(A) The Pocket Stone

There is the god's stone at Ryusen Daimyojin Shrine, a land guardian shrine in Takarada Village, Gunma County, Gunma Prefecture. As the water from Funyu Falls flows to the east of Mt. Haruna and enters the village, ancient people worshipped this god at the source of the falls. The stones are surrounded by bookshelves about 3 feet high and tied with Shinto straw festoons, less than 1.8 meters from the back of the shrine building. It's about 1.8 meters tall, with its back deep in the ground, and its top protrudes progressively farther toward the headquarters from its shelves. That is the stone Myojin brought in his sleeve when she came here. Since Myojin is a woman, she was probably a beanbag stone. Of course, it was no doubt small at the time because it was big enough to fit into her pocket. But then it got bigger and bigger like it is now, I heard, and it seems to have gotten bigger. I've heard that a strange-shaped stone grows larger, but it's a beanbag, so it's not suspicious. The beanbags are also known locally as 'nango'. (Hiroshi Morita)

guardian（名）守護者

worship（動）崇める

festoon（名）花綱

protrude（動）突き出る

progressively（副）徐々に、次第に

headquarter（名）本部

beanbag（名）お手玉

(B) The Nachi Stone

In a region of Ikaruga County, Tamba Province, it is said that if you pick up a stone called the Nachi stone* and bury it under the eaves, the stone will surely give birth to many children, but I missed hearing what kind of stone it was. (Toru Takagi)

eave（名）軒

Morioka, Rikuchu Province was originally called Kozukata, but during the Keicho period, the Nanbu* clan changed the name to Morigaoka because it was not funny in Kozukata, and it later became Morioka. Some say that Kozukata, which means garden in the Ainu language, got its name from the beautiful landscape there, but local legends don't dwell on that.

dwell （動）住む

The northeastern edge of what is now Morioka City borders a hamlet called Mitsuwari, Yonai Village, Iwate County. There are many old temples in Mitsuwari. One of them is an old temple of the Pure Land sect called Shoho-zan Token Temple, and the eastern corner of the temple precinct is covered with a dark cedar forest and three rocks, and there is even a hall called Mituisi (three stone) Shrine beside it. This is one of the famous spots in Morioka. Of course, the shrine is dedicated to the spirit of the stones, so according to the "Record of Mituishi in Token Temple," once upon a time there was a Rakshasas ogre who appeared in this area many times to annoy the villagers. The villagers were troubled and prayed to the god of Mituisi. When they prayed three days and three nights in a row, the god of Mituisi listened to the villagers' request and captured the ogre alive one night. The ogre closed his mouth, got down on his knees, cried, and apologized. Then the god pardoned the ogre and made him stamp his hand on the rock as proof that he would not come again. Since then, the ogre has stopped coming, and it is said that the village was called Kozukata (direction of not coming), the name of the county after his handprint pushed by a rock was called Iwate (handprint on a rock), and the village was called Mitsuwari (breaking into three).

hamlet（名）集落、村落

precinct（名）境内

Rakshasas（名）羅刹

pardon（動）赦免する

proof（名）証拠

The god of Mituishi is a white-haired, white-bearded old man with great taste for flutes. Once upon a time, a monk from Token Temple was out in the garden on a bright moonlit night and was playing his good shakuhachi**, when out of nowhere a white-haired, white-bearded hermit appeared in front of him. The monk was very afraid, but he still didn't stop playing the shakuhachi, and by playing the secret song of his lifetime, he finally made the god of Mitsuishi surrender. Since then, playing the flute at the Mituishi Shrine festival has been the only taboo. (Shiro Sakamizu)

(D) The Seven Stones and the Teruishi Stone

There are seven large garden stones called Seven Stones in the precincts of Suga Shrine in Oyama Town, Shimotsuga County, Shimotsuke Province. The sign says that the stone was treasured by the Oyama* magistrate during his lifetime. 40 to 50 years ago, the stone was loaded into a two-wheeled cart and driven along the Yuki** Road in order to present it to the Yuki clan, a neighboring feudal lord. When they reached Goske, which is famous for Goske Inari Shrine on the border of Oyama and Yuki, the cart suddenly got heavy, the stones started ringing and the cart stopped moving no matter how they pushed or pulled, so they turned back in the direction they had come. The stones were very light on the way home. They were moved from the site of the magistrate's residence in '44 to Suga Shrine.

Mt. Ohira is about a mile southwest of Tochigi Town in the same county. At the back of this mountain is the Teruishi Shrine. There's an armful of stone on the way there. The stone has two dents like horses' hooves. It is said to be the hoof marks left by a horse when Teruishi Taro turned around wondering how his enemy was doing after losing the battle. (Hyo Kimura, Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture)

(E) The Cutting Fate Stone and the Market Stone

The cutting fate stone is also found in Shimauchi Village, Higashi Chikuma County, Shinano Province. It has been said for a long time that if one passes by the bride at the time of her wedding, they will always divorce.

Market stones are on the south side of a pass about a mile north of Matsumoto City. Thousands of innumerable small rocks collapse and overlap from the top of the mountain to the roadside below. It is said that if you pick up the lower pebbles and throw them high up, you will know the market price because the stones will catch on the upper side when the market price goes up and roll down when it goes down. It is also said that the stones there are naturally rounded because they go up and down, but from the fact that they are actually rounded, they seem to have moved a lot. (Hozenta Maruyama, Shimauchi, Higashi Chikuma County, Shinano Province)

(F) Keisei Rock

Nita County, Izumo Province, is an area on the upper reaches of the Hii River*. Passing through the Bijogahara Field and over the Shitaburui Valley**, and going deeper, you will find Otani Village. They say it is the birthplace of Takao***, and there is Keisei (ruining castle)**** Rock about the size of a small cow there. It is said that when a woman tries to move it, it doesn't move, but when a man moves it, it moves easily. (Hyozo Shimizu)

(G) Kaika Tenmangu Shrine

One of the 25 Tenmangu shrines* in Japan is called Kaika (blossoming) Tenmangu Shrine in Hiedano Village, Minami Kuwata County, Tamba Province.

Once upon a time, one of Sugawara no Michizane's loyal subjects was Ichisuke, who cherished the fine sand from the garden that Michizane had been given as a keepsake when Michizane was exiled, brought it back to his hometown and scattered it over the mountains. Then every bit of sand turned into a plum or cherry blossom. Now they are called Cherry Stones** and have become a local specialty. The shapes of the stones vary, but when broken, they are strangely patterned with plums and cherry blossoms. Today, the Tenmangu Shrine has been moved to the base of the mountain. The descendants of Ichisuke still farm in this village. (Tayoru Inoue)

(H) The Chicken Stone

There is a large chicken-shaped stone near the bottom of the stone steps of the main building of Nyu Daimyojin Shrine in Kokawa Town, Naka County, Kii Province. It's called a chicken stone. Once upon a time, when the Mongols attacked, Daimyojin rode a chicken and raised a divine wind to fight. Later, the chicken turned into stone. Since then, on New Year's Day every year, the chicken goes up the stone steps with one high chirp. Those who hear the voice are said to live long. (Funyo Tosei)

(I) The Timber Stones and the Go Board Stone at Sugoroku Valley

In the past, in the village of Sodekawa, Yoshiki County, Hida Province, timber couldn't be cut because Tengu interfered. Once, a forester cut a lot of timber and piled it up, and it turned into stone overnight. They still remain. There is a Go board stone near it. It is a trace of Tengu's coming and playing. They say that if you touch this stone, the weather will be rough, and no one will come near it. (Shomu Nishimoto, Takayama, Hida)

(J) Footprints of an Infant

There is a very large rock called the white rock on the bank of the Sai River in Mononobe Village, Icaruga District, Tamba Province. The base of the rock is said to stretch as far as two miles, and on this rock are the footprints of an infant. If you defect this rock, you can always hear the baby crying. I've heard that if you break this rock, take it home, and use it as a stone wall, it will always be cursed, but it doesn't seem to curse these days. (Toru Takagi)

(K) Mt. Oidake

Mt. Oidake is the highest point on Kami Island, Amakusa County, Higo Province, and Oidakesan Shrine is enshrined at the summit. There is a large stone in the precinct. The stone was originally in the rice field at the foot of the mountain, but the farmer who owned the rice field tried to remove it because it was in the way of putting water in the field, but it didn't move easily. No matter how many times he took it out, the next morning it was back to where it was. So he was at a loss for how to handle it and after much thought, he carried the stone up Mt. Oidake. Then Stone got angry and said that he had driven him out of his favorite place and carried him to such a high place that from now on he would no longer take care of the village where the peasants were, nor would he take care of them in any drought. Then the river, which had hitherto flowed from the top of the mountain toward the village, suddenly turned and flowed to the other side. And while there was always water in the other village, which was never a problem, the village where the water originally flowed sometimes suffered from drought.

There is a snail attached to this big stone. It is said that if you get this snail and keep it, it will cure the tinea pedis on the palm, but after it is cured, you must return the snail to its original stone. (Seizan Sato, Amakusa, Higo Province)

Note: It is very similar to "coffee" in rivers. In Houtaku County, Higo Province, it attaches to trees and is called a night-crying snail. It clings heavily to muku trees in the precincts of Toshiho Shrine in Ishihara Village, the county. When a child cries at night, take this snail, wrap it on paper, and place it by the child's bedside to stop the crying at night. After stopping, it again returns to the original tree. (Kudo, Ishihara Village, Houtaku County, Higo Province)

(A)

(B)

*Nachi stone: A black stone found in the Nachi region of Wakayama Prefecture.

(C)

*Nanbu: The clan ruled the Ou region from the Heian period to the Edo period. In the Edo period, they became the lords of Morioka.

**shakuhachi: Japanese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the shakuhachi was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the fuke shakuhachi.

(D)

*Oyama: The clan ruled part of Musashi Province during the Heian period.

**Yuki: The clan was active mainly in Shimousa from the end of the Heian period to the Warring States period. They were transferred to Echizen after the Battle of Sekigahara and changed their family names to Matsudaira.

(E)

(F)

*Hii River: A river that flows from eastern Shimane Prefecture to western Tottori Prefecture. In Japanese mythology, a large serpent called Yamatanoorochi lived in this river and was killed by Susanoo.

**Shitaburui Valley: This is a valley in Okuzumo Town, Shimane Prefecture, which is about 2 km long and formed by erosion by the Omaki River.

***Takao: It was one of the most famous names of courtesans in Yoshiwara, a red-light district in Edo in the early modern period. Her name was passed down from generation to generation.

****Keisei (ruing castle): A word meaning a beautiful woman or a courtesan. Derived from ancient China, it means a beautiful woman who captivates kings and decays the country.

(G)

*Tenmangu Shrine: A shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a noble, scholar and politician in the Heian period. He lost the political battle and was demoted to Dazaifu, where he died. One curse after another occurred after his death, and a shrine dedicated to him was built. Tenzin (Michizane) enshrined in Tenmangu Shrine is known as the god of learning.

**Cherry Stones: Pseudocrystals of iolite ore from Hiedano, Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture. The cross-section looks like a cherry blossom petal. It is designated as a natural monument of Japan.

(H)

(I)

(J)

(K)