tsue staff of Kukai legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
. kataba no ashi, kataha no ashi 片葉の葦 One-sided Reed .
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tsue 杖と伝説 Legends about the walking staff of Kobo Daishi

. Kōbō Daishi Kūkai 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説　 Kobo Daishi Kukai Legends .
- Introduction -

He walked around in many parts of Japan and countless legends about his deeds and accomplishments are handed down.
Many legends deal with his walking staff from Gingko tree wood, 杖銀杏.
He also used various staffs and sticks from other material, even bamboo.



He would hit the ground with his staff to produce wells, springs and even hot springs.

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Chiba 千葉県 ......................................
船橋 Funabashi

In former times there was a Dragon Shrine 龍神社 in the middle of the swamp. Kobo Daishi got rid of the reeds by hitting the with his staff, so now they are one-sided. He drained the swamp and now there are green fields.
There is a stone memorial in the place
弘法大師加持石芋片葉蘆之碑



. kataha no ashi, kataba no ashi 片葉の芦 One-sided Reed .



.......................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県 ......................................
今治市 Imabari 菊間町 Kikuma

In the compound of the temple 円福寺 Enpuku-Ji there is 青木の地蔵 "Aoki no Jizo", and next to it is a well called 青木の水 Aoki ni Mizu. The well was started by Kukai when hitting the ground with his staff and is also called
弘法大師御加持水, ritual water from Kobo Daishi or kusurimizu 薬水 "medicine water".
When he hit the ground, a well came forth and also a "green tree", maybe aoki, ミズキ Cornus controversa.



The water has healing powers for all kinds of diseases. And the Jizo is known for healing all kinds of diseases from the hips down the body.



.......................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県 ......................................

dakeishi ダケ石
There is a boulder which Kobo Daishi had touched with his staff. If people touch it now, they will hurt themselves.



.......................................................................... Iwate 岩手県 ......................................

Kobo Daishi rammed his 杖銀杏 walking staff from Gingko tree wood into the ground and a tree began growing. If women prayed here, they had enough milk to feed their babies.


.......................................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県 ......................................

The hot spring 杖立温泉 Tsuetate Onsen was founded by Kobo Daishi, when his bamboo staff took roots.
It is now called 逆杖の竹 "upside down bamboo staff".

- quote -
The Tsuetate-onsen Hot Springs, located on the border of Kumamoto and Oita prefectures in the middle of Kyushu ...
When Empress Shinko went on an expedition to Korea, she was pregnant with the child of Emperor Chuai who had just recently died. As soon as she retreated to Munakata in the Chikuzen region after the war, she went into labor. A gray old man then appeared and said to her, “Follow the river in a southeastern direction, and you will see a magical spring. Draw water from the spring, use it for your baby’s first bath, and it will extend the life of the Prince until he is 1000 years of age.” Then he disappeared. Hearing this message, her squire went over jagged mountains and found the steam coming off the spring in a big rocky cavern. He drew water from the spring, brought it to the Empress and dedicated it as her baby’s first bath. The Prince was born. 　It is believed that the Prince later became known as Emperor Ojin.
... the legend of Kobo Daishi ...
This story is the origin of the name Tsuetate (Tsue means a stick, tate means remain). Addition to this story, another origin is that the sick or elderly people visited the area with their sticks (tsue) for the hot spring cure, but they left (tate) their sticks after they took a bath.
- source : tsuetate-onsen.com-


.......................................................................... Nagano 長野県 ......................................
下伊那 Shimoi district

shio no i 塩の井 Shionoi, the Salt Well
The villagers in Shimoi were very poor. So Kobo Daishi struck the ground with his 銀杏の杖 staff of Gingko wood and opened a well sprouting salt water. Salt became the new income of the villagers.



.......................................................................... Tochigi 栃木県 ......................................
上都賀郡 Kamitsuga district 東大芦村 HigashiOashi

When Kobo Daishi Kukai visited 日光登山 Mount Nikko he planted his staff in the ground at Higashi Oashi village. It grew to a large keyaki 欅 Zelkova tree.



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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
58 to explore (01)

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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. tsue 杖と伝説 Legends about the walking staff .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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- #tsuewalkingstaff #staff #walkingstaffkobodaishi -
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