Folk Legends From Tono: Japan's Spirits, Deities, and Phantastic Creatures

by Yanagita Kunio

  When they were going across Sennin Pass on the way to Kamaishi Port, there were some peasant farmers who were there protecting the top of the pass. Rather indifferently, the farmers ordered the princess to get out of the palanquin and walk across the checkpoint. The princess was wearing fancy lacquered geta shoes wrapped in protective straw. As she got out, she placed her beautiful hand gently on the shoulder of one of the villagers accompanying the group. It was such a touching moment that the young men were moved to go along and carry the palanquin for several days.

  Sasaki Kizen’s grandfather was one of those who helped carry the palanquin. The princess cried all the time she was in the palanquin, but between sobs she was snacking on something. They thought that it was probably dried soybean curd, but it turned out to be small candies. Looking back, at that time there was cofeito, a star-shaped sugar candy that had been introduced into Japan by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. This is what Mr. Sasaki heard from his grandfather. Another time, when the princess got out of the palanquin to cross a checkpoint, he asked her why she was taking such a difficult trip. The girl just cried, but the old woman attendant replied, “The fighting for the control of the government has started!” Thinking back, he often wondered which castle the princess was from. (251-231)

  On top of the small Nishimondate hill fortress of Shinsaki, there is one old pine tree with a shrine to Hachiman-sama (the god of warriors) at its base. The object used as a symbol of the deity was a small round Buddhist medallion. There is the theory that it is really an image of Jesus’s mother, Mary. Since olden times, this symbol of Hachiman-sama has been known to walk around and play. (252-50)

  Abe no Sadato (1019–1062), the son of Abe no Yoritoki (d. 1057), received territory in the Tono (Iwate) region from his father and fought a number of battles there. He fought with Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039–1106), who is sometimes called Hachiman Taro.

  In an upstream area of Taimagura, there is a cliff with huge rocks. It is said this is where Abe no Sadato once had a hideout referred to as Abe’s castle. Seen from below, it looks like you can climb straight up to the castle, but in fact the rocks are steep. If you don’t know the secret passageway up to the castle, you can’t get there.

  Only one old man from Oguni village knows the secret pathway. Supposedly, a man named Tomozo from Tsuchibuchi village was guided to the castle by this old man. Even when they seemed to be close to the castle, they couldn’t get there. It took nearly half a day to get to the castle. Inside the castle, there were rooms separated by rock walls, and one could see stone pots, cups, knives, poles, and other items that Sadato had used. In olden times, when it rained and sounds carried through the air, it is said that the sound of the closing of the stone castle door could be heard in far-off villages. Some years ago, during a severe storm, the door was blown ten or twelve meters down the stone wall. (253-122)

  Once in Wasedochi, there was a battle between the Minamoto and the Taira clans. There was no clear winner. It was time to eat, so each side steamed rice and ate. The Minamoto clan, seeking to boil the food fast, hung the pot down low over the fire, but it didn’t cook. The Taira clan put their pot up high and piled firewood under it, and the food was soon ready. Even today in this area, there is a saying about the high pot of the Taira clan that goes like this: “It is best to have a high pot when cooking.” (254-19)

  It is said that Araya of Otomo village was originally called Aiya (the meeting of arrows). There was a battle between Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039–1106), who was on the lookout point of west Mt. Tane, and Abe no Sadato (1019–1062), who was on the east side of Mt. Tane. They fired arrows at each other through the sky above Ara valley, and the arrows collided and fell to the ground. That is why this spot is called Aiya (the meeting of arrows). Tradition has it that where the arrows fell on Mt. Taka-Inari, there is a large rock called “Split Rock.” It is said that the arrows fell and split the rock in half. (255-7)

  The symbols of wealth, like golden hens and numerous lacquered cups, are mentioned in stories about local fortress ruins and old mansions. At the Kakujo and Hachimanzawa fortresses in Shimotochinai, people have found jars when they dug around the roots of pine trees. There are also reports of finding red lacquer on the hooves of horses that have come back after running wild in the area. At the remains of a wealthy farmer’s house (choja yashiki) in Kinbatake, it is said there is a five-petal utsugi bush with treasure buried under it. Also, at Bonjizawa fortress in Yamaguchi, there is a spot where treasure is buried. Before old Nitta Otozo of Sakahige died, he said that he was the only one who knew about these things and was happy to tell a responsible person about it. He died before anyone went to hear what he had to tell. (256-131)

  The annual Tono Ya-rokuro ceremony has its origins in the 1628 welcoming celebration that Ya-rokuro (Naoyoshi), the new lord of Tono, got when he first came from Hachinohe to Tono. It was a time of warfare and economic distress, and expectations were high for the prosperity that the new leaders might bring.

  Tono was the only feudal domain throughout the 350 years of the Tokugawa era (1603–1868) to have a woman as its domain leader. This ruler, Nene (Seishinni Nikou, 1585–1644), and her husband ruled the Nambu family in Hachinohe City. In 1614, her husband and son died, and she vowed to never marry again. In 1620, Nene married her daughter to her retainer Naoyoshi and made him the domain lord. In 1627, to avoid a family power struggle or even war with her uncle, Nene, Naoyoshi, and their soldiers agreed to move to Tono.

  It is winter, the snow is lit up by the rays of the setting sun, and each family goes about performing the Ya-rokuro ceremony. The shells of beans and buckwheat husks are in a container held by the head of the household as he walks back and forth three times between the front door and the gate scattering the shells and husks. While doing this, he chants these words in a loud voice:

  Ya-rokuro, come quickly!

  Bring coins and money.

  Have you horses, have you oxen?

  The shells of the beans are rejoicing.

  The husks of buckwheat are rejoicing too! (257-281)

  Nakadate Koichi (1883–1932), a friend of Sasaki Kizen, came from a family that had served as high-ranking elder counselors (karo) to the rulers of Tono since his grandfather’s generation. In feudal times, karo lived within the inner circle of estates on the castle grounds. One winter evening, Nakadate’s grandfather was returning home when two identical forms (one a doppelgänger apparition) of his wife appeared at the house entrance to welcome him home. He tried to tell them apart but couldn’t tell which wife was the real one. One of his quick-witted soldier retainers got the large pet dog, and then one of the wives (the fox?) panicked and ran off. (258-173)

  The following took place in the 1850s. It was on the evening of a severe snowstorm. At Sasaki Kizen’s home, someone was knocking on the door. When he opened the door, two handsome young samurai warriors, with what appeared to be long swords, were standing there. The samurai explained that they were in hiding during the day and traveled at night. They had no food and asked if they could stay for the night.

  The Sasakis felt sorry for them, but in those days, because of ordinances proclaimed by the local feudal lord, they could not give lodging to samurai. So they took them to the village Kumano Shrine hall and provided them with rice grain and soybean paste to help them out. The two samurai hid out in the shrine hall for two or three days, but since they were afraid that they would be found out and reported, one night they moved on. When the Sasakis checked one morning, they found they were gone. (259-232)

  At one time there was a person in Otomo village with the nickname of Okami (wolf). He made a living driving packhorses and transporting goods from place to place. One day, he was at Hokimatsu of Dangoishi (rice cake–shaped rock) and saw a samurai warrior coming from the opposite direction. The samurai told him that his way of driving the packhorses was all wrong and arrogantly said, “I should kill you!”

  The pack
horse driver got down on his knees, lowered his head, and admitted his wrongdoing. Then, for some reason, he got sleepy. When he came to and looked around, he saw a fox climbing onto the packhorses from the Dangoishi (rock). Angry, he shouted and chased the fox off. Supposedly, not one fish had been taken from his packs. (260-198)

  In the Suzuki Matsuemon household of Kanesawa village, there was a famous medieval-era “Gassan”-style sword that had been handed down for generations. It was usually referred to as “Tsukiyama (moon-mountain) Gassan” so people would know the proper Chinese characters for “Gassan.” The master of the family once went to Sendai City, and he didn’t have enough money to cover his lodging expenses. So he left the sword as payment and returned home. It is said that the sword later transformed into a red snake and returned home. (261-142)

  An ancestor of the Matsuda Tomenosuke household of Otomo village was a roaming samurai warrior (ronin) named Suzuki Izumi of the Kasai family. At the time, this was a very wealthy family. Once, the master of the family went to Tono wearing a sword that had been passed down for generations.

  On his way home, he took a break at a resting spot at Otomo Pass. When he got up to head home, he forgot to take his sword. Once he realized what he had done, he sent his servant to get it. When the servant got to the resting spot, he saw a large frightening snake coiled up. He couldn’t get close, so he returned empty-handed and explained the situation to his master. The master went himself, and what had appeared as a snake was just the famous sword he had forgotten. It is said the sword was made by Toroku Yukimitsu, a second-generation craftsman. (262-143)

  This happened around the 1860s. A warrior retainer of the Tono ruling clan was a big drinker of rice wine (sake), and whenever he got drunk, he would sleep wherever he was. Once he was in Kanasa of Matsuzaki village near the bank of the Sarugaishi River. As usual, he was drunk. Someone decided to play a trick on him, but there was a red snake near his body crawling around. Scared, the person couldn’t get close. When the warrior woke up, the snake had become the sword at his side, and he went off. This sword was made by a famous sword smith as well. (263-144)

  An impressive-looking samurai warrior in his forties and his attendant were relaxing in a teahouse in Atsuraku. It was lunchtime, and they warmed some rice balls they had brought with them and broiled some fish on skewers that they had ordered from the teahouse. There were also four or five men from the village warming themselves by the fire.

  One of the villagers was Manjiro from Oshita who was a ruffian. He suddenly snatched the samurai’s rice ball and gobbled it down. He was about to grab his fish as well when the samurai’s face turned red. Without saying a word, the samurai drew his sword and took a swipe at Manjiro. Manjiro avoided the swipe, grabbed the sword, and bent it badly between the cornerstones of the teahouse. He then bad-mouthed the samurai. It is said the samurai left the teahouse humiliated. Later, it was revealed that the samurai was from the large castle town of Morioka. As might be expected, the samurai didn’t say anything about a mere peasant farmer taking his sword. Nothing came of the incident. (264-224)

  In the Edo era (well before 1868), a man named Jikichi Gonbo lived in Tsuchibuchi village. In this area, his name, “Gonbo,” means a drunken troublemaker or someone with an abusive mouth. Jikichi was tall, grim faced, and of sturdy build. One market day, he was drinking at a sake shop called Tateya when a man from Kesen on the coast, training to become a samurai, came in. He had one assistant with a package on his back wrapped in a cloth. The samurai was distinguished and wore a fine striped trouser-like garment. Jikichi turned to the warrior and said that he was the best swordsman in the area and challenged him to a duel. The samurai accepted and pulled a wooden sword out of the luggage that his assistant was carrying.

  Jikichi was a mere farmer and knew nothing about sword fighting. He was drunk and just shooting off his mouth. He was privately surprised at the stately appearance of the samurai, but he was now stuck with the situation he had created. He thought that this day might be his last and said, “As you can see, I won’t have anything to defend myself. Can I use anything I want to fight?” The samurai replied that he could use anything he wanted.

  Jikichi went into the back of the sake shop to find a weapon. He looked around while urinating and saw a short piece of lumber. Good, he thought, I can beat him down with this. He tied up his kimono sleeves like a samurai would so that he would look brave. He picked up the piece of lumber and returned to the drinking room. Meanwhile, the samurai, thinking that Jikichi had run away since he had been gone for so long, spoke loudly about himself. He was surprised to see how Jikichi now looked.

  Jikichi quickly read the situation and said to the swordsman that a wooden sword was not interesting. While brandishing his piece of lumber, he told the samurai to come with his real sword. The samurai, not knowing what to make of it, suddenly lowered his wooden sword and said, “Sir, I would like to call off the fight. In exchange, I will buy you some sake.” He bought five glasses of sake and offered them to Jikichi. Jikichi showed off, boldly saying that he still wanted to fight. The samurai took it seriously, apologized, and quietly left with his assistant. Jikichi couldn’t stop bragging about how a great swordsman lost to him and how he drank five glasses of sake for free. (265-225)

  This happened to old man Torahachi some time ago. He was in the mountains and, all of a sudden, he couldn’t stand up. He collapsed on the grass and noticed that “pure water” (kiyomizu) was bubbling up beside him. He drank some of the water and rubbed it on the spots that were painful. His pain was soon gone and his mood improved. This was the origin of the pure water or sacred water legend.

  A young clerk in the office for Matsuzaki village questioned that such a stupid thing could happen in these modern times and went to the mountain. He went close to the “pure water,” and suddenly he couldn’t move his body. He fell down in the grass nearby. Since he could still talk, he asked old Torahachi to help him. Torahachi said it was not easy to forgive the clerk’s doubting thoughts, but since he did ask for help, he would do something, only on the condition that the clerk promised not to be so arrogant in the future. He then gave the clerk “pure water” to drink. His body returned to its original state. This is exactly how the clerk related the story. (266-45)

  Even today there is a Gozen-no-numa Pond in Aozasa village, and it is said that a whitish water bubbles up in it. Some years ago, the water from the pond was heated in a bathtub, and a number of sick people bathed in it. It had a curing effect, and every day, people would come to visit the shrine near the pond.

  Because the pond’s reputation became so famous, a policeman from Tono decided to stop this superstition and kicked the small shrine over, completely destroying it. On his way home, the policeman lost control of his arms and legs. He died just after getting home. Also, the people in his family became sick, and some of them died. This was a story from around the beginning of the Meiji era (1868). (267-43)

  At Takamuro in Tsuchibuchi village, there is a hill called Futatsu-ishi (two rocks). On top of the hill there are two large rocks standing side by side. Between the two rocks there is about a meter-and-a-half space, and it is said that men and women are not permitted to go through this space together. The rocks are said to cuddle together late at night. The locals refer to the rocks as the “husband and wife rocks.” (268-9)

  A long time ago, mythology has it, there were three very attractive sisters who lived in Furusato. They each flew off to different locations in Tono, where they were transformed into Buddhist goddesses of mercy (Kannon): the eldest sister went to Flute Blowing Pass, the second sister to Wayama Pass, and the youngest to Otabeeshi. (269-1)

  The female deities of the three mountains of Tono—Mt. Hayachine, Mt. Rokkoushi, and Mt. Ishigami—often competed with each other in various ways. It is said that the deity from Mt. Rokkoushi gave the wrestler Arataki his great strength. When Sasaki Gonshiro from Ishibane heard about this, he prayed, hoping tha
t the deity of Mt. Hayachine would give him strength as well.

  Gonshiro went to Kawahara-no-bo, met the female deity of Mt. Hayachine, received a gift, and suddenly became very strong. This happened when he was about twenty years old. Now he is over eighty, and he has none of the strength and vigor he once had. At age fifty, he went to where he received the gift and returned it to the deity. He would never tell anyone what he had received. Mr. Miyamoto heard this story directly from him. (270-97)

  8

  No Spirit Forgotten

  This closing collection of tales brings us back to the celebration of life from the individual peasant’s perspective—a focus on the preparations for the New Year cycle of farming. To ensure every aspect of the success of the coming year, no spirit goes unattended. Japanese take great pride in their local folk traditions and practice their religious beliefs (a mixture of animism, shamanism, and Buddhism) in a highly tolerant setting where, as we have seen, the lines between humans, deities, and nature are not clearly demarcated. This has given rise to a vast array of distinct local rites, rituals, ceremonies, and festivals that are practiced each year at the nearly two hundred thousand Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples throughout the country.

  Celebrations at the beginning of the New Year (usually based on the lunar calendar) are especially important. These activities begin on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month with tateki-tate, when two chestnut trees are cut down and placed at the entrance to the house. New Year’s festivities officially end on the ninth day of the second month with the taking down of the yumiya-hiraki (bow and arrow) decorations.