ushiishi gyuseki bull rock legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ushiishi 牛石と伝説 Legends about the "bull rock"
ushi-ishi / gyuu-ishi ぎゅういし / gyuuseki


Not to mix with ishi no ushi 石の牛 the stone figures of a bull from Tanjin Sama!



. Tenjin Sama - Sugawara Michizane Legends 天神菅原道真伝説 .


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Ushiishi Kofun 牛石古墳 Ushiishi burial mound


1-4 Momoyamadai, Minami Ward, Sakai, Osaka
西原公園にある古墳 in Nishihara Park

Part of the exposed stone chamber looks like a bull lying down.

- quote -


石室の天井石が露出していて、いかにも牛が寝そべったように見える。この石にまつわる伝説が多々ある。
- reference source : kitamejirou .blog. -

. kofun jidai 古墳時代 burial mound period - 250 to 538 .


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

......................................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県
.......................................................................
多治見市 Tajimi city

Once upon a time
in the village 小泉村大原 Koizumi Ohara they pulled a bull to the Myojin Shrine, but the bull stopped walking. The bull leader became angry and slashed it, cutting off its head.
The bull turned into stone on the spot and the head rolled over to another place to become a stone too.




......................................................................................... Gunma 群馬県
.......................................................................
利根郡 Tone district

. daija, orochi 大蛇 the huge serpent, great snake .
The governor of the Oku-Joshu region went to a banquet, where he saw a beautiful woman and became her lover.
He never saw the woman during daytime, only at night. When he asked her why, she said she was from a poor farmer family from 庄田 Shoda and if he would marry her, she would serve him during daytime too.
So they wedded and a while later a boy was born.
The woman was a huge serpent from 庄田の沼 the swamp at Shoda. The palanquin she had used to come turned into a rock and was called 牛石 Ushiishi.
Her son had a long face and scales on his body.




......................................................................................... Fukushima 福島県
.......................................................................
飯坂町 Iizaka town

In the temple town of 頭陀寺 Zuda-Ji there is a rock which looks like a sleeping bull.
When they built this temple, they used this bull to transport the lumber, when he got tired and died.




......................................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県
.......................................................................
石巻市 Ishinomaki city

The 鹿島の神 Deity from Kashima came riding on a bull, and this bull turned into stone.

. Kashima Shrine 鹿島神宮 Kashima Jingu .

.......................................................................
Miyagi 名取市 Natori city 高館川上 Takadate Kawakami

At the castle of 大館城 Odate, there was no water supply. They had to use a bull to carry barrels down to the river to get water.
When the castle fell, the bull turned into a rock..

.......................................................................
Miyagi 塩竃市 Shiogama city
shiogama - lit. kettle to make salt

ushiishi, ushi-ishi, ウシイシ gyuseki 牛石 the bull who had become a rock
This huge rock is in the compound of 塩釜神社 Shiogama Jinja.
In the pond East of 塩釜神社 Shiogama Jinja is a huge rock, looking like a bull lying down, with his eyes, nose, horns and ears visible.
On the 6th day of the 7th lunar month, when the well is cleaned, it can be fully seen.
When the deity 塩土翁神 Shiyotsuchi no Oji made salt, the tide brought a huge bull, which turned into this rock.
Shiotsuchi no Oji had originally seven iron kettles, four remain - of two sizes
一口は径四尺 1,2 m diameter
三口は四尺八寸の鉄釜 a bit larger
dedicated to ryuujin 竜神 the Dragon Deity.
The deity 和加佐彦命 Wakasahiko no Mikoto changed into the figure of a young boy with a purple apron and let the bull to the Seaside.
His muchi 鞭 whip was made from fuji 藤 wisteria.


. Legends from Noda Kaido 野田街道 Noda Highway .


- quote -
Shiogama jinja is thought to be one of the oldest shrines in Tohoku, and there are a variety of different rituals carried out throughout the year. Primary among these are the Salt-Making ritual held on 6 July. The ancient salt making ritual is performed at the Okama (or Okamasya) Shrine in Shiogama, the smaller shrine that is subordinate to Shiogama shrine. According to shrine tradition, the Okama shrine is located in a place that used to be a beach called Hodenohama in ancient times, where salt was made for the first time in the nation.
The Okama shrine that deifies Shiotsuchi-no-Oji-kami, who allegedly taught them salt making, as well as Yonkono Kamigama and Ushiishi fujimuchi-sha, both of whom were also related to the process of salt making … is thus probably the oldest location of the Shiogama shrine structures.
- source : heritageofjapan.wordpress.com ... salt roads -

Ushiishi Fujimuchi Sha 牛石藤鞭社 "Shrine of the whip from wisteria"







......................................................................................... Nagano 長野県
.......................................................................
小県郡 Chiisagata district 武石村 Takeshi village

Once upon a very long time
the Deity wanted to clear the land for farming and came riding on a bull. But the animal died and turned into a rock.
It also brings illness.
Once they wanted to remove the rock to make space for a new road, but the following year hyakunichiseki 百日咳 pertussis became rampant and many died.

.......................................................................
Nagano 下条村 Shimojo village

ushigatsume no ushiishi 牛ヶ爪の牛石 Ushiishi with the imprint of the hoof
Once someone told a blind sennin 仙人 hermit, who had lost his way, a wrong way on purpose.
The hermit on his bull lost his way completely and he and the animal died.
The anger toward the man who had shown them the wrong way showed in the stone as the remains of the hoof.
Now people in this area learned the lesson and never deceive people.

. sennin　仙人と伝説 Legends about Immortals .




......................................................................................... Osaka 大阪府
.......................................................................
堺市 Sakai city

ushiishizuka 牛石塚 Ushiishi mound
There is a huge rock that looks like a bull lying down, called Ushiishizuka mound of the rock bull.
It is a sacred place and people do not dare to come near.
Once they wanted to cut the rock, but blood begun to flow into a pond. This pond is called various names:
半分血池、大方血池、大方池、ハブ池.




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


. ushiishi, ushi-ishi 牛石 "bull stone" .
. Tenjin Sama - Sugawara Michizane Legends 天神菅原道真伝説 .

When 源実朝 Minamoto no Sanetomo (1192 - 1219) was making war in the Northern Territories, Sugawara Michizane 菅神 Kanjin appeared in his dream, riding a bull:
"Lord Sanetomo has two parts of good fortune. When the war is over, built a small shrine and venerate there."
When Sanetomo woke up, he found a stone with the imprint of a bull's hooves just as he had seen in his dream.
In this year, his son 源頼家 Minamoto no Yoriie (1182 - 1204) was born and in the following year, Sanetomo was able to fight his enemy.
After winning the battle, he had a shrine erected and made an offering of this "Bull Stone".



牛石 (牛天神北野神社)(東京都文京区春日) Ushi Tenjin Kitano Jinja
1 Chome-5-2 Kasuga, Bunkyō ward

..............................................................................................................................................


- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Kaido highway legends 街道と伝説 - - ABC list .

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

. plants and their legends 　植物と伝説 - - ABC list .

. trees and their legends 　樹木, 木と伝説 - - 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 -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #ishiushi #ushi #bullstone #kofun #ushiishi #bullrock #gyuseki -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::