gama toad legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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gama 蝦蟇と伝説 Legends about toads

. gama 蝦蟇 / hiki 蟾 / hikigaeru 蟇蛙 toad, Bufo vulgaris.
- Introduction - gamagaeru ガマガエル Japanese common toad, Bufo vulgaris -

. Gama Sennin 蝦蟇仙人 "Toad Immortal" .
Ri Tekkai 李鐵拐 Li Tie Guai and the Chan Chu "Three-legged Money Toad".

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Nihon hikigaeru ニホンヒキガエル（Bufo japonicus）

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Japanese common toad - Bufo japonicus
Description
The Japanese common toad develops a snout-to-vent length of about 17 cm (7 in), with females being a little larger than males, and toads living in warmer habitats growing larger than those in colder places. The head has a pointed snout and is roughly triangular. The tympanum is elliptical and about as far behind the eye as its longest diameter. The body is robust and the stout forelimbs are about half as long as the hind limbs. The second finger on the hand is the shortest and the third the longest. On the hind foot, the first toe is the shortest and the fourth the longest. There is little webbing between the toes.
The skin has small warty outgrowths and its colouring is variable, being greenish-brown, yellowish-brown or darker brown. It is often paler and smoother in the breeding season.
... The Japanese common toad lives mainly on land, feeding on earthworms and small arthropods including ants and some species of beetle that are lamentable to other predators.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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oogama 大蝦蟇 O-Gama, Ogama, the giant toad
a yokai in the form of an enormous toad. This one is even larger than a human being, capable of standing on two legs and even wielding a spear. Legends say that toads, which are long loved, are particularly capable of attaining consciousness and turning yokai, but there are other theories as well.
The Giant Toad is, as its name implies, a yokai in the form of an enormous toad. Called Ogama in Japanese, they are even larger than a human being, capable of standing on two legs and even wielding a spear. They are usually depicted as smoking a pipe.
- source : nioh.wiki.fextralife.... -

絵本百物語 Ehon Hyaku Monogatari
Suoo no Oogama 「周防の大蟆」（すおうのおおがま）
A giant toad lived in 周防国の岩国山 (present day Yamaguchi, Iwakuni city) deep in the mountains.
It was about 2.4 meters high and could spray spittle in the colors of a rainbow. All animals like birds and insects, which were touched by this spittle, were pulled into its mouth to eat.
In summer it would also eat snakes.
Some pictures show it holding a spear in its hands, sometimes chasing humans with this spear.

北越奇談 Hokuetsu Kidan
In present-day 五泉市 Gosen city there lived a samurai called 藤田 Fujita, who went fishing in the valley 河内谷 Kawauchidani. Deep in the mountains he found a large flat boulder to sit on while fishing. So he climbed up there and prepared his fishing rod.
From the other side of the valley there was another samurai fishing, but this other one suddenly made preparations to go home in haste. He even called out to Fujita "Hurry, go back home, leave this place!"
So Fujita packed his tools and followed the other man. He asked him why the hurry.
"Did you not realize what it was you were sitting on? It had fiery red eyes and opened its mouth to yawn."
When they both sneaked back to the place, they found it was not a boulder after all but had been a giant toad.


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hikigaeru 蟾蜍 / ヒキガエル - the name
The name comes from the tale that if you stare at something for a long time, you can draw it toward yourself (hikiyoseru 引き寄せる).
..gaeru, kaeru 蛙, カエル frog





............................................................................... Aichi 愛知県

. ibohikida いぼひきだ a monster toad with warts .
He is also Fukunokami 福の神 God of Good Luck.

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hikigaeru ヒキガエル，kuchinawa クチナワ large serpent
A Samurai who lived near the Edo gate of Owari castle had a Kuchinawa in his garden. Then all the toads came together and formed a circle around the serpent. The serpent then turned into water. On this water the toads peed and then went back home. After some time many hiratake 平茸 mushrooms begun to grow and soon the toads came back to eat them.

. Guchinawa グチナワ (Kuchinawa クチナワ) white serpent .
a messenger of the Gods.

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北設楽郡 Kita-Shitara district 豊根村 Toyone village

hikigaeru ヒキガエル
If someone touches the warts of a toad, he will get warts himself. To get rid of them he has to wait for a rain shower on a summer evening and then wipe the warts with a broom.

gamabuchi 蝦蟇淵 Toad Riverpool
When a young girl passed the Toad Riverpool, she saw a 大蛇 large serpent who had swallowed something strange and was in pain. The serpent is the master of the pond.
The girl took the strange thing out of the mouth of the serpent to help the animal. The greatful serpent promised to grand any wish of the girl, but she should not talk about it to anybody.
After she went home, many people came to her house and asked what had happened, so finally she told the whole story.
Very soon after that the girl became ill and died.

. daija, orochi 大蛇 the huge serpent, great snake .




............................................................................... Fukushima 福島県

. azuki-arai アヅキアライ / 小豆洗い Yokai washing soy beans .
hikigaeru ヒキガエル
When putting two toads back to back and rub their warts, they make a sound like an Azukiarai Yokai.

(Or maybe like the azukiarai 小豆洗い insect "washing red beans", Graphopsocus cruciatus.)




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

doosai ドウサイ Dosai
The Dosai is a kind of 蟇 Hikigaeru. Its skin prevents frogs from growing on its back.
If a human removes the skin, a frog will become very large. If one takes away the Dosai skin for seven days, the frog will explain and teach the special witchcraft skills of a toad.
If one takes away the Dosai skin only once a year, the special powers will be lost in three, four years.
This animal comes out during the rainy season, but if children anger it, the rice of the family will be spoiled




............................................................................... Iwate 岩手県
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紫波郡 Shiwa district 矢巾町 Yahaba

hikigaeru 蝦蟇
Once upon a time, at the memorial stone for a dead person, there stood a hibashira 火柱 pillar of flames every night.
A man from the village took a tool to cut the hooves of his horse, rode right through the flames at night and the flames disappeared.
Next morning, there was a large toad （フルタ) cut and dead.




............................................................................... Kagawa 香川県
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仲多度郡 Nakatado district 満濃町 Manno

hikigaeru 蟇
Once some young folk from the village stayed at a mountain hut, where a beautiful girl had invited them to stay.
When all were asleep, the girl sneaked to the place of one of the men and tried to suck blood out of his mouth. But another man hit her with an ax.
The next morning this one man was dead, but outside, following the bloody trail, there was a large toad dead on the ground.

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高松市 Takamatsu

hikigaeru ヒキガエル
Six woodcutters were stying in a mountain hut over night. An old woman sneaked in at night and begun to suck their blood. One of the men was awake ant hit the old woman with an ax.
The next morning, following the bloody trail, he found a large toad dead on the ground.




............................................................................... Kyoto 京都府
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亀岡市 Kameoka city

hikigaeru 蟇蛙
Once upon a time there were two 石塚 stone mounds. In the one to the East there lived a huge toad.
In the one to the West there lived a serpent of more than 300 years.
A few years ago a man climbet the mounds to cut the weeds, but when he came home, he could not walk any more.
He then built a small sanctuary and prayed for his healing. Soon he felt better.




............................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県
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本吉郡 Honyoshi district

gamagaeru ガマガエル，mizugoroo ミズゴロウ
A family which was growing silk worms went bankrupt.
養蚕で栄えた家が没落していた。ある時家人が、蚕が５，６匹ずつ飛んでいくのをみた。不思議に思ってつけると、大きなガマガエルが舌を伸ばして蚕を食べていた。そのガマガエルを殺してミズゴロウと名づけて祀ったら、家は再び栄えた。

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気仙沼市 Kesennuma city

oogama 老婆に化けた大蝦蟇
昔，名木沢の谷川の土橋の辺に一軒のあばら屋があった。夜になると行灯のもとで一人の老婆が糸を紡いでおり，魔性のものに違いないという評判であった。鉄砲の名人紋兵衛が，ある夜銃を携えて様子を見に行った。土橋の辺まで行ったが，振り向いてニタッと笑った老婆の顔が物凄い。紋兵衛は老婆の胸元目掛けて銃を撃ち放したが，行灯の光が消えただけで何の手応えもなく，真っ暗になったので逃げ帰ってきた。翌晩も行ってみると，やはり同じように老婆が糸を紡いでいた。故老に相談したところ，それは魔性のものに違いなく，行灯の灯を狙えば射止めることができると教えてくれた。そこで三日目の夜，老婆が振り向いた瞬間に行灯の光を狙って撃つと，ギャッという異様な叫びとガラガラという音がして辺りが真っ暗闇になった。翌朝行ってみると，それは三尺余の醜い大蝦蟇であった。




............................................................................... Nagano 長野県
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上田市 Ueda

hikigaeru 蟇 toad
Once a Rokubu stayed with a family. They took away all his money and killed him.
They used to money to start a business. But there used to be a lot of toads in their estate. Then an epidemic broke out and the family members died, all of them.
This was the curse of the Rokubu.
. rokubu 六部 Rokubu pilgrims .




............................................................................... Niigata 新潟県

hikigaeru 蛤蟆
蟇蛙は、捕えても糸を舐め切るようにして翌日には居なくなってしまう。旅館で菓子を出すと、縁の下に蟇蛙が転がしてとってしまう。菓子が欲しくなって引くのである。蚊が縁の下に吸い込まれるのは、蟇蛙が大口を開けて吸い込んでいるからである。




............................................................................... Okayama 岡山県
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岡山市 Okayama city

hikigaeru 蝦蟇
昔々金山寺の大きな蝦蟇と大蛇が住んでいた。この両者が争ったが、それを報恩大師が法力で鎮め、綱引きの形を蛇にして祭る事となった。また江戸末、明治初年頃に金山寺に吝嗇な坊主がいたが、綱引きのとき皆にかゆを食べさせなかったので皆が怒り綱引きで引いた綱をはずして寺の本堂を引き回した。あくる日坊主が本堂へ行くと大蛇がのた打ち回っていた。坊主は村の有力者に救いを求めたが、皆が行くと縄があるだけであった。




............................................................................... Osaka 大阪府

. Shinodayama no oogama 信田山の大蝦蟇 a huge toad from Mount Shinodayama. .

. The toad from 四天王寺 the Temple Shitenno-Ji .

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北河内郡 Kita-Kawachi district

hiki 蟾蜍
蟾蜍（ひきがえる）を殺すと体に蟾蜍の皮のようなものができるといわれている。




............................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県
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神崎郡

hiki 蟾蜍
蟾蜍を殺すと瘭疽（ひょうそ）ができるといわれている。




............................................................................... Tokyo　東京
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文京区 Bunkyo ward

At 江戸の関口 a place named Sekiguchi in Koishikawa, Suijin 水神の社 the Deity of Water was venerated in a shrine.
In the river in front of it, there grew a lot of makomo まこも wild rice.
Once the arrow maker 宮こ弥兵衛 Miyako Yahei passed there and sawa a bright light. It was a huge toad, its back almost as wide as a tatami mat.
He became quite afraid and run home. He became ill and had to stay in bed for seven days.

. makomo 真菰 / まこも wild rice. .

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千代田区 Chiyoda ward

. gamagaeru ガマガエル / Masakadozuka 将門塚 .
Taira no Masakado 平将門 / 平將門 and 三井物産 Mitsubishi Bussan

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台東区 Taito ward

. gama 蝦蟇 toad，hebi 蛇 serpent .
from 東叡山寛永寺 Ueno Tōeizan Kanei-Ji / Kattai-gama 癩蝦蟇 leprosy toad.




............................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県
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東牟婁郡 本宮町

garanboo ガランボウ (Kappa of Kumano)
ガランボウは、一本足の怪物であるという。オイアイというところに滝があるが、昔、静御前が蝦蟇蛙になり、この滝に入っているという。




............................................................................... Yamagata 山形県
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米沢市 Yonezawa city

hikigaeru ひきがへる - mochi-iiもちいひ
米沢の里は、夏の月の明るい夜に人々が集まって語り合った。里のならわしで、もちいいという丸く切った餅を盆に積んでおいた。すると次々に餅が庭に飛んでいき、大きな口を開けて待ちかまえるひきがえるの口に入っていった。



............................................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県
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南都留郡 道志村

gamagaeru ガマガエル / gottora ゴットラ
明治初年、ヌタノテイロという湿地帯にさしかかった炭焼は、ゴットラ（ガマガエル）が幾百匹となく群がっているのを見た。特大のゴットラの背には無数のゴットラが乗っていた。湿地帯は揺れうごめいていた。


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
蝦蟇 / ヒキガエル - ひきがへる / 蟾 / 蛤蟆 / ガマガエル
07 蟇蛙 to explore

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. animals and their legends 動物と伝説 - - ABC list .

. Persons, People, Personen and their legends - - ABC list .

. 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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