. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Gero Onsen 下呂温泉 Gero Hot Spring Spa
岐阜県下呂市森 Gifu
. Legends about Onsen Hot Springs 温泉と伝説 .
- Introduction -
The town has a history of over 1000 years,
and is regarded as being one of the “Top Three Hot Springs” in Japan along with Arima and Kusatsu Onsen.
From ancient days Gero Hot Springs were familiar to people for its bountifulness. One day the springs had been stopped because of a big earthquake. People were so sad. One day one egret swooped down on the Masuda River and stood for awhile. And the very next day he came the same place and stood there. Day after day he did the same thing! They wondered why, but look! There is a spring! They were so glad. The egret left the place and never came back again. They noticed that there was a statue of Yakushi-Nyorai. So they appreciate that the egret was the embodiment of Yakushi-Nyorai, who was pity for them and tell them the source of the Hot Springs.
- source : gero-spa.or.jp -
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kaeru Jinja かえる神社 Frog Shrine
gero gero is the sound of a frog.
Therefore there are many items related to frogs in Gero town.
. kaeru カエル 蛙 お守り Frog Amulet - Frosch .
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Onsenji 温泉寺 Onsen-ji
City, Yunoshima 680
Yakushi Nyorai
- quote -
A well-known Japanese legend originated from the Gero Hot Springs District.
In the Onsen-ji Temple, Bhaisajyaguru Yakushi Nyorai is enshrined, the Buddha of healing who is mentioned in legend. At the top of 173 stone steps, there is the main building of the temple. From the temple gate, you can enjoy sweeping views of the hot springs town and the Hida River.
- source : city.gero.lg.jp -
- - - - - Homepage of the temple
- source : www.onsenji.jp/ -
. Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来 Bhaisajyaguru
the Buddha of Medicine and Healing .
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Zenshooji 禅昌寺 Zensho-ji
岐阜県下呂市萩原町中呂1089
main statues
釈迦如来 / 観世音菩薩 / 薬師如来
photo : wikipedia - CLICK for more photos !
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This Zen temple was founded to enshrine Kuan-shih Yin, in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) on the site where a high priest named Soto Keishin had built a hermitage during the Heian Period (794-1185).
Emperor Gonara designated this temple as one of the top ten temples of the nation, and ordered the temple to be a place of prayer. The garden created by Sowa Kanamori and “a large image of Bodhidharm” painted by Sesshu are worth seeing.
- source : city.gero.lg.jp -
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- - - - Legends from Gero - - - - -
Hachiman Jinja 八幡神社 Hachimn Shrine
Once 狩野法眼 Kano Hogen painted an ema votive tablet of a horse. But the horse left the plate every night and devastated the fields. So eventually he painted some golden braidle to keep it in place.
. Legends about Hachiman Shrines 八幡宮 / 八幡神社 .
. Kano Eitoku 狩野 永徳 .
. Kano Motonobu 狩野元信 Kanō Motonobu .
Artist name : Kohoogen, Kohōgen こほうげん (古法眼)
with more legends about his ema animal paintings.
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. Hidari Jingoroo 左甚五郎 Hidari Jingoro carpenter .
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hihi ヒヒ baboon
In a cave lived a Hihi and asked for a village girl as an offering every year.
Once 悪源太義平 Akugenta Yoshihira (Minamoto no Yoshihira 源義平 (1141 - 1160) disguised himself as a girl and fought the monster with his sword 祖師野丸 Soshino Maru.
Later an officer from the a village nearby tried to steal this sword, but there was a flash of light from the house and everything began to move violently.
- quote -
Yoshihira was a Minamoto clan warrior who fought alongside his father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, in the Heiji Rebellion.
His brothers were Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Noriyori and Yoritomo.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. Hihi (狒々, 狒狒. 比々) Baboon Monkey Monster .
Legend of Jutaro Iwami (Kanesuke Susukita) and Shippeitaro (Hayataro)
Soshino Hachimangu 祖師野八幡宮
This shrine is related to the legend.
Gero-shi 223, Kanayamacho soshino / 下呂市金山町祖師野字茅野223
- Homepage of the Shrine
- source : kamado.net/soshino -
- - - - - Another legend about Akugenta (Akugenda Yoshihira) :
Once 難波三郎經房 Naniwa Saburo Tsunefusa had a dream where Akutgenta became a thunder.
On the next day, when Tsunefusa was with Kiyomori Nyudo it suddenly became cloudy and thunder rolled along. When he saw this he drew his sword and tried to hit a thunder cloud. Soon it was fine weather again. His sword had a mark of burning.
source : reference
悪源太義平 Akugenta Yoshihira no rei Namba Jirô o utsu
The vengeful spirit of Akugenda Yoshihira striking down his killer, Namba Jirô, at the Nunobiki waterfall
Kiyomori nyûdô Nunobiki no taki yûran 清盛入道布引滝遊覧
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. gaaranbe ガーランベ Kappa .
金山下呂町 Kanayama Gero, three legends
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kitsune 狐 fox
There was a family of doctors in Gero in the third generation. The first generation doctor once went to the forest, where he helped a fox that had hurt his leg when falling on a stone. He carried the fox home and treated the would carefully. Then he let the fox go back to the forest. To show his gratitude, the fox taught the doctor how to heal a broken bone. Therefore the family of this doctor is prosperous to our day.
. Legends about kitsune 狐 The fox .
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Kooshin 庚申さん the Koshin Deity, Wild Deity
Once the Koshin Deity came down to earth. But with its three eyes and wild face, nobody dared to come out and greet him. Only a turtle 亀 came out to meet him.
. The Koshin Cult (kooshin 庚申, ka no e saru) .
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nozuchi 野槌 snake, serpent / daija 大蛇 huge serpent
tsuchihebi, tsuchi hebi ツチヘビ is another name for nozuchi 野槌, a huge snake with almost no head or tail, looking like a huge hammer. This snake lives in the high mountain and sometimes comes rolling down noisily to the village to catch a human for food.
Once there was a fire near the forest office on mount 七宗山 Hichisozan. A huge serpent was fleeting along the road hastily and the weeds on the roadside were moving like waves. The remains of this descent are to bee seen still.
. tsuchinoko ツチノコ or 槌の子 "hammerspawn" snake .
. - daija, orochi 大蛇 the huge serpent, great snake legends - .
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okuri ookami 送り狼 the wolf sending off workers
Once upon a time
when people were on their way home from working in the mountain forest, a wolf would follow them. The wolf had smelled the salty miso paste of their lunch and wanted some salt.
This is the "wolf sending off workers".
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yamainu no ongaeshi 山犬の恩返し the gratitude of a wolf ("mountain dog")
Once upon a time
an old woman helped a wolf, who had a bone of a wild boar stuck in his mouth. Next morning she found a chain of gold 金の鎖 on her doorstep.
- and from Shirakawa 白川町
Once upon a time
a man helped a wolf, who had a bone stuck in his mouth. A few days later (next morning in other versions) he found a scroll on his doorstep, explaining the techniques of bone medicine. This was an act of gratitude by the wolf. (Similar to the kitsune fox above).
The man became a doctor and specialised in healing bones.
. ookami 狼 yama-inu 山犬 wolf legends .
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clay bell from Gero Onsen 下呂温泉
like a princess Daruma
. Clay Bells どれい【土鈴】 dorei .
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shoofuku boo 招福棒 stick to bring good luck
iwaibo 祝い棒 festival stick / bondeko ぼんでこ fertility stick
. Gifu Folk Art - 岐阜県 .
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- Reference in Japanese -
- Reference in English -
- yokai database 妖怪データベース -
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. minwa 民話 folktales / densetsu 伝説 Japanese Legends .
- Introduction -
- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -
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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .
- #geroonsen #gerohotspring #hotspringgero -
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