Lake Biwako legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Biwako 琵琶湖と伝説 Legends about Lake Biwako

. biwa 琵琶 lute .
- Introduction -

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Lake Biwa (琵琶湖, Biwa-ko)
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto.
Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old.
It is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world.
Because of its proximity to the ancient capital, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles.
The name Biwako was established in the Edo period.
There are various theories about the origin of the name Biwako, but it is generally believed to be so named because of the resemblance of its shape to that of a stringed instrument called the biwa.
Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku-ji in the 14th century, gave a clue to the origin of the name Biwako in his writing:
"The lake is the Pure land of the goddess Benzaiten because she lives on Chikubu Island and the shape of the lake is similar to that of the biwa, her favorite instrument."
The lake was formerly known as the Awaumi (淡海, Freshwater Sea) or
the Chikatsu Awaumi (近淡海, Freshwater Sea Near [the Capital]).
Later the pronunciation Awaumi changed to the modern Ōmi as in the name of Ōmi Province.
The lake is also called Nio no Umi (鳰の海, "Little Grebe Lake") in literature.
- source : wikipedia -

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県
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kijin 鬼人
昔、阿育王 King Ashoka という王が、鬼人に天竺から琵琶湖に3個の石を投げさせた。その石が白石という島の始まりという。




......................................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県
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大垣市 Ogaki city 上石津町 Kami Ishizu town

ryuujo 竜女， daija 大蛇
寺の先祖であるお坊さんの妻が出産の際に「絶対に覗いてはいけない」と頼んだ。約束を破り覗くと、妻はとぐろを巻いた大蛇の姿となっていた。すると妻は池に飛び込み、そのまま姿を現さなかった。その池の跡地には竜宮乙姫の古井という井戸があり、底が深く琵琶湖と繋がっているという。その後、生れた子どもは境内のかやの木の実を舐めて育ったと伝えられる。


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
22 琵琶湖 to explore

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -

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