kame turtle legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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kame 亀と伝説 Legends about turtles, tortoise - Schildkröte


A turtle looking in all 8 directions 八方睨みの亀

. kame 亀 turtle, tortoise.
- Introduction and Haiku -
kenmun ケンムン hinotoragami ヒノトラガミ
Kenmun is a kind of sea turtle Yokai, friend of Kappa san.

Tortoise is a symbol of longevity. It is said that if you rub its head, you can live a long life!
This statue is called Juzohi-no-Okame (寿蔵碑の大亀), or ‘Longevity Monument of the Giant Tortoise’.
The giant tortoise stands 5 meters and 10cm tall.
- source : Matsue Temple Gessho-ji -

. minogame 蓑亀 minokame, "turtle with a raincoat" .

. Urashima Taro 浦島太郎 legend .

. tsuru kame, tsurukame 鶴亀 auspicious Tortoise and Crane .

. hiiki 贔屓 / 贔負 dragon "turtle" .

reiki 霊亀 a mysterious turtle, spirit turtle, divine turtle

The spirit turtle (Chinese: 靈龜 or spirit tortoise is a turtle found in Chinese and other East Asian cultures. It is believed by East Asian cultures, like other turtles in mythology, to represent longevity (壽命).
The sangō title "Reigizan" (霊亀山 "Spirit Turtle Mountain") belongs to several temples in Japan, including Tenryū-ji and Rinsen-ji in Kyōto, Hontoku-ji in Himeji, Daichō-ji in Uwajima, and others.
It is said the Kameoka Hachimangū shrine at Sendai is so-called because a spirit turtle appeared at the time of its construction. Stone statues of the creature can be found at Zenyōmitsu-ji and Kameoka Hachimangū in Mashiko, Tochigi.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. The regency of 聖武天皇 Emperor Shomu Tenno .
During the reign of Shomu Tenno :
In 715, reiki 霊亀 a spirit turtle was offered.
Its left eye was white, its right eye was red.
It was quite big. On its back were seven stars.
On its left and right foot were signs of divination.
On its stomach were a red and white spot.

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Aichi 愛知県
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知多郡 Chita district 南知多町 Minami-Chita town

. Senju Kannon 千手観音 Legends about Kannon with 1000 arms .
During the reign of 元正天皇 Empress Gensho Tenno
there were two brothers, 勘少 Kanjo and and 藤六 Fujiroku, who made fishing nets and went fishing for a living.
In the spring of 霊亀元年 the year 715, their boat was floating and Kanjo tried to pull the net in.
There were no fish in the net, but small stones.
They threw away the stone and tried at a different place. But again, for seven times, they only got stones.
The brothers decided to accept the stones as a fish and kept them in the boat.
Now one stone turned into a big fish.
Much surprized they went home and in that night, they saw a strange light coming from the boat.
All the small stones seemed to shimmer and sparkle.
Kanjo took the small stones back home an they turned into
Senju Kannon 千手観世音菩薩 a Kannon with 1000 arms.
Now the two decided to built a Hall to venerate the Kannon.
Kannon appeared to them and told them, her real body was 阿弥陀仏 Amida Nyorai.
Now they had a vision that they should contact 行基菩薩 Saint Gyoki Bosatsu.
When 行基 Saint Gyoki heard about this, he built a hall and placed the statues of
阿弥陀 Amida, 観音 Kannon and 勢至 Seishi Bosatsu in it.
The hall was called Susa no Koji 須佐の古寺 the Old Temple from Susa.
It is now called 極楽寺 Gokuraku-Ji.
. Empress Genshō. Genshō Tennō 元正天皇 Genshō-tennō . (683 – 748)
. Gyooki Bosatsu 行基菩薩 Gyoki Bosatsu (668 -749) .




......................................................................................... Chiba 千葉県
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銚子市 Choshi city

If the fishermen take good care of the sea turtles, they will have a good fishing harvest.
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umigame no tatari ウミガメの祟り curse of the Sea Turtle
Toward the end of the Meiji period, around 1912, some workers on a maschine boat on the Tonegawa caught a 海がめ sea turtle and ate it.
That day when they finished work and wanted to go back to the harbour, the sea suddenly turned wild and the boat capsized. Only one of the workers made it back to the shore alive.
Others found him mumbeling "this turtle, this huge sea turtle . . . " and then he breathed his last too.
The fishermen of Choshi say this was the curse of the sea turtle and have great respect for this animal.
. Legends from river Tonegawa 利根川 .
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At 御嶽神社 the Shrine Ontake Jinja there is a memorial tower for 海亀墓石塔 a sea turtle.
In 1967, while fishing for sardines, umigame ウミガメ a sea turtle got caught and was killed.
After that, they caught no more fish at all for one month.
Now the fishermen decided to put up a stone memorial tower for the turtle.
After that, fishing went on as usual.

......................................................................................... Fukui 福井県　
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. Zenkai 禅海 Priest Zenkai coming on a turtle .




......................................................................................... Hokkaido
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Matsumae 厚岸郡 Akkesihi district 厚岸町 Akkeshi town / Atsukeshi

reiki 霊亀 a spirit turtle
In 1825, on the coast of Akkeshi a large Suppon 亀 （スッポン） suppon was caught.
When a fisherman named 惣助 Sosuke wanted to kill it, he saw tears in its eyes and stopped.
The other fishermen agreed to let it go.
Since then there were only very good catches in this fishing area.

suppon 亀（スッポン） soft-shelled turtle, Suppon turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis



......................................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫県

. rain rituals at 法泉寺 the Temple Hosen-Ji .

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Hyogo 明石市 Akashi city

. Sakumotsu Tonya - 穀物問屋 a grain wholesaler named 龜屋 Kameya .




......................................................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県　
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reiki 霊亀 a divine turtle
During the reign of 清和天皇 Emperor Seiwa Tenno (850 - 881) 白い亀 a white turtle was offered.




......................................................................................... Nagano 長野県
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. origin of Togura Onsen 戸倉温泉 Hot Spring resort .
along the river Chikumagwa 千曲川




......................................................................................... Okinawa　沖縄

kame to sen 亀，鱣 (hamo 鱧 pike conger eel)
Once a man named 蔡譲 was on his way to China, when a typhoon came and he fell over board.
Suddenly one 亀 turtle and two hamo 鱣 sea snakes came and helped him.
It became custom in his family never to eat the meat of a turtle or pike conger eel after that.




......................................................................................... Tokyo 東京都

. Kameido cho 亀戸町 Kemeido, Kame-Ido "Turtle Well" .

. Tonegawa 利根川 / 刀禰川 River Tonegawa, Tone river .
kame and Kappa / kame no tatari カメのたたり the curse of the turtle

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
470 亀 to collect

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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 -

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