前のエピソード――(II) The Legend of the Two-mountain Back Comparison

(A) Mt. Kami at Oga

There are two mountains, Mt. Kami and Mt. Hon, on the Oga Peninsula in Ugo Province. Both are steep and difficult to climb, but strangely enough, there have been 99 stone steps in the direction of Mt. Kami since ancient times. It is a stone staircase made of wonderfully large stones, and the construction is so unhuman.

steep（形）険しい

staircase（名）階段

unhuman（形）超人的な

A long time ago, an oni* lived deep in Mt. Kami, and every year it appeared in a nearby village and razed the fields, so the villagers, out of desperation, imposed a challenge on the oni. The challenge was to build 100 stone steps on Mt. Kami in the evening, and if the oni could not make them, he promised never to appear in the village from now on, but instead, if he could make the stone steps, they would feed one human to the oni every year from now on. The oni accepted this promise and made stone steps one night. After all, he worked hard, and in no time the construction was progressing and the 99 stone steps were completed admirably. But just as he was finishing with one step left, the first rooster crowed, and the eastern sky brightened. The oni was surprised and disappeared. The next day, when the villagers visited, they found that 99 stone staircases had been built beautifully.

out of desperation......絶望の末に

from now on......今後は

The oni kept his promise and no longer razed the fields after that, so the village had a good harvest, fertile fields, and the farmers became rich. This was also all thanks to the oni who had abandoned evil and become good, so the villagers decided to build a small shrine on the mountain to enshrine the oni. That's why it's called Mt. Kami (god).

Even now, there are constant visitors. However, since the god is an ogre, unclean women are not allowed to climb the stone steps above the third level. If they go up, their bodies quickly become stones. So even now, women can only go up to the third level.

unclean（形）不浄の

On the day of the festival, the villagers purify themselves and climb the stone steps with rice cakes. However, if they offer rice cakes to a shrine, they immediately descend the stone steps as if fleeing. Because on this day, the god will reveal the true identity of the oni and eat them, and the locals still firmly believe that. (Yoshio Masaki, Minami-shinmachi, Narada, Akita City, Akita Prefecture)

purify（動）浄化する、綺麗にする

(B) Mt. Tomuro

About a mile from the northwest of Utsunomiya City, Shimotsuke Province, lies a spectacular quarry called Oya. Here is the 18th statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva on the Bando Fudasho*, and the building is interesting. The back of the roof is made use of a rock that pops out, and Buddha statues are carved on the rock surface inside the building.

spectacular（形）壮観な

quarry（名）採石場

Less than half a mile north of Oya is the Utsunomiya Kintsuna** castle, called Mt. Tage***. It is now enshrined with a statue of Fudo Myoo. For this reason, those who live in the area call it 'the Avalokitesvara of Otani and the Fudo Myoo of Tage. '. Oya usually gets into the dialect of 'oh, iya' (very unpleasant), so it is common to make such a pun when something is not to his liking. "The Avalokitesvara of Oya, the Fudo of Tage ".

1.5 ~ 1.6 kilometers south of Oya is a place called Mt. Tomuro****. If you go from Utsunomiya, this is closer. It's called a mountain, but it's really just a bit of a bulge on the ground. It is said that there are 99 holes in this mountain and there is a legend about this. A long time ago, Kobo Daishi***** came on a pilgrimage near here, saw the site of Mt. Tomuro and thought of building a dojo, but anyway he was thinking of a wish to dig 100 holes. So on New Year's Eve, after people in this neighborhood had gone to bed, he started digging holes with all his might. Apparently, he thought that the villagers would finish digging 100 holes before they woke up in the morning, so he dug without rest, and finished digging 99 holes anyway, and when he was about to start digging the 100th hole, the villagers probably woke up early because it was still early New Year's Day, and only 1 house in the neighborhood pounded rice cakes for New Year's Day. The Daishi was disappointed when he heard the sound. His efforts were in vain, and regretting that his wish had not been fulfilled, he gave up digging and abandoned the land. Before he left, he told the villagers:. "People in this area should not pound rice cakes for one day after the New Year. If anyone disobeys, there will surely be some curse." That's why people in this area cannot pound rice cakes on New Year's Day******. They cook sekihan (festive red rice) instead of rice cakes. Rice cake is supposed to be pounded on the 14th of the New Year. They still do it that way.

bulge（名）膨らみ、隆起

pilgrimage（名）巡礼

pound（動）搗く

disobey（動）背く

When thunder begins to rumble on a summer day in this region, it is said that thunder came from Mt. Tomuro again today. Therefore, is Mt. Tomuro also the place where the Thunder God hides? (Ryohei Handa)

rumble（動）ゴロゴロ鳴る

If you look at Mt. Haruna on the national road that runs from Takasaki, Kozuke Province, to Shibukawa, the left side of the road looks like a wall with no change, but if you look carefully, you can see that the mountain is formed by the overlapping of countless valleys. Locals call this valley Tsukumo* Valley.

Long ago, a Tendai sect temple called Mt. Funyu's Ryutaku Temple** was built on a valley near Funao Falls***. However, due to the curse of the Tengu, there was a quarrel among chigo**** and they were attacked and burned by the samurai of his's father, so they were rebuilt in the village at the foot of the mountain. The temple still stands at the foot of the mountain. Funao is locally called Funyu.

This was before then. It is said that if there were 1000 valleys on this mountain, it would have been a sacred place like Mt. Koya*****, but if that happened, the Tengu of Funao would not be able to stay there, so he actually hid only one of the valleys completely with his sleeve. No matter how many times anyone counts it, there are only 999 valleys, so they stopped making it a sacred place. Tsukumo Valley (99 Valley) is, of course, a shortened name for the 999 valleys. (Hiroshi Morita, Gunma Prefecture)

sleeve（名）袖

(D) Maru Pond in Oda and Tukumo Magari

At the southern end of Tamana County, Higo Province, about five miles from Kumamoto City, there is a hamlet called Oda, Tamamizu Village. It is a valley between mountains and has only 20 ~ 30 houses. There is a hall dedicated to the famous Gongen at Kabashima, about 1 mile to the west, and between this hall and Oda is a river about 30 meters wide. It was a winding river named Maru Pond of Oda, but it is locally called Tukumo Magari of Oda because it is said to have 99 curves.

hamlet（名）集落

A long time ago, a terrible giant serpent appeared from the direction of the mountain. The people of Oda Village were in great trouble, but when they could do nothing but run away and hide, the giant serpent took a great liking to the place and started digging a pond with the intention of living there for good. But a large pond is not enough for a giant serpent to live in. The pond must have 99 curves, so the giant serpent was digging hard before dawn. If this pond is built, not only Oda but 10 neighboring villages will be completely destroyed. So Gongen, ujigami* god, couldn't stand it, and when the giant serpent was about to finish digging 99 curves, Gongen trampled it with his big foot. No giant serpent could beat Gongen, so he finally gave up and went back to his old mountain.

Maru Pond in Tukumo Magari still holds clear water and is a source of water for dozens of towns of rice fields. Gongen saved the villages around here, and since then Gongen has flourished more and more, and the number of visitors has never stopped. (Tokyo Imperial University Library Esuemu)

(E) Mt. Kyusenbu

There is a small peak called Mt. Kyusenbu in the southwest of Mt. Unzen in Hizen Province.

It is said that long ago, Kobo Daishi came here and chanted 9000 sutras on this mountain and opened this mountain, and just as he chanted up to 8999 sutras, the wind blew suddenly and blew off the remaining 1 part, so the mountain was named Mt. Kyusenbu (9000 part).

sutra（名）教典

Kyodomari (sutra anchorage) is where the sutras fall. (Sahito Ichikawa)

(F) The Stone of the Shrine Fence

Prince Shotoku's* grave is in the Eifuku-ji Temple** in Isonaga Village, Minamikawachi County, Kawachi Province. Locally, it is known as Tadawe no Taishi. There is a fence around this grave. No matter how many times anyone counts the number of stones, they don't add up. No one knows a certain number.

add up......計算が合う

When the prince was alive, he brought stones from nearby Mt. Futago with the intention of making his own tomb. Apparently, he was supposed to carry and build 500 stones overnight, but just as he carried 499 stones, the roosters chirped and dawn broke, so he left them alone. So, he didn't want people to know the number, and even now it's unclear.

Locals don't raise chickens. And not only do birds not perch on the tree of this tomb, but they don't fly over it. (Matsusaburo Nakajima)

(G) The Rock Bridge

About six miles from the northeast of Kashiwazaki, Echigo Province, is the town of Ishizi. There, around the Raseki* Hall, rocks jut out 545-654 meters into the sea, making it look like a wharf from a distance. Locals call it the Rock Bridge.

Once upon a time, Raseki Myojin wanted to build a bridge between Echigo and Sado, and one night he sent a number of his followers to carry stones and begin the construction of the bridge. It was supposed to be ready by dawn, but among his men was Amanjaku. Lazy and work-averse, he imitated a cock before it was even past midnight. Myojin was deceived and soon disappeared. The bridge could not be built because his men were scattered and disappeared. The current rock bridge is said to be the remnant. (Toshinori Nakanishi)

(H) Mt. Ichiya

Mt. Togakushi* in Shinano is said to be the rock that Tajikarao no Mikoto** flew away from when he opened the Ama no iwato (heaven's rock cave), but between Mt. Togakushi and Mt. Togura*** lies Mt. Ichiya****.

Once upon a time, when Emperor Kanmu***** searched various provinces in search of suitable land to build a capital, he found Togakushi village to be his favorite. However, around this time, there was an ogress******* living deep in the mountains, and she was so worried that if humans took over this hermit world, she would lose her place, so she thought there was no other way but to disturb her, so she built another mountain overnight. That is Mt. Ichiya (one night). It is said that Emperor Kanmu became angry and sent Taira no Koremochi******** to subdue her. (Umekichi Tanaka)

(A)

*oni: It is a Namahage. It is an annual event held on the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture, and on New Year's Eve, Namahage, dressed in straw clothes, wearing a mask, and carrying a kitchen knife, goes from house to house and threatens children. On New Year's Day, there is a Sedo Festival in which rice cakes are offered to the Shinzan Shrine in Oga City, and Namahage is a servant of the gods here.

(B)

*Bando Fudasho: A sacred site dedicated to the 33 Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in Kanagawa, Saitama, Tokyo, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaragi and Chiba prefectures. It says 18th, but the 19th mistake.

**Utsunomiya Kintsuna: (1302 - 1356) He was a warlord from the late Kamakura period to the period of the Northern and Southern Courts. He was the ninth head of the Utsunomiya family that ruled Shimotsuke. He famously fought Kusunoki Masashige in 1333 when Emperor Godaigo began the war to overthrow the Kamakura government. After that, he surrendered to Emperor Godaigo, and then served the military commander and the first general of the Muromachi Shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji.

***Mt. Dake: A 376 meter mountain in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. There is a temple dedicated to Fudo Myoo on the mountainside. The whole mountain has been converted into a castle.

****Mt. Tomuro: A 228 meter mountain in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture.

*****Kobo Daishi: (774 - 835) Another name for Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect. After studying esoteric Buddhism in Tang, he returned to Japan and founded the Shingonshu sect. Legends about him have spread across the country, and it is said that he built wells and springs and put curses on villages. There is also a legend that he stole barley seeds from Tang and brought them back to Japan.

******this area cannot pound rice cakes on New Year's Day: Some villages and houses across the country do not pound rice cakes on New Year's Day. It is said that it was to learn a lesson from their ancestors who struggled on New Year's Eve and had no time to pound the rice cake, or when they pounded the rice cake, it was stained red with blood. Instead, they often eat zoni with taro. The folklorist Hirofumi Tsuboi proposed that this taboo and custom originated from the persecution of the slash-and-burn culture by the rice-growing culture. On the other hand, Satoru Yasumuro says it is just one of the typologies derived from the culture of eating rice cakes on New Year's Day.

(C)

*Tsukumo: It means 99, which in turn means many.

**Mt. Funyu's Ryutaku Temple: A temple of the Tendai sect in the village of Shinto, Gunma Prefecture. It was founded by Saicho in the 7th century. "Mt." is a title given to a temple.

***Funao Falls: A waterfall in Yoshioka Town, Gunma Prefecture. "Funyu" is thought to have originally been a word for off-limits.

****chigo: A word for a child. From the Heian period, young monks began to practice asceticism in large temples, becoming the caretakers of monks and objects of paederasty.

*****Mt. Koya: There is Kongobu-ji Temple, the grand head temple of the Shingon sect in Wakayama Prefecture.

(D)

*ujigami: It means a clan god and is a god worshipped together in a community. Co-members who believe in and worship Ujigami are called Ujiko.

(E)

(F)

*Prince Shotoku: (574 - 622) A member of the Imperial family in the Asuka period. His other name was Prince Umayado. He was the son of Emperor Yomei and became regent to his aunt, Empress Suiko, and conducted national politics with Soga no Umako. He established the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System and the Seventeen Article Constitution to establish a centralized state system with the emperor at its center. He also sent Ono no Imoko and others to Sui. He was a devout believer in Buddhism and built the Horyu-ji Temple.

**Eifuku-ji Temple: A temple in Taishi Town, Osaka Prefecture, where the tomb of Prince Shotoku is located.

(G)

*Raseki: It is said to have originated from a strange rock that stood in the sea but was damaged by a ship collision, so it was enshrined in a small shrine and has attracted the belief of childbirth and easy delivery.

(H)

*Mt. Togakushi: A 1904 meter mountain in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture.

**Tajikarao no Mikoto: Ame no Tajikarao. The god who dragged Amaterasu back into heaven's rock cave. Amaterasu, the sun god, became so enraged by the violence of her younger brother Susanoo that she retreated to a cave and the world went black. So Ame no Uzume danced in front of the cave, and Tajikarao dragged her out to look at it, and the world brightened again.

***Mt. Tokura: A 1681 meter mountain on the border between Ina City and Komagane City in Nagano Prefecture.

****Mt. Ichiya: A 1562 meter mountain in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture.

*****Emperor Kanmu: (737 - 806) The 50th Emperor. During his tenure, he moved the capital from Heijokyo to Nagaokakyo and from Nagaokakyo to Heiankyo.

******ogress: A legend set in Togakushi and Kinasa, Nagano. The legend that Taira no Koremochi exterminated an ogress named Momiji who lived in Mt. Togakushi was incorporated into Noh and Kabuki.

*******Taira no Koremochi: (976 - 1022) He was a military commander in the Heian period. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the central peacekeeping headquarters in the early 11 century after he killed a warlord who had caused a conflict.