. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Akagisan, Akagiyama 赤城山と伝説 Legends about Mount Akagi
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Mount Akagi (赤城山 Akagi-yama, Red Castle) 1,828 m
The broad, low dominantly andesitic stratovolcano rises above the northern end of the Kanto Plain. It contains an elliptical, 3 x 4 km summit caldera with post-caldera lava domes arranged along a NW-SE line. Lake Ono is located at the NE end of the caldera. ...
Mount Akagi, along with Mount Myōgi and Mount Haruna, is one of the "Three Mountains of Jōmō" (上毛三山),
and the cold north winds down from it are called Akagi-oroshi (赤城おろし) or Karakkaze (空っ風).
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !
赤城山の神 The deity of Akagisan is a huge mukade ムカデ centipede.
source: 画図百物語bot on Twitter
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Shrine 赤城神社 Akagi Jinja
Maebashi city 群馬県前橋市富士見町赤城山 4-2
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The shrine is the focus of more than 300 branches spread all over the prefectures not only in Gunma but in Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa and Niigata. This shrine is believed to have been built during the reign of the Emperor Sujin from 97 B.C. to 29 B.C.
The agriculture gods of Onamuchi-no-mikoto and Toyoki-irihiko-no-mikoto are worshipped here. It is a sanctuary surrounded by ancient trees, including three 1,000-year-old cedars.
- - Akagi Jinnja Somon (The Gate of Akagi Shrine
The gate stands 500 meters away from the shrine itself. According to the records, it was constructed in 1556 in the style of Koraimon which features beams and bars.
- - Akagi Jinja Honnden and Chumon (Akagi Inner Shrine and Inner Gate)
Beyond the outer shrine are the inner shrine and the inner gate. There were originally the two shrines according to the records of 1406, and they were united in 1869. Although the outer shrine was burned down in 1894, the inner shrine and gate remain unchanged.
- - Akagi Jinja Honden Naikuden (Akagi Shrine Sanctuary)
This looks like a portable shrine where the gods descend. The decorative sculpture and the painting on it date from the Muromachi Era. The backside of the door bears the name of the donor Minamotono Narishige who was a general in Ota City today and devoted himself to the gods of Akagi.
- source : maebashi-cvb.com/english... -
- HP of the Shrine
- reference source : akagijinja.jp...-
At Akagi Jinja 赤城神社 Akagi Shrine there is an amulet with the centipede.
source : koinu2005.seesaa.net/article
Since the centipede has "many legs" it will help bring "many legs" to a shop and is thus an amulet for prosperous business.
The Snake Deity is venerated for bringing iron sand to the local river, thus promoting the local iron industry.
The Mukade Deity is venerated for digging underground, helping the mining industry, even finding gold.
ryuukotsu 竜骨 bones of a dragon
At the top of Mount Akagisan is a temple named 常光寺 Joko-Ji. Its special treasure are the bones of a dragon.
Using pure water from Akagi Shrine and adding a few splinters of these bones will make rain fall.
. ryuukotsu 竜骨と伝説 Ryukotsu, Legends about dragon bones .
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. Temple 赤城山金剛院 Akagizan Kongo-In .
善福寺 金剛院 - 沼田成田不動尊
Kaio-zan Zenpuku-Ji, Numata Narita Fudo Son
1108 Boshindenmachi, Numata, Gunma
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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :
source : toki.moo gate 605
Akagisan no oni 赤城山の鬼 The Demons from Akagisan and Harunasan
Once the tow demons got into a fight. The demon from Akagi threw 小石 small stones and the demon from Haruna threw bara バラ（茨）plants with many thorns.
Therefore on Mount Akagisan there are many plants with thorns and on Mount Harunasan there are many small stones.
Akagisan no Tengu 赤城山の天狗 Tengu from Mount Akagisan
The Tengu made Akagisan in one night and then Harunasan in one night. Next he wanted to make a mountain bigger than 富士山 Fujisan and begun to pile up earth, but then a cock called out the morning and there was just enough earth to make
ヒトモッコ山 / ひともっこ山 Mount Hitomokkoyama, a small mountain to the West of 榛名富士 Haruna Fuji.
Other sources quite 上野の天狗と駿河の天狗 the Tengu from Ueno and Suruga for creating Mount Hitomokkoyama.
. Harunasan 榛名山と伝説 Legends about Mount Haruna .
And Akagiasn
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. mukade 蜈蚣 と伝説 Legends about the centipede .
the main legend about the huge centipede from Akagi and the snake of Nikko.
jatai no kami 蛇体の神 The Snake Deity / and mukade no kami ムカデの神 The Centipede Deity
These two animal deities fought at Senjōgahara 戦場ヶ原 Senjogahara, the "Battlefield" marshland in Nikko.
They were the vassals of the deity of 男体山 Nantaisan in Chuzenji and the deity from 赤城山 Akagiyama.
Now there is an Akanuma 赤沼 "Red swamp" of the blood from the Mukade.
- Legends from 桐生市 Kiryu town 新里町 Niisatomura, 邑楽郡 Ora district 大泉町 Oizumi, 邑楽郡 千代田町 Chiyoda, 勢多郡 富士見 Fujimi, 沼田市 Numata town 利根町 Tone.
The ancestor of the 赤堀家 Akahori family is Hidesato.
At 赤堀 Akahori every year there was a home where an arrow with white feathers stuck in the front door.
This family had to offer the daughter to 小沼 Lake Kono, a volcanic lake.
Then one day Hirosato came by and killed the centipede in the lake. Thus the village was saved.
. Fujiwara no Hidesato 藤原秀郷 - 俵藤太 Tawara Tōda, "Lord Bag of Rice" .
killed the huge centipede.
赤堀道元 Akahori Dogen is involved in legends about the centipede and serpents, see below.
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. Nikko 日光 と伝説 Legends about Nikko .
. The hunters 万二万三郎 Banji and Banzaburo .
In a dispute between the goddess of Mount Nikko and the god of Mount Akagi, Banzaburo helped the goddess by shooting out the eye of the Akagi god, who was incarnated as a huge snake (or a huge centipede in some versions of the story). ...
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. Harunasan 榛名山 Mount Haruna .
Lake Harunako 榛名湖 is also called Ikaho no numa 伊香保の沼 Swamp of Ikaho.
. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
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榛名町 Haruna town
The princess daughter of 木部様 Lord Mokubu becomes master of the Lake.
Rituals were held in her memory on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.
- - - Another version:
The wife of Lord Mokubo threw herself into the Swamp of Ikaho and became a large serpent. When Lord Mokubo went there to look meet her, she told him she had been a serpent to start with and shape-shifted into a human. Her maid servants also jumped into the Swamp and became crabs.
Lord Mokubo built the shrine 金子の宮 Kaneko no Miya and submerged it in the swamp. Sometimes on a light summer evening, it can be seen in the water.
Lord Mokubo also built the temple 善導寺 Zendo-Ji and held rituals for the souls on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month.
- - - Another version:
The mother of 道阿上人 Saint Doan visited the Shrine of Haruna Gongen in 1394 on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month and threw herself into the Swamp of Ikaho.
She became a huge serpent, 機尋 / はたひろ Hatahiro, about 24 m long. Doan built a memorial stone for her at the lake side.
She had been a serpent at 筑紫広島池 and became a human to get the benefits of Buddhist teachings.
Hatahiro, loom-spun (by Toriyama Sekien)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA ! Ikaho town
chisen 地仙 the local saint
At the 温泉 hot spring of Ikaho there was a wood cutter, but nobody knew how old he was.
Some village elders claim he was a flag holder of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and came here on his way to The Northern Territory to fight the Ezo. To show his appreciation, Yoshitsune taught him how to use 灸 moxibustion, which Yoshitsune had learned from the Hermit Hitachibo Kaison. He used this medicine to become a long-living saint in the village.
. Hitachibo Kaison Sennin 常陸坊海尊仙人 . *
. Minamoto no Yoshitsune 源の義経 .
............................................................................... Gunma 群馬県
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勢多郡 Seta district 宮城村 Miyagi village
ryuujin 竜神 Dragon Deity
The Dragon Deity of Akagi is 唵佐羅摩女, the Dragon Deity of Ikaho Swamp (Lake Haruna) is 吠戸羅摩女.
When these two had a fight, their land was thrown to the West (Ikaho) and to the East (Akagi).
. ryuujin 竜神 Dragon Deity / Dragon King 龍王 Ryu-O .
Some tales call it Dragon, others huge serpent, others just serpent.
Girls of the age of 16 are not allowed to climb Mount Akagisan.
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桐生市 Kiryu city 新里町 Niisato city
The Mukade Deities from Akagi and the Snake Deity from Nikko had a fight.
Nikko lost and run away. All the trees became red from its blood and the mountain was then called
"Red Tree Mountain", 赤木山 Akagi. Later the spelling changed to 赤城山
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勢多郡 Seta district 富士見 Fujimi
At Akagiyama there is the valley 九十九谷 Kujukudani (99 valleys). If there would be one more valley, it would be like the 100 valleys of 高野山 Koyasan in Wakayama. Then the fight between Akagi the Mukade and Nikko the Snake started.
The Mukade from Akagi was bound with オカボの藁 the leaves of okabo, Kabocha pumpkin.
Since that time the believers in 赤城様 the Akagi deity do not grow pumpkin.
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. daija, orochi 大蛇 the huge serpent, great snake .
Tales of a girl going into the swamp or lake and become a huge serpent (some also a dragon).
The story of the daughter of 赤堀道元 Akahori Dogen.
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伊勢崎市 Isesaki city 西小保方町 Nishi-Obokata town
The daughter of 赤堀道元 Akahori Dogen begun to grow three fish scales on her side at the age of 16. Thus she gave up becoming a woman and went to Mount Akagisan, throwing herself into the swamp 小沼, Lake Konuma,
The Akahori family makes offerings for her on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month, throwing sekihan 赤飯 red auspicious rice into the water.
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桐生市 Kiryu city 黒保根町 Kurohone town
Once the 16 year old daughter of Akahori Dogen, who was born out of prayers to the deity and had scaled at her side, climbed the mountain, jumped into the 沼 swamp and became a huge serpent / a dragon.
Dogen dug a canal to drain the swamp, the remains are to be seen in our day.
The robes of the girl have been given as amulets to local temples.
At the temple 湧丸の医光寺 Wakimaru no Iko-Ji her belt is shown every year on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month.
There is a special dance st the temple
涌丸獅子舞「ささら舞」
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桐生市 Kiryu city 黒保根村 Kurohone mura village
Her father asked クロクワセンチョウ（土木集団）Kurokuwa Sencho, a group doing public workers, to drain the swamp. His daughter appeared on 白い牛 a white bull and called:
やめてくれ - Stop it, stop it!
After all, she had become a huge serpent.
Since then girls of the age of 16 are not allowed to go to Mount Akagi.
On the 8th day of the 5th lunar month, the Akahori family brings offerings of red auspicious rice and throws it into the lake.
At the temple 医光寺 Iko-Ji they keep her belt.
- At 新里町 Niisato town
a similar story is told, but the daughter was not found.
But the whole area of Akahori had enough water and could start planting rice.
- - - - - - This story is also told
- At 前橋市 Maebashi city 上泉町 Kamiizumi city
- At みどり市 Midori city 笠懸町 Kasakake town - they also offer 酒 Sake rice wine.
- At 沼田市 Numata city 利根町 Tone town
- At 勢多郡 Seta district 富士見村 Fujimi village,
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勢多郡 Seta district 赤城村 Akagi village
Once upon a time
a hunter was sharpening his arrow when a very very small snake appeared. The animal tried to wriggle around his finger, but he thrust his arrow very hard into her upper jaw.
The little wounded monster fled into the lake. There was a thunder and a sort of 龍巻 tornado.
When other villagers came to have a look, they found the master of the lake, the huge serpent, lying dead with its upper jaw broken.
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Once upon a time
in the upper stream of river 利根川 Tonegawa a huge serpent came floating down.
Where it came to land is now the rock formation 龍王の岩 Ryu-O no Iwa, Rock of the Dragon Deity.
Between the two rocks is a steep valley where the river whirls and swirls. Down there is 竜宮 the Dragon palace, they say.
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- - - - - Tengu 天狗 - - - - -
. Akagiyama no Sugi no Bo 赤木山の杉の坊 Tengu .
"the Monk of the Cedar Tree from Mount Akagisan"
His sanctuary is the Asuka Shrine 大沼湖畔の飛鳥社 at Lake Onuma.
This tale is told at 有田郡 Arita district 由良町 Yura town.
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前橋市 Maebashi city 粕川町 Kasukawa village
During the absece of Lord Takanobe Ienari 高野辺家成, his second wife sided with some servants and tried to drown the two daughters of the first wife. When Ienari asked about them they told him a Tengu had abducted them. So he went to Mount Akagi to drive out the Tengu. When he learned it was his second wife and servants, he went back home and punished them.
Now three are small sanctuaries for the three daughters along the lake of Onuma and Konuma.
- Another version of this tale:
When Ienati looked for his two killed daughters, he saw them flying out of the lake on a kamo (keri) 鳧 duck. The duck turned into a bird and they flew to the top of Mount Akagisan.
There they became the island 小鳥ケ島 in 大沼 the Big Swamp lake.
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Tengu making Mount Akagisan and Mount Harunasan, see above.
. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア - Tengu ABC-List .
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. kaki 火気 と伝説 Legends about fire .
Around 1720 there had been 大火事 a major fire in Edo. And then at New Year four years later . . . there was a fire at Mount Akagi every night.
On the 14th day of the 4th lunar month, there was a fire at 青山 Aoyama that turned into a major fire.
There were also people who died in the Akagi area.
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shisha no sugata 死者の姿 appearance of a dead person
Families which had a dead in the past year climb 地蔵岳 Mount Jizodake and call his/her name. They might be able to see the appearance of their loved one, or maybe someone resembling it.
Jizodake 赤城山の地蔵岳 Mount Jizo, 1,674ｍ
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沼田市 Numata city 戸鹿野町 Toganomachi town
. kitsunebi 狐火と伝説 Legends about the "fox fire" .
Once a man did duty as 水車の見張り a watchman for the water wheel.
Suddenly he saw about 20 faint lights walking along the foot of Mount Akagisan. After a while, the mysterious fox fires vanished one by one.
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. Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain .
A member of 桑原姓 the Kuwahara family climbed Mount Akagisan at age 16, but never came back.
That day there was a strong rain and deep fog and villagers say this was the curse of Yamanokami and the Master of the Pond.
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勢多郡 Seta district 赤城町 Akagi cho town
. Osaki-gitsune おさき狐 / オサキキツネ fox Yokai with a split tail .
Some families have a small Shrine for Osaki, the Fox Monster. This cult was forbidden in the late Edo period.
"Osaki-gitsune" (尾崎狐) from the Kyōka Hyaku Monogatari by Masasumi Ryūkansaijin.
The face of osaki peaks out from the bosom and the left sleeve of the man holding the balance.
- wikipedia -
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勢多郡 Seta district 赤城村 Akagi mura village
Benten 弁天
At the town of 溝呂木 Mizoroki there was a place named ワクタマ Wakutama where clear water came out of the mountain.
Beside it was a small Shrine for Benten, the Deity of Water. If people pour water on the Shrine, it would soon start to rain.
. Benten, Benzaiten 弁天 / 弁財天 - Sarasvati .
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勢多郡 Seta district 富士見村 Fujimi village
. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
Once upon a time, an old grandmother took her grandchild on the back and went to Mount Akagisan to pick up chestnuts. But they never came back.
Three days later grandma appeared at 赤城有料道路の料金所 the fee station of the Akagi Toll Road.
She told about a beautiful girl that guided her in the mountains, but she must have been bewitched by a fox,
the local Otoka オトカ（キツネ）.
As a wicked Otoka fox gets older, its tail splits into 7 and then 9 tails.
at 赤城山 南麓 宮城地区
source : souhonke.jugem.jp...
In 長野県 Nagano
at the Shrine 飯縄神社 Iizuna Jinja
there was a hole where the Honorable Fox オトカサマ Otoka Sama lived.
Sometimes people used his behaviour to divine god and bad luck.
Otoka sama could also bewitch people.
Some say it might have been mujina ムジナ local Tanuki badger.
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渋川市 Shibugawa city 赤城町 Akagi cho town
Suwa sama no shinboku 諏訪様の神木 sacred tree of the Suwa Deity
This sacred tree was supposed to be cut down for 江戸玉川上水 a waterway of the Tamagawa in Edo, but the chips of wood were all back over night. From the cut some red liquid was pouring out and they said 越後の杣人 a wood cutter from Echigo had died.
. shinboku 神木, shinju 神樹 sacred tree, divine tree .
. Tamagawa Joosui 多摩川上水 Tamagawa Josui Kanal .
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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
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. animals and their legends 動物と伝説 - - ABC list .
. plants and their legends 植物と伝説 - - 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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