. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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tokko 独鈷 と伝説 Legends about the Vajra Thunderbolt
tokko, dokko, toko, doko 独鈷 / 獨鈷 / とっこ single-pointed Vajra, single-pointed "Thunderbolt", Donnerkeil
kongoosho 金剛鈷
. tokko, dokko 独鈷 Thunderbolt, Vajra .
- Introduction -
(kongoosho 金剛鈷, kongoochisho, kennesho, basara) Donnerkeil, Vajra
(tokkosho, dokkosho 独鈷杵, toko; S: ekasuucika vajra, dokosho) - Einspitziger Vajra
Donnerkeil mit drei Spitzen (sankosho; S: tri-sanku) - Dreispitziger Vajra
(gokosho, 五鈷杵 gohoo kongoo, gochi koomyoohoosho ; S: panca-suucika vajra, panca sanku) Fünfspitziger Vajra.
(kukosho 九鈷杵) Neunspitziger Vajra
- and many other variations.
- - - - - Many legends and tales about the Tokko are related to
. Kōbō Daishi Kūkai 弘法大師 空海 - 伝説 Kobo Daishi Kukai .
Hitting the ground to produce a healing spring or well produces
dokkozui, dokkosui (dokko mizu) 独鈷水 / ドッコ水, also read
O-koozui 独鈷水（おこうずい）"Vajra Water"
O-Koozui お香水 O-Kozui, "fragrant water"
. sanko-ken 三鈷剣 "three-pronged vajra sword" .
attributed to Fudo Myo-O 不動明王
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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :
.......................................................................... Chiba 千葉県 ............................
館山市 Tateyama
. En-no-Gyôja 役行者 En no Gyoja (Jimpen Dai-Bosatsu) . - (634 - 706)
En-no-Ozuno 役小角
At the temple Yoorooji 養老寺 Yoro-Ji thre is a special spring, the 独鈷水 Tokkozui, which never dries out, even in the worst drought.
Once En no Gyoja came to this area on this way from 大島 Oshima and hit the ground with his magic 独鈷 Tokko .
.......................................................................... Fukushima 福島県 ............................
いわき市 Iwaki
At the 薬師堂 Yakushi Hall of 閼伽井薬師 Akai Yakushi
there is a stone in the form of a 独鈷 Tokko, which looks very much like the real thing. But now it is not there any more.
There is also a well (Akai 閼伽井) where Kobo Daishi had hit with his 独鈷 Tokko to produce healing water for eye diseases.
. Joofukuji 常福寺 Jofuku-Ji .
Akaidake Yakushi 閼伽井嶽薬師/ Akaidake Fudo 赤井嶽不動
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二本松市 Nihonmatsu
In former times there was no well in the region, but then came Kobo Daishi, hit the ground with his 独鈷 Tokko and produced water for all in the village.
In some parts of the waterways there are now snakes.
.......................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫 ............................
. Dokkosan 独鈷山, Kaburaiji 鏑射寺 Kaburai-Ji .
Dokko Mizu no Ido 独鈷水の井戸 Kukai Kobo Daishi passed here and dug the well.
.......................................................................... Kagawa 香川県 ............................
さぬき市 Sanuki
. Ookuboji 大窪寺 Okubo-Ji .
The last one of the 88 Henro Pilgrimage.
When Kobo Daishi passed here, he hit a rock with his 唐伝来の独鈷 Tokko from China and indeed, fresh water came forth.
.......................................................................... Kyoto 京都府 ............................
Yokoku Kannon no O-koozui 柳谷観音の独鈷水（おこうずい）"Vajra Water"
. Yookokuji 楊谷寺 Yokoku-Ji .
長岡京市浄土谷堂ノ谷2 Donotani-2 Jododani, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto
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Tokonagesan Senjuji 獨鈷抛山千手寺 Mount Tokonage-San, Senju-Ji
- 薭田野町鹿谷大タワ７ / 7 Otawa, Rokuya , Hiedano-cho, Kameoka
Rokuya (Valley of the White Deer)
On his way to China, Kukai Kobo Daishi's boat was in great distress and he mad a vow to carve a statue of Kannon with Thousand Arms, if he could return safely to Japan. On the way back he threw his vajra scepter 独鈷 Tokko (Dokko) in the air praying for a place to start his new temple in Japan. Back in Japan he stayed some time at the shrine 春日大社 Kasuga Taisha. The Deity 春日明神 Kasuga Myojin revealed to him that the Tokko had stopped in 丹波国山内庄 Tanba, so he should go there fast and carve the Kannon with 1000 Arms, then the Deity would show him the way.
When Kobo Daishi came to the Tamba region a white deer (messenger of the Kasuga Deity) and showed him the way to the valley. There hang his Tokko in the branches of a pine tree and light shone far and wide. So without delay he carved the Kannon and founded this temple. This is how it got its name.
The Tokko then took off to reach Mount Koyasan (see below).
The Kannon with 1000 Arms of this temple cures eye diseases. The water of the temple well can be used to wash an eye disease away. It is called O-Koozui お香水 O-Kozui, fragrant water.
This cure is especially powerful on the 17th of April and July, when a visit to the temple will count as 1000 days visiting 千日参 sennichi mairi.
The legend knows this about the spring:
Once there was a sparkling light every night in this region, maybe the spook of a fox or tanuki badger, the farmers were worried and one of them shot an arrow in the direction. He felt a hit and went looking. The found the arrow and a bloody trail to the temple Senju-Ji, where he saw that the left eye of the Kannon Statue was bleeding. He pulled the arrow out of her eye and made a vow never to use bow and arrow again.
Soon after this the spring of the "Fragrant Water" begun flowing in the temple compound, healing all kinds of eye disease.
- - - HP of the temple
- source : odn.ne.jp/tokonage_san -
. ganbyoo chiyu kigan 眼病治癒祈願 prayer for healing of eye disease .
. senju Kannon 千手観音 Kannon Bosatsu with 1000 arms .
.......................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県 ............................
角田市 Kakuda 小田 Oda
Kannon Dokko Mizu 観音独鈷水 Dokko Water and Kannon Bosatsu
The Kannon of Mount Tokura 斗蔵山 produced a clear well, お授け清水 O-Sazuke Shimizu,
when Kukai Kobo Daishi passed there.
Tokuraji 安狐山 斗蔵寺 Ankosan Tokura-Ji
宮城県角田市小田斗蔵９５ / Tokura-95 Oda, Kakuda-shi, Miyagi
The Kannon Hall was built in 807 by
. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 (758 - 811) .
to house a special bronze statue of a Kannon with 1000 Arms.
In the same year Kobo Daishi passed by and praized the statue as a place with no second in the Northern Region:
紫雲天になびき 奥州無二の霊地なり
- Look at the statue here:
- source : city.kakuda.miyagi.jp/syoko -
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仙台市 Sendai
Kooboo shimizu 弘法清水 "Fresh Water from Kobo Daishi"
In former times the area around Sendai had very poor water distribution.
Once Kobo Daishi passed here and asked an old woman in a poor farmhouse for a drink. The woman had to walk quite a way to fetch some water for the monk. He was very greatful for her deed and produced a spring beside her home. But now it has dried out.
There are other wells and springs related to Kobo Daishi in Miyagi:
弘法清水 Kobo Shimizu （仙台市若林区六丁ノ目）
毬清水 Mari Shimizu （仙台市太白区鉤取栗木)
弘法井 Kobo I （石巻市田代島大泊松盛院）
弘法独鈷水 Kobo Dokkosui（桃生郡河南町北村高福寺)
弘法水 Kobo sui （名取市秋保野尻）
.......................................................................... Nagano 長野県 ............................
Tokkosan 独鈷山 Mount Tokko San
Koizumi Kotaro 小泉小太郎 / Izumi Kotaro 泉小太郎 (Izumi no ko, Taro)
A young priest was studying an Mount Tokkosan, and a beautiful girl came to visit him regularly. But he became suspicious and followed her to the riverside 鞍ケ淵, where she turned into a 大蛇 huge serpent (other sources quite a dragon). In due time the serpent gave birth to a boy and died.
The boy was picked up by an old hag (Tatsu) who named him
Koizumi Kotaro. The boy grew up to be a strong warrior.
龍の子太郎 Tatsu no Ko Taro
A novel, manga and movie telling his story.
- quote -
Taro, the Dragon Boy by Miyoko Matsutani
... In the distant past of Japan a lazy and selfish Taro loves to eat and sleep and wrestle with the animals. With no direction in his life, a Tengu appears that gives him a special potion. With this potion, he gains the strength of a hundred men - but he can only use it when he is helping others. After drinking the potion, Taro, day by day, begins to understand what it means to help others, ...
... his mother, Tatsu, now lives. Tatsu tells Taro why she was transformed, as a mother heavy with child fulfilling her duties to her unborn child, she needed to eat, but neglecting her duties to the rest of her village, she left nothing of her catch for the other workers. ...
- source : wikipedia -
CLICK for more photos and toys with Kotaro !
Kotaro no Haha, Tatsu 小太郎と母龍
Similar legend from 千曲（ちくま）の湖 the lake Chikuma in 信濃 Shinano.
- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com/modules/stories -
source : daiya.co.jp/blog
.......................................................................... Nara 奈良県 ............................
御所市 Gose
. En-no-Gyôja 役行者 En no Gyoja (Jimpen Dai-Bosatsu) . - (634 - 706)
En-no-Ozuno 役小角
When En no Gyoja practised austerities at 葛城山 Mount Katsuragisan at age 17, he was tempted by a beautiful woman. When he hit her with his 独鈷杵 (とこしょ) Tokosho the vanished, leaving behind a bad smell. When he followed the smell in a South-Western direction, he came to a pond and saw her turn into a 大蛇 large serpent. When he tried to fight with her, The Deity of Kamo Ducks 鴨の神 came to his help and drove her away. So this area is now called
Oitsuki no Mori 追付の森 "Forest of Pursuit"
and the deity venerated there is
Oitsuki Daimyoojin 追付大明神 Oitsuki Daimyoji.
Shrine 追着神社 Oitsuki Jinja
.......................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県 ............................
Ikagu Jinja 伊香具神社 - Dokko sui 「独鈷水（ドッコ水）」
Kobo Daishi produced a spring with clear water.
It is a special water source to our day.
滋賀県長浜市木之本町大音 / 688 Kinomotocho Ooto, Nagahama, Shiga
source : 家庭菜園の番人日記
.......................................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県 ............................
. Shuuzenji 修善寺 Shuzen-Ji .
Hitting the rocks with his tokko 独鈷 Vajra, Kobo Daishi produced a hot spring to heal all kinds of illnesses, Tokko no yu 独鈷の湯 Tokko Hot Spring.
.......................................................................... Tokyo / Edo 東京 江戸 ............................
目黒 Meguro
. Meguro Fudo Myo-O 目黒不動 .
Ennin hit the ground with his Tokko and produced a spring with fresh water.
. Ennin 円仁 - Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 . (794 – 864)
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台東区下谷 Shitaya - 清水稲荷 Kiyomizu Inari
Parents of a child which was very ill prayed to Kukai for help. So he hit the ground with his tokko 独鈷 Vajra and a well begun flowing out with healing water.
.......................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 ............................
higyoo no sankoshoo 飛行三鈷杵 The flying Vajra
三鈷金剛杵
It flew all the way to Mount Koyasan.
Part of the story has been told above, at Kyoto, Mount Tokonage-San, Senju-Ji .
Sanko no matsu 三鈷の松 The Pine and the three-pronged Vajra, Trident Pine
To our day it has some pine needles with three needles.
三鈷の松の葉
michibiki inu 導き犬
Two dogs let Kobo Daishi to the right place, sent by the deity 丹生都比売神 or 狩場明神.
. Koya San in Wakayama 高野山 和歌山県 .
On returning to Japan, Kobo Daishi Kukai looked for the sankosho and finally found it hanging on a pine tree in Koyasan in the year 816. After more than 1,200 years, the pine tree is still revered by monks and visited by many tourists daily.
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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師 空海 - 伝説 .
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -
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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .
- #tokko #dokko #vajra #thunderbolt #donnerkeil -
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