(A) The Pine of Akoya

Whenever I hear the song of Takasago*, I think of the legend of the Akoya pine tree in my hometown. The ruins of the Akoya pine are located on Mt. Chitose, east of Yamagata City. The story of Minamoto no Sanekata** visit to the pine has been recorded in books since ancient times, but the legend described below is of a different kind.

During the reign of Emperor Monmu, who ruled the country in the capital, Nara, the princess of Chunagon Ason Fujiwara no Toyomitsu, who ruled the land as Mutsu no kami (governor of Mutsu Province), was called Akoya and was incomparably beautiful and superior. One autumn night, when the sky was clear and the moon's shadow was pure, Princess Akoya was playing the koto alone near the balustrade, remembering the sky in the capital, when a very elegant young man in a green kariginu*** appeared out of nowhere. Of course, he came because he fell in love with her. She, too, was instantly captivated by his figure and the sound of his flute. He only identified himself as Natori Taro, who lives at the foot of Mt. Chitose, but he didn't tell his exact background, being caught up in love, she didn't even actively ask him deeply. The more often he visited, the more they found themselves romantically involved. Another fate befell them while their happy dreams were still unfulfilled. One night he told her "The end of my life is finally upon me tomorrow, so tonight is the end of my meeting with you. After my passing, I will earnestly ask you to lead me to the Pure Land "and tried to leave. Surprised, she tried to cling to his sleeve, but strangely, his figure disappeared like a shadow, leaving only the shadow of the pine tree reflected on the paper sliding screen.

incomparably （副）比較にならないほど

balustrade（名）手すり、欄干

befall（動）襲い掛かる

earnestly（動）真面目に、一心に

Pure Land......浄土

Around that time, a bridge over the Natori River was destroyed by a flood, so old pine trees from Mt. Chitose were chosen as materials for the bridge construction. Of course, the locals would not know that this pine spirit is Princess Agoya's lover. They all cut down this pine and were trying to pull it to the construction site when, strangely enough, the pine didn't move. When she heard it, she remembered his last words and bravely went there. Her hand touched the pine, and in an instant, the trunk of the pine, which had hitherto been like a large rock, began to move lightly and arrived safely at the construction site.

trunk（名）幹

hitherto（副）今までは

After that, Princess Akoya swore her chastity to the pine tree, a memento of her betrothed, and continued her single life until she died on February 16, 707, sleeping. In accordance with her will, she was buried at the base of the pine tree, and yet another pine was planted to serve as a landmark for the famous Akoya pine of Mt. Chitose, which has been the subject of waka poetry to posterity and is still handed down as a local legend. (Toshinori Nakanishi)

swere（動）誓う

memento（名）形見

hand down......伝える

Note: The legend of the pine spirit of Akoya is completely a folk legend as far as I know, and there is no record of its source. This legend was incorporated into the origin story of Bansho Temple****, and in those written after the Meiji period, it is recorded in the "Yamagata-ken Chishi Teiyo (Yamagata Prefecture Geographical Directory)***** "and quoted in the toponym dictionary written by Dr. Yoshida******. "Fuudo Ryakki*******", which I remember was probably published after the Meiji period, also describes Princess Akoya.

incorporate（動）組み込む

toponym（名）地名

(1) Mt. Chitose is a small peak with a pine forest and good scenery, where a park was once built. The remains of the pine tree of Akoya, which Sanekata visited, were on the mountaintop, but it had already withered and had not been replanted, so there is nothing left now. At the foot of the mountain is Bansho Temple, which holds a wooden statue of Princess Akoya. Sanekata's daughter came to Kyoto to adore her father, and he died in Kasajima on his way to visit the pine. Believing it to be her father's last wish, she visited the pine trees of Akoya and built a hermitage, which is the origin of the temple. However, according to "Fuudo Ryakki", the origin story of the Hazukashi River is said to have been told by Princess Akoya. There is a legend that Sanekata's lover visited the place all the way, and when she saw her own figure, haggard from a long journey, reflected in a clear stream, she composed a poem, stating, "What can I do, my reflection in the river is like the hair of ninety-nine years old, my reflection is a shameful river, "and from then on, it came to be called the Hazukashi (shameful/embarrassed) River, and the river water began to flow underground, avoiding the ground. There is a legendary stone monument in the temple that his daughter is said to have built on the third anniversary of Sanekata's death.

replant（動）植え直す

hermitage（名）隠者のすみか

haggard（形）やつれた

(2) One reason Sanekata visited the pine is that an old waka poem, "In Michinoku********," is famous. I don't know if there were any legends at the time.

(3) I have never heard of the Dosojin********** of Kasajima because I have never been there and it is far from my hometown of Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture. I don't know anything about it other than what it says in the book. Kasajima is in Natori County, Rikuzen Province. There is a legend that Natori Taro and Natori County built a bridge over the Natori River, which seems to be the origin of the name. Minamimurayama County, where Mt. Chitose is located, and Natori County were not that far away, and besides, Sanekata died in Natori County, so that seems to have something to do with it. Other than the above, I don't know anything about the legend of the pine trees on Mt. Chitose other than the fact that "Fudo Ryakki" is quoted in the dictionary of place names. (Toshinori Nakanishi)

(A)

*Takasago: One of the Noh plays. An elderly couple sweeps beside pines on a high sand beach and tells a traveler about the legend of the pines. A song based on this legend is sung at weddings and other occasions.

**Minamoto no Sanekata: (? - 999) He was a noble and poet in the Heian period. He was relegated to Mutsu Province in 995. In 999, when he passed Kasajima, he fell from his horse and died under it.

***kariginu: Ordinary clothes worn by court nobles since the Heian period.

****Bansho Temple: A Soto sect temple in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture.

*****Yamagata-ken Chishi Teiyo: The geographical record compiled by Tashiro Arai in 1878.

******Dr. Yoshida: Togo Yoshida (1864 - 1918) A historian and geographer. He taught himself historical geography and became a professor at Waseda University. In 1900, he compiled "Dai Nihon Chimei Dictionary "(Dictionary of Place Names of Japan).

*******Fuudo Ryakki: "Dewa no Kuni Fuudo Ryakki (Geographical Summary Records of Dewa Province)". A topography of Dewa Province compiled by Shinto priest Shigeki Shindo in 1762. It describes temples, shrines, and castles in detail.

********in Michinoku: Author unknown: The moon that should have gone out doesn't come out because it's hidden behind the Akoya pine in Michinoku. The Tale of the Heike 'It's sad that she went to visit the Akoya pine in Michinoku and lost her body.'

*********Dosojin: The deity guards against plagues and evil spirits coming from outside on village borders, mountain passes, and by the side of three-way roads. Many are made of stone. It is also called Saenokami or Durokujin. Sanekata fell off his horse and died in front of Dosojin in Kasajima.