kechimyaku lineage legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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kechimyaku 血脈と伝説 Legends about blood lineage

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Kechimyaku (血脈) is a Japanese term for a lineage chart
Zen Buddhism and some other Japanese schools, documenting the "bloodline" of succession of various masters or listing priests in a particular school. In Zen the kechimyaku theoretically links a student to all previous generations back to the Buddha himself. In the Sōtō school of medieval Japan it became commonplace for the kechimyaku to be administered to lay students for such rituals as the jukai ceremony. Traditionally this document is administered at the time of Dharma transmission in Soto Zen, during a shiho ceremony. In the Jodo Shinshu sect the kechimyaku is meant to demonstrate "spiritual descent", and not a blood heritage. - - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Kechimyaku are often thrown into a river during rain rituals.
. amagoi 雨乞いと伝説 Legends about rain rituals / Regenzauber .

. ryuujin 竜神 /龍神 と伝説 Ryujin, Legends about the Dragon Deity .

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Aichi 愛知県
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Aichi 豊橋市 Toyohashi city 新吉町 Shinyoshi town

. ryuujin 竜神 /龍神 と伝説 Ryujin, Legends about the Dragon Deity .
During amagoi 雨乞い a rain ritual at the temple 龍拈寺（竜拈寺） the Temple Ryunen-Ji, after the priests had finished their riutals, they went to a coastal area named 竜江 Ryuko and threw thir kesa 袈裟 robes into the sea while chanting Sutras.
Then they threw the kechimyaku 血脈 lineage charts for ryuujin 竜神 the Dragon Deity into the water.
After that there was always a rainfall.

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Aichi 豊橋市 Toyohashi city 東郷町 Togo town

. daija, orochi 大蛇 a huge serpent, great snake .
Once a beautiful woman came to the priest of the temple 全久院 Zenkyu-In and wanted to obtain kechimyaku 血脈 a blood lineage chart.
As a gift she left some uroko 鱗 fish scales.
When the priest saw her leaving, he realized that it had been a daija 大蛇 huge serpent.
For the next amagoi 雨乞い rain ritual he used a big tub, placed the fish scales into it, placed some Kechimyaku in it and washed it all into the 海倉淵 Umikurabuchi to produce rain in the evening.

......................................................................................... Fukui 福井県
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若狭町 Wakasa city

. ryuujo 竜女と伝説 / 龍女 Ryujo- Legends about female dragons .
A female dragon which had been the wife of a local lord in an earlier life received a Kechimyaku and went to rest in a local river.

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Fukui 吉田郡 Yoshida district 永平寺町 Eiheiji town

okichi オキチ the woman O-Kichi
Tere is a pond called 血脈池 Kechimyakuike or オキチが池 Okichi-ga-Ike.
A woman once commited suicide by throwing herself into the pond and then became the master of the pond.
Zen Priest Dogen 道元禅師 from the temple Eihei-Ji threw some Kechimyaku into the pond and held a ritual for her, so she could go to the Buddhist paradise.
. Dogen Zenji 道元禅師 (1200 – 1253).

......................................................................................... Gunma 群馬県
多野郡 Tano district 神流町 Kanna town

. daija, orochi 大蛇 a huge serpent, great snake .
In 池の薬師 the Yakushi Pond there lived a couple of huge serpents.
The male got killed by a gunshot.
The female shape-shifted into a woman and went to the temple to hear more from the priest.
She received a kechimaku 血脈 lineage chart and disappeared.
When the priest goes to the Yakushi Pond to pray for rain, it will surely rain very soon.




......................................................................................... Hokkaido 北海道
松前町 Matsumae town

. kechimyakuzakura sakura 血脈桜 blood-line cherry tree .




......................................................................................... Iwate 岩手県
花巻市 Hanamaki city

. Hebigami 蛇神と伝説 Legends about the Snake Deity .
A serpent shape-shifted into an old man and asked a priest for a teaching to go to the Buddhist paradise.
The priest went to the pond where the serpent lived and threw a kechimyaku 血脈 lineage chart into it.
To show its gratitude, the Hebigami made a well with good water in the compound and gave the priest a robe thet he would never loose.




......................................................................................... Kyoto 京都府
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京都市 Kyoto city

netami 嫉み jealousy
The stepmother of the child from 楽人 Rakujin died with the wish that her daughter would inherit the family wealth.
Soon the child of Rakujin died too, saying the stepmother had come.
Three days later the wife became very ill.
She got a kechimyaku 血脈 lineage chart and placed it on the gravew of the stepmother.
Soon after she got well.




......................................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県
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仙台市 Sendai city 泉区 Izumi ward

A priest became involved with a married woman and to attone for their sin they turned into serpents and lived in a nearby pond.
Around 1400, the two serpents appeared before 梅国和尚 the priest Baikoku and asked him to help them get to the Buddhist paradise.
He gave them a kechimyaku 血脈 lineage chart and a posthumous Buddhist name.
The two serpents thanked the priest and left for ever.




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

. tsue　杖 stick, walking stick - Wanderstab .
Around 1560 there came an old man to 常安寺 the temple Joan-Ji to get a kechimyaku 血脈 lineage chart from 門察和尚 Priest Monsatsu.
He then stuck his walking staff in the ground and fresh water welled up.
The staff began to grow into a shinboku 神木 divine tree.

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Niigata 中頚城郡　Nakakubiki 吉川町 Yokawa

. kechimyaku used for amagoi rain rituals .
and Fudo Kyo 不動経 the Sutra of Fudo Myo-o.




......................................................................................... Nagano 長野県
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. bookon 亡魂と伝説 Bokon Legends about a dead soul .
Once the villagers were having a meeting in the evening, when suddenly they heard someone cry outside the window.
There were two naked men standing outside.
When the villagers chanted the Amida Buddha prayers, the men disappeared.
The two men were butchers, but because of their work they could not get any kechimyaku 血脈 linage charts.
When 閑唱上人 Saint Kansho came to 穢多村 Eta village and gave them Kechimyaku.
The two appeared in his dream, thanked him and then disappeared.
. 閑唱上人 Saint Kansho Shonin .




......................................................................................... Saitama 埼玉県
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秩父郡 Chichibu district

. Amagoi at 竜泉寺 the temple Ryusen-Ji .




......................................................................................... Shimane 島根県
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益田市 Masuda city

. ryuujin 竜神 /龍神 と伝説 Ryujin, Legends about the Dragon Deity .
The priest from temple 医光寺 Iko-Ji performed rain rituals by calling for the Dragon Deity to come.
If this does not help, the priest from temple 妙義寺 Myogi-Ji wears a scarlet robe and throws some Kechimyaku into the pond where the Dragon lives.

妙義寺 Myogi-Ji - 1-40 Nanaocho, Masuda, Shimane




......................................................................................... Toyama 富山県
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高岡市 Takaoka city Umezawa

. ryuujo 竜女と伝説 / 龍女 Ryujo- Legends about female dragons .
Once a beautiful woman came to 真興寺 the Temple Shinko-Ji every morning.
When the head priest asked her, she said she was in fact a female dragon from the pond in the back of the temple garden.
She wanted to get a kechimyaku 血脈 linage chart.
She received the Kechimyaku and was saved.
To express her gratitude, she gave a special well to the temple, the 竜梅水 Ryubaisui.

......................................................................................... Yamaguchi 山口県
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美祢市 Mine city 秋芳町 / しゅうほうちょう Shuho town

ryuujin 竜神 the Ryujin Dragon Deity

Once there was amagoi 雨乞い a rain ritual in a cave of 秋吉台 Akiyoshidai.
The priest held a special ritual and gave a kechimyaku lineage chart to the Dragon Deity.
If the paper sinks down to the bottom of the pond, there will soon be rain.
. Akiyoshido 秋芳洞 Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park, .

. Zenji Kappa 禅師河童 Kappa the Zen Priest doing rain rituals .


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

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. 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 .

. 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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