, a pool of water forming a pond. I don't know where his other leg was held on, and I don't know if it left a mark.

grind（動）挽く

embankment（名）土手、堤防

There is a small shrine on the top of Mt. Otoko and Mt. On'na, but neither of them seems to have been dedicated to Otona-sama. (Horie, a law student)

(L) Gods of Yamato Province

Mt. Ikoma* on the western side of Nara used to be the place where the foundation stone for the construction of the giant Buddha statue of Nara** was brought, and since then all the stones on the mountain, big and small, have been facing east, saying they want to go to Nara.

The famous three mountains of Yamato, Mt. Unebi and Mt. Miminashi, were once broken by the sound of "yagi" around present-day Yagi Town, Takaichi County, when Musashibo Benkei was on his way to bring these two mountains from another place, and it was in present-day Imai Town, Takaichi County that he curiously tossed his stick.

The fights between Mt. Takami*** and Mt. Tonomine**** are as follows. A long time ago, a minister named Soga no Iruka***** did something wrong, and a loyalist, Fujiwara no Kamatari******, killed him. Then his head, which had been killed, flew to Mount Takami. After that, Kamatari was to be enshrined on Mt. Tonomine, so Mt. Takami always stares at Mt. Tonomine with his daily grudge. (Tomio Sugimoto, Kawai, Kita-katsuragi County, Nara Prefecture)

(A)

*Mt. Unzen: A 1483-meter volcano in the central part of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture. Major eruptions in 1792 and 1991 caused much damage and casualties.

**Shimabara Peninsula: A peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture in northwestern Kyushu. It faces the Ariake Sea on the north and is called Isahaya Bay on the west. In the center of the peninsula is Mt. Unzen.

***Ariake Sea: It is an inland sea in northwestern Kyushu and is known for having the largest tidal flat in Japan and the habitat of mudskippers.

****Mongols attacked: the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274 and 1281. The Mongol army landed in Kyushu but withdrew due to resistance from the Japanese side and a typhoon.

*****Shimabara Uprising: The largest uprising in Japanese history that occurred in the Shimabara and Amakusa regions between 1637 and 1638. It was the peasants' backlash against the oppression of Christians by the Edo government and the harsh taxation, torture and punishment of feudal lords. The leader of the uprising, Amakusa Shiro, was 18 years old and is said to have fought with 37,000 people. One and a half years after the suppression of the uprising, the government expelled the Portuguese and instituted a policy of national isolation.

(B)

*Tsukumo Bayes: Tsukumo literally means 99, which in Japanese means a lot. Tsukumo Islands is famous for its 208 islands off the coast of Sasebo Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture.

**oni: A yokai that appears in Japanese folktales, stories, and performing arts. They typically have one or two horns on their heads, sharp fangs and claws, and wrap around a tiger-skin waistcoat.

(C)

*Usui pass: The pass is located on the border between Annaka City, Gunma Prefecture and Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture. Since ancient times, it has been known as a transportation hub connecting the Kanto region and Shinano, and roads were built there. The railroad was built in 1885.

**Minister Yuriwaka: It was a revenge story about a samurai named Yuriwaka and was the subject of theater and dance. Yuriwaka, who was born from the miraculous efficacy of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, fought the Mongolian army with an iron bow over the sea, but was betrayed by his subordinate, Beppu Taro, and left on an island. When Yuriwaka's wife prayed, he returned to Japan and became a vassal of Beppu. At a New Year's event, he avenged Beppu by using an iron bow and identifying himself as Yuriwaka. After that, he went to Kyoto and became a general.

***Mt. Myogi: A mountain 1103 meters high in southwestern Gunma Prefecture. It is known for its mysterious mountain shape made of lava, pebbles and tuff.

（D）

*Daidara Houshi: The name of a giant that is handed down in various parts of Japan. They are said to have made mountains and left footprints in various places.

**Suwa Myojin: A deity enshrined at Suwa Taisha Shrine on the shores of Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture. The god of Suwa-taisha Shrine is also said to be Takeminakata, a warrior god who appears in the Kojiki. Every six years, Suwa Taisha holds the Onbashira Festival in which four pillars are carried and erected on the shrine grounds.

***Mt. Akagi: A 1827-meter volcano in the center of Gunma Prefecture. It is famous as one of the three mountains of Gunma along with Mt. Haruna and Mt. Myogi.

****Mino Koseki Ko: A topography of Mino Province compiled by the poet and priest Saburi Kiyonobu in the mid-modern period.

*****Zensan-shi: A topography of Sanuki Province compiled by the Confucian scholar Nakayama Jozan and presented to the domain of Takamatsu.

******Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki: Fudoki is a topography of Japan compiled by order of the Imperial Court in the 8th century. Today, Fudoki records of Hitachi, Harima, Hizen, Bungo and Izumo have been handed down. Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki describes a mountain of shells discarded by giants. This mountain is today's Ogushi shell mound, a garbage dump for prehistoric people.

(E)

*Mt. Haguro: A 458-meter mountain in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. Mt. Haguro, which is famous for its Shugendo beliefs, is a different mountain from Mt. Haguro in Yamagata Prefecture.

**Kinu River: A river that flows from north to south in the eastern Kanto Plain to join the Tone River. Upstream is the famous Kinugawa Hot Spring.

(F)

*Mt. Haruna Fuji: Another name for Mt. Haruna. A 1449-meter volcano in Gunma Prefecture. At the foot of the mountain is Haruna Shrine. At the summit is a caldera lake called Lake Haruna.

**Tengu: It is a kind of yokai. They are dressed as yamabushi, red-faced, long-nosed and winged. They originally meant ominous comets in China, but in Japan, they became yokai associated with mountain worship and causing monstrous phenomena in the mountains.

***mokko: It was a conveyance tool made of a network of ropes, bamboo and vines, and was used in agricultural and construction work.

****Ikaho: It is located in present-day Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture. It is known for its famous Ikaho Hot Spring.

*****Tone River: The largest river basin in Japan, it flows from north to east through the Kanto region and empties into the Pacific Ocean. His other name was Bando Taro.

(G)

*Mt. Futago: A 1099-meter volcano in the town of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture. There are two twin peaks.

**Mt. Hakone: A general term for the volcanoes that straddle Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures with Hakone Town in the center. The foot of the mountains is known for its many hot springs and tourist attractions for a long time.

***Amanjaku: Amanojaku. It is a kind of yokai. In Buddhism, it symbolizes human earthly desires and is trampled by the Four Heavenly Kings. In folk tales he imitates human speech or goes rogue against human beings.

****Izu Oshima Island: The largest volcanic island in the Izu Islands, off the Izu Peninsula facing the Pacific Ocean. At the center of the island is Mt. Mihara, which erupts regularly. Much of the island has been designated a national park.

(H)

*Mt. Tenjin: Another name for the 139-meter Mount Miminashi in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture. It is said to be an artificial mountain made for a tumulus, and its name appears in Manyoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry. One of the Three Mountains of Yamato.

**Mt. Unebi: A 199 meter mountain in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture. Before the Edo period, there were more than 70 temples on the mountaintop. The Meiji government built Kashihara Shrine at the foot of the mountain. One of the Three Mountains of Yamato.

***Benkei: Musashibo Benkei. A priest in the 12 century. A vassal of the warlord, Minamoto no Yoshitsune. It is said that he was from Kii Province, and after training at Mt. Hiei, which was the main base of the Tendai sect, he became a retainer of Yoshitsune. He was a giant man of herculean strength, and escaped to Hiraizumi with Yoshitsune, who had been banished by the first general of the Kamakura shogunate, Yoritomo, and died there standing.

(I)

*Shuten Doji: The head of an oni who is said to have lived in Mt. Oe in Tamba Province. He kidnapped women in the Heian period. The emperor ordered Minamoto no Yorimitsu to subdue him. Yorimitsu poisoned his favorite drink and attacked and conquered his paralyzed body.

(J)

*Misumi Port: A port in Misumi, Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Opened in 1887, it is the oldest modern port in Japan. It was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2009 as part of the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining."

(L)

*Mt. Ikoma: A mountain 642 m high on the border between Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture and Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture. In Japanese mythology, Emperor Jinmu and Nagasunehiko fought at the foot of a mountain.

**the giant Buddha statue of Nara: The 14-meter-tall bronze Buddha statue at Todaiji Temple in Nara Prefecture. Production began in 745 at the order of Emperor Shomu to protect Japan from disasters and epidemics and was completed in 752. Since then, it has suffered numerous fires, and the current Buddha was almost built-in later years.

***Mt. Takami: A 1248-meter mountain on the border between the village of Higashiyoshino, Yoshino County, Nara Prefecture and the city of Matsuzaka, Mie Prefecture. Emperor Jinmu is said to have visited. It is also called the Matterhorn of the Kansai region because of its mountain shape.

****Mt. Tonomine: It is a mountain located in the southern part of Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture and once had many temples. The Myorakuji temple there became a Tanzan Shrine dedicated to Fujiwara no Kamatari during the Meiji period.

*****Soga no Iruka: (? ～645) A readional family in the 7th century. With the enthronement of Empress Kogyoku, he took charge of national affairs in place of his father, Emishi. He seized power by driving members of the Imperial family to suicide, but was assassinated by Fujiwara no Kamatari and Naka no Oe no Oji (Emperor Tenji) in 645.

******Fujiwara no Kamatari: (614～669) Nakatomi no Kamatari. A nobleman and statesman in the 7th century. He collaborated with Naka no Oe no Oji (Emperor Tenji) to assassinate Soga no Iruka and destroy the Soga clan. He was later given the family name of Fujiwara by Emperor Tenji and became the founder of the Fujiwara clan.