(A) A Hypericaceae Tree at Koshio Shrine

Koshio Shrine in Terada Village, Minami-Akita County, Ugo Province, has long been revered as the god of maritime protection. When a ship is about to be wrecked on the sea, a single hypericaceae tree in the direction of the shrine turns red like a blazing fire and rises high into the sky, so if you aim for it, you can reach Tsuchizaki Port. Strangely enough, when you climb up to the shrine and see it, you will find no hypericaceae trees or anything.

hypericaceae（形）オトギリソウ科の

revere（動）崇める

maritime（形）海の、海事の

wreck（動）難破する

blaze（動）燃え盛る

Climbing up the stone steps of the shrine is just behind the main building. It is said that a long time ago, god got angry because a lord of Satake went up the stone steps while riding a horse, and since then, the main building of the shrine has turned backward. (Yamagata Koho)

(B) The Broom Tree*

On the top of Mt. Osen in Ikaruga County, Tamba Province, there is a large tree named "Sura Tree". The shadow of this tree is reflected in the sea of Tango and interferes with fishing, so when the fishermen are in trouble and climb the mountain with their tools in the hope of cutting down this tree at any cost, the tree is nowhere to be found. What a strange thing, when they got home, they saw the shadow of the tree as usual.

interfere（動）妨害する

at any cost......どんなことをしても、何としても

as usual......いつものように

If this tree is gone, the appearance of Mt. Osen will be almost shabby. This mountain god is concerned that his mountain is lower than Mt. Matsuo on the other side. However, the presence of this tree doesn't make it very different from Mt. Matsuo. That's why God is so reluctant to hide this tree. (Toru Takagi)

shabby（形）みすぼらしい

reluctant（形）気乗りしない

(A)

(B)

*The broom tree: A legendary tree in Achi Village, Nagano Prefecture. It looks like a broom when seen from a distance, but disappears when approached.