Ebisu legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Ebisu えびす / 恵比寿と伝説 Legends about Ebisu

. Ebisu えびす /　恵比寿 .
Ebisu is one of the seven gods of good luck.
Ebisu is native to Japan, his name in the Shinto Pantheon is
Kotoshiro-nushi-no-kami　事代主の神
- Introduction -


source :　pauch.com/kss Kyoto...


. Daikoku and Ebisu 大黒と恵比寿　art motives .

. えびす三郎 Ebisu Saburo .
- and the thief 天狗兵衛 Tengubei


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


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

Ebisu sama 恵比須さま
Ebisu sama was on vehicle and proceeded slowly. When he passed 六甲 Mount Rokkosan a gentle wind blew and Ebisu became tired and fell asleep.
His companion wanted to wake him up, but could not, so he twisted the skin of his buttocks. He twisted quite strong and Ebisu finally woke up.
The place where this happened is in 本町 Honmachi, Nishinomiya 西宮.
To this day a special festival in his honor is held there, called shiri hineri matsuri 尻ひねり祭 #buttock-twisting festival".


- reference source : nishinomiya-ebisu.com/event... -

- reference : Nilshinomiya Ebisu -



......................................................................................... Toyama 富山県
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黒部市 Kurobe 生地

えびす様
暴風の時に舟が遭難して海をさまよい、陸の漁村も流された。舟が陸に帰ることもできず海に浮かんでいると、一点の光を見つけたので、そこにたどりついた。以前は湖であったところに陸ができていて、人々は生地と呼んだ。神様がかがり火を炊き与えて下さった地だからと、お礼に毎年８月１９日には、火をたき舟にえびす様をのせ、神輿に大黒様を乗せて、共に浜を行く祭りをする。

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
15 恵比須 to explore
12 えびす
36 エビスサマ
07 蛭子 hiruko

Daikoku - 86 to explore / extra entry

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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 .

. 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 -
- Introduction -

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chi no ike blood pond legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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chinoike, chi no ike 血の池 と伝説 Legends about "blood ponds"

Chinoike jigoku 血の池地獄 "the blood pond of hell" is a famous hot spring in Oita, Beppu.
- see below -



. chinoike jigoku 血の池地獄 the Buddhist "Blood Pond Hell" .

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- - - - - There are many places with this name, see below.

The iron content of a crater lake is often high and leads to a red color.
Gunma - The crater lake of Mount Akagisan 赤城山にある火口湖
Toyma - The crater lake of Mount Tateyama 立山火山

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- - - - - Chinoike also relates to legends about women dying during birth.



恐山：血の池地獄　堕獄の女性を救う ”如意輪観音”Nyoirin Kannon protects the women
- reference source : bluemoon250.blog... -

. Aomori, 恐山 Osorezan .


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Aichi 愛知県
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知多郡 Chita district 美浜町 Mihama town



Chinoike Koen 血の池公園 Chinoike Park
愛知県長久手市 Shiroyashiki, Nagakute, Aichi
In the compound of temple 大御堂寺 Omido-Ji, 野間大坊 Noma Daibo

. Noma Daibo 野間大坊 and Temple Omido-Ji 大御堂寺 .
Minamoto no Yoshitomo, the father of Yoritomo and Yoshitsune, was killed here and his head washed in the pond.
This legendary pond is said to turn red before unlucky events.




......................................................................................... Chiba 千葉県
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我孫子市 Abiko city

Hossho Daizenni no rei 法性大禅尼の霊 the spirit of the nun Hossho Daizen-Ni
Around 1395, the spirit of the nun Daizen-Ni, the daughter of Hojo Tokiyori (1227 - 1263), who had built the temple 法性寺 Hojo-Ji, had come to the temple.
She told the priest:
"In a former life I was a woman who had gone crazy, my hair stood on end and my voice was hoarse. I lost blood from my womb and cried in pain."
To appease her soul, the priest spent a period of prayers, and prayed to 地蔵菩薩 Jizo Bosatsu. An old man appeared and told him to go to a clear lake in the Eastern direction. There it begun raining flowers from the sky and the Sutra 血盆経 Ketsubon Kyo appeared.
He begun to read it aloud and the soul of the nun was appeased.



- quote -
The Blood Bowl Sutra (Chinese: 血盆經, Ketsubon Kyō)
is an apocryphal Mahayana sutra of Chinese origin. The earliest version of this text was likely composed around the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th.
- Overview
The Blood Bowl Sutra describes how Maudgalyāyana, disciple of the Buddha famous for his supernatural or magical powers, descended to hell to save his mother. He finds her in the company of women who are tormented by the hell wardens and are forced to drink their own menstrual blood. They are punished like this because the blood produced by their bodies pollutes the ground and offends the earth gods, or ends up in rivers from which the water to make tea for holy men is drawn.
- Japan
The belief that women descend to the underworld shortly after childbirth has been present in Japanese folklore for quite some time. Story 9 of Volume 3 in the Nihon Ryōiki tells of how a woman died in labor and went to hell.
Despite the Ōjōyōshū being one of the most important texts to describe hell, it bears no mention of the Blood Pool Hell. It is possible that the nature of hell as presented in the Blood Bowl Sutra was not introduced to Japanese religious thought until the Muromachi period. At Yama-dera temple, there is a pool called the "Blood Pond." It is said that at one time, the Blood Bowl Sutra was used for dedicatory services to women who had died in childbirth. A similar ceremony was likely held at Gangō-ji. Until relatively recently, ceremonies surrounding the Blood Bowl Sutra were also held at Shōsen-ji temple. Believers would enclose a copy of the Blood Bowl Sutra in women's coffins in order to save them from being condemned to the Blood Pond Hell. A copy of the sutra discovered at Saidai-ji appears to have been used in a similar fashion.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Legends about Jizo Bosatsu - 地蔵菩薩 .


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Chiba 山武郡 Sanbu district 芝山町 Shibayama

The day 75 after giving birth marks the end of the Taboo period.
On this day the woman is allowed to go out for the first time, usually to the local Shinto Shrine.
If a woman dies before this day, she will go to the blood pond of hell.
On the banks of the pond grow nira 韮 garlic chives, but if a woman tries to grab some, they will break.




......................................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県
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揖斐郡 Ibi district 揖斐川町 Ibigawa town

If a woman during birth thinks about 庚申さん the Koshin deity, the birth will be easy.
If a woman dies during birth, she will fall into the blood pond of hell, but Koshin will come to pull her out at her hair.

. kooshin 庚申伝説 Legends about the Koshin Cult .





......................................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫県
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神戸市 Kobe city

. Fudo no taki 不動の瀧 Fudo Myo-o Waterfall .
and Maya mode 摩耶詣 visiting the Maya temple




......................................................................................... Ibaraki 茨城県
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久慈郡 Kuji district 大子町 Daigo town

The Kami from the upper and lower Shrine of 八溝山 Mount Yamizo had a fight.
The Kami from 上野宮 Kamino Miya lost and disappeared behind 新田の滝 the Shinden Waterfall.
Now there is a Chinoike blood pond.




......................................................................................... Kagawa 香川県
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三豊郡 Mitoyo district 高瀬町 Takase town

Chinoike 血の池
In the town of Takase there is a rock with the footprint of akago 赤子 a baby.
Once upon a time, from the top of mount 鬼がうすの山 / 鬼ヶ臼山 Onigausuyama a horse and a baby came flying down.The horse was quite exhausted, fell down near the small shrine, hit its head on the rock and died. But the baby stood on top of the rock, leaving its footprints to our day.
From the rock, in the form of a horse head, water like tears came floating down. The water from this well is said to cure zutsuu 頭痛 headaches.



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Yashima 血の池（瑠璃宝の池 Ruriho no Ike）



Kobo Daishi 弘法大師 stayed at 屋島寺 Yashima temple and wrote the Sutras
遍照金剛、三密行所、当都率天、内院管門. He then took hooju 宝珠 a wish-fulfilling jewel and threw it all into the pond.
There is also a tale that the ryuujin 竜神 Dragon King came to steal the jewel.
During the 源平合戦 Genpei wars around 1180, the Samurai who had fought at 檀ノ浦 Dannoura came here to wash their bloody swords, hence the name Chinoike.
- reference source : yashima-navi.jp... -




......................................................................................... Nagano 長野県
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佐久市 Saku city

. Chinoike at Mount Senningatake 仙人ヶ嶽 .




......................................................................................... Niigata 新潟県
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佐渡郡 Sado district 畑野町 Hatano town

rinshi taiken 臨死体験 near-death experience
Once a man almost died, he went to Paradise and saw the Chinoiki 血の池 Blood Pond and
hari no yama 針の山 the mountain of needles.
Then he came back to life.

hari no yama 針の山 the mountain of needles





......................................................................................... Oita 大分県
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別府 Beppu, a well-known hot spring area

. Chinoike-jigoku 血の池地獄, the "Blood Pond Hell" .



People in Japan's past named the Onsen Chinoike-jigoku 血の池地獄, the "Blood Pond Hell", based on an image of hell found in Buddhism.
- reference source : Jigoku-meguri (Hell Tour) in Beppu -




......................................................................................... Okayama 岡山県
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新見市 Niimi city 哲西町 Tessei town

If a pregnant woman dies they have to braid her hair. When she comes to the 血の池 blood pond, she will float up to her hair.




......................................................................................... Osaka 大阪府
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吹田市 Sugita city

. Legends about the daija 大蛇 huge serpent .
There once was a place where villagers made the offering of a living young woman to the Ujigami every year.
Once the Shinto priest of the Shrine became suspicious, found a small shirohebi 白蛇 white serpent and threw it out of the compound.
Soon the clear pond nearby became all red and a Chinoike. On its surface the bones of a huge serpent became visible.
Since then, they stopped to make offerings of human beings.

. ujigami　氏神 clan KAMI deities .




......................................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県
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高島市 Takashima city

If a woman dies during childbirth, the family has to get a special 流れ札 amulet from the temple 長善寺 Chozen-Ji.
This "chain amulet" has 100 pieces. Passers-by have to pour water over one, until the letters are invisible. If this has not happened after 1000 people have passed, the woman will not be able to get out of the Chinoike Blood Pond.


長善寺Temple Chozen-Ji
581 Makinocho Koaraji, Takashima, Shiga




......................................................................................... Tottori 鳥取県
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東伯郡 Tohaku district 下北條村 Shimo-Hokuei village

The body of a woman who died during childbirth is left at the riverside for 100 days. Passers-by throw water on her body so she can swim on the Chinoike and eventually go to heaven.




......................................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県
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橋本市 Hashimoto city

If a woman dies during childbirth, she has to go to the Chinoike Hell Pond.

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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 .

. 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 -
- Introduction -

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- #chinoiki #bloodpond #pondofblood #血之池 #血の池 #チノイケ -
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Benkei Musashibo legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Benkei ベンケイ / 弁慶と伝説 Legends about Musashibo Benkei

. Musashiboo Benkei 武蔵坊弁慶 (? - 1189) .
- Introduction -


Photo www.1059do.com/sa-4-105.html

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Benkei gooshi, Benkeigooshi, Benkei-Gōshi 弁慶格子
Benkei-Goshi, Benkei grid pattern, Benkei lattice pattern
kooshi 格子 means lattice, grid, Gitter
quote

Beautiful Women Dressed in Kimono with Benkei-style Pattern:
Chronicle of the Battle of Ichinotani (Shimazoroi Onna Benkei Ichinotani Futaba Gunki)
縞揃女弁慶 ［一谷嫩軍記］
Painted by 歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1844 (Tempō 15)
This is one of the pictures of series Mitate Bijin-ga (Ukiyo-e that portray beautiful women) comprised of ten pictures painted by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, an expert in the pictures of warriors. All the women depicted in this work are dressed in kimono with Benkei-style pattern (Benkei-gōshi) as the title says.
The series Shimazoroi Onna Benkei (Beautiful Women Dressed in Benkei-checked Kimonos) is a series of pictures of beautiful women dressed in "shima-moyo (checkered)" kimono that was very popular in the Edo period.
Benkei-jima (also called Benkei-goshi, or Benkei-check)" in this picture is one of the checked patterns with the same widths vertically and horizontally, which are woven with threads in two different colors. It was named after the stage costume of Benkei dressed in a mountain priest costume in the kabuki "Kanjinchō."
This series is made up of nishiki-e (colored woodblock prints) with the theme of "Benkei", and includes mitate-e (analogues) that remind us of the scenes about the stories of Benkei. A notice-board that a women holds in her hand and the waka (traditional Japanese poem), "I do not break a flower, but my nails cut quickly resemble a board to announce the order from the government" are assumed to be compared to the scene of "Kumagai Jinya", act 3 of "Chronicle of the Battle of Ichinotani (Ichinotani futaba gunki)."
source : Metropolitan Museum Tokyo

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Kabuki　　歌舞伎　

Benkeigoshi 弁慶格子 a black-and-white checkered pattern introduced by Kōshirō V.

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. . . CLICK here for more Photos !

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. Oniwakamaru driving out a Koi fish monster - 鬼若丸の鯉退治 .
Musashibo Benkei was called Oniwakamaru - "demon child, ogre child" in his youth.

Actor 市川団十郎 Ichikawa Danjûrô IX as Musashibô Benkei
応需国周画 Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900)

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

......................................................................................... Ibaraki 茨城県
.......................................................................
土浦市 Tsuchiura city

. Throwing the temple bell into the lake - kane 鐘 .




......................................................................................... Niigata 新潟県
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長岡市 Nagaoka city

. Benkei no ashiato ベンケイの足あと footprints of Benkei .
and the river 信濃川 Shinanogawa

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
20 to explore (01)

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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 -
- Introduction -

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- #musashibobenkei #benkei #ushiwakamaru #benkeigoshi -
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shoya village headman legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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shooya 庄屋と伝説 Legends about Shoya, the village headman

A village headman usually lived in a large home and wielded a lot of power.




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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県
.......................................................................

. hikyaku 飛脚　伝説　legends about fast messengers . *

. Kobo Daishi 弘法大師 and Jizo Legend . *

. Tengu 天狗 Legend .
戸たてず庄屋 "Home of the village head with no doors"




......................................................................................... Okayama 岡山県
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. yashikigami 屋敷神 and zelkova tree . *




......................................................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県
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南伊豆町 Minami-Izu town / 韮山 Nirayama

. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢 － racoon dog, badger legends .
At the home of shooya 庄屋 the village headman, there stayed a man named 韮山様 Nirayama Sama. When eating he would not allow people to look at him.
He was a Tanuki !!

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
113 庄屋 to collect

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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 .

. 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 -
- Introduction -

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- #shooya #shoya #villageheadman #headman -
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Kumano legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
. Kumano Gongen 熊野権現 Legends about Kumano Gongen .
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Kumano 熊野と伝説 Legends about Kumano

. The Ancient Kumano Pilgrims Road 熊野古道 Kumano Kodō .
Kiiji, Kii-Ji 紀伊路 Pilgrim Road to Kii
- Introduction -
- Kumano Jinja 熊野神社
- The Waterfall of Nachi　那智の滝



- quote -
The Kumano Kodō (熊野古道)
is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes that crisscross the Kii Hantō, the largest Peninsula of Japan. These sacred trails were and are used for the pilgrimage to the sacred site "Kumano Sanzan" (熊野三山) or the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano:
Kumano Hongū Taisha (熊野本宮大社), Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) and
Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社).
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Kumano Junisha Gongen 熊野十二社権現 12 Kumano Shrines .


. Kumano Hayatama Taisha 熊野速玉大社 . Wakayama
Kumano Hongu 熊野本宮 - Nachi Taisha 那智大社

. Kumano Taijin Shrine 熊野皇大神社 . Usui Tooge 碓氷峠 Usui pass, Nagano - Gunma

. Kumano Taisha 熊野大社 Kumano Shrine . - Matsue, Shimane
Izumo-no-kuni Ichi-no-miya Kumano Taisha





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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県
.......................................................................

. 熊野権現 Kumano Gongen .
one of the 七社権現 - The official Seven Gongen



......................................................................................... Fukushima 福島県
.......................................................................
いわき市 Iwaki town 四倉町 Yotsukuramachi

. shinmei sama しんめいさま - Kumano Shinmei 熊野神明 .



......................................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県
.......................................................................


usagi at 熊野神社 Kumano Jinja



......................................................................................... Kyoto 京都府

. Tengu 熊野大峯の菊犬坊 Kikujo-Bo from Kumano Omine .

.......................................................................
東山区 Higashiyama district

. Tanuki and 熊野神社 Kumano Jinja .




......................................................................................... Mie 三重県
.......................................................................

. 熊野市 Kumano town, and the 便所の神様 Deity of the Toilet .




......................................................................................... Nara 奈良県

.......................................................................
吉野郡 Yoshino 川上村 Kawakami village

. Legends about the old Kodo roads .

hidarigami ヒダリ神 Hidarigami deity
This deity does not have any followers and never gets tea or offerings.
Pilgrims walking on the the 熊野街道 Kumano Kaido may suddenly feel quite hungry.
- - - - -
nanji ナンジ evil spirit
At the 熊野古道 Kumano Kodo there is a very evil monster, also called
ナメキ Nameki or チゴロ渕 Chigoro-buchi.
When Nanji begins to burn, there might be a huge fire from Nameki.
If someone does not strongly believe in the good deities of Kumano and meets Nameji on the pilgrims road, he will be kidnapped and never come back.




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......................................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県
.......................................................................
東牟婁郡 Higashi-Muro district 本宮町 Hongu

oogon butsu 黄金仏
文政8年の春に、熊野本宮社に堤を築こうとして、境内にある大黒島という岩山から採石していた。作業者が休憩したら、巌上の土砂が崩れるが、作業中には崩れない。また多くの烏が集まってきた。心弱い人は逃げだしたが、強い人が作業を続けると、土中から甕が出てきた。その中には黄金の阿弥陀仏が入っていた。

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
189 熊野 to collect
10 熊野　天狗　(00)

. Kumano Gongen 熊野権現 Legends about Kumano Gongen .

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. Legends about the old Kaido roads 街道と伝説 .

. 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 .

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oshidori mandarin duck legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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oshidori, オシドリ 鴛鴦と伝説 Legends about mandarin ducks



. Mandarin Ducks, 鴛鴦 symbol for a happy couple .
- Introduction -


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In the area of 阿曽沼 / 安蘇沼 Asonuma swamp lived a man skilled with bow and arrow, 太田二郎 Ota Jiro.
One day he captured oshidori 鴛の雄 a male mandarin duck.
He cut of its head.
That night in his dream a beautiful woman appeared, with a poem on a white paper, crying in despair.
"Why did you kill my husband?" The hunter said "But I did not kill anybody!"
"Yes you did, today in the swamp." Then she flew off and he saw it was the female mandarin duck.
Next morning he looked at the male duck and saw a female one next to it, her beak like kissing the male duck.
In another version he found the paper with the poem under her wing
The hunter had a great shock, stopped hunting and became a monk.

In another version of the story the female duck begun to pull out her feathers, spit blood and died.
The wife of the hunter took pity on them, buried them and erected a stone memorial.
Then she became a nun.


Oshidori Densetsu おしどり伝説
With many pictures of the story
- reference source : yachiyo-chiba.mypl.ne... -


In Utsunomiya, Tochigi, there is even a memorial mound for the ducks,
oshidorizuka おしどり塚 / 鴛鴦塚 Oshidori Zuka






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


- quote -
Oshidori-zuka (Tomb of Mandarin Ducks)
The story of Oshidori-Zuka is reported in the book “Shasekishu” written by Muju, a Buddhist monk in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333).
A hunter shot a mandarin drake in the nearby Asari River. He cut its head off and carried the prey home, leaving the head there. The next day, he shot a duck huddled in the same spot and found the drake’s head he had severed the previous day．It was cradled securely under her wings. Deeply moved by the bird’s love to her husband, he repented of his life of killing. He built a tomb for them and a stone pagoda on it, praying for the repose of the pair of birds.
- source : u-sgg.com/utsunomiya.html#oshidori... -



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. kamoishi, kamo-ishi 鴨石 "duck stone" .
in Fukushima 二本松市 Nihonmatsu city - 本宮 Motomiya

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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 .

. 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 -
- Introduction -

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Kokuzo Bosatsu legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Kokuzo 虚空蔵と伝説 Legends about Kokuzo Bosatsu
Akashagarbha Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva of Wisdom and Memory / "Mutterschoß des leeren Raums"



. Temple 虚空蔵寺 Kokuzo-Ji in Hamamatsu .
- Introduction of the Bosatsu -

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県
.......................................................................

. Chiyoko to kizamareta iwa チヨコと刻まれた岩 rock with the inscription "Chiyoko" .
Tengudani 天狗谷 the Tengu valley




......................................................................................... Fukushima 福島県
.......................................................................
伊達市 Date city / 虚空蔵堂

. 虚空蔵求聞持法 Kokuzo Gumonji Ho ritual .
Temple 求聞寺 Gumon-Ji / 虚空蔵山大満寺 Daiman-Ji /

Once a priest wanted to perform the Gumonji Ho ritual at 虚空蔵堂 the Kokuzo-Do hall and went into a retreat for 100 days.
In May when the stars come out in the Eastern Sky, he scooped ritual water from the river.
He saw a special star reflected in the hall, seeming to come to greet the statue of Kokuzo.




......................................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県
.......................................................................
郡上市の美並地区の粥川地区 Gujo, Minamimura, Kayugawa

. 藤原高光 Fujiwara no Takamitsu (c. 939 - 994) .
driving out the oni 鬼 demon at Mount 瓢ヶ岳 Fukubegatake (1,162m)




......................................................................................... Miyazaki 宮崎県
.......................................................................
飫肥 Obi city

. 弁財天 Benzaiten, Benten and 虚空蔵 Kokuzo .




......................................................................................... Nara 奈良県
.......................................................................
奈良市 Nara city

. Kumano Gongen and legends about mochi 餅 rice cakes .




......................................................................................... Niigata 新潟県
.......................................................................
南蒲原郡 Minami-Kanbara district 下田村 Shitada village

. mamori honzon 守本尊 protector deity .
The mamori honzon 守本尊 protector deity of people born in the year of the bull is Kokuzo Bosatsu.




......................................................................................... Okayama 岡山県
.......................................................................
浅口郡 Asakuchi district, 里庄町 Satosho

Once there was a thunderbolt at 虚空蔵山 Mount Kokuzo-Yama. But Kokuzo Bosatsu caught the Raiju Yokai and told him "If you do that once again at this place, I will not let you go!"
Since that time, there has not been a thunderbolt any more.
The villagers were very pleased about it and now have a festival every year on January 13.
In other parts they also know that if you venerate Kokuzo Bosatsu, there will be no thunderbolt.


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
27 虚空蔵 to explore (03)

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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 .

. 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 -
- Introduction -

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heso navel legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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heso 臍と伝説 Legends about navel, belly button, Nabel

仏桑花六月晦日年の臍
bussooge rokugatsu misoka toshi no heso

hibiscus
last day of June
the navel of the year

Fuuten Tora
©　おしゃべり日記俳句

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- quote -
Bellybutton folklore from Japan and where they came from
Every child in Japan has at some point or other, when exposing his (or her) belly button, heard an adult tell (him or her) half-jokingly, that Kaminari-sama, the thunder god would get him (or her).
Thus, it seems likely that the Thundergod-will-eat-the-bellybutton-of-kids folktale may well have been been the result of a merging of superstitious folklore and traditional Taoist-based medicinal (known as TCM today) views of physiological conditions of stomach colds and cramps that East Asians appear to uniquely susceptible to(Chinese – see “Guard against stomach problems in the cold” and Japanese – The Haramaki: It’s a scarf for your midriff).
..... Etymology:
Yakusa no ikazuchi no kami: Yakusa (八, eight) and ikazuchi (雷, thunder) and kami (神, spirit or deity)
- Why is Raijin attracted to navels?
While it is said that Kaminari-sama would seek out little children’s bellybuttons or navels, in recorded folklore, it was actually Raiju, the thunder beast that accompanies Raijin, that actually seeks out human navels, and that likes to nestle there to sleep.
In the search for the provenance of the navel-eating or omphalophagic stories, we turn to look at the details of the stories of Raijin and Raiju and to examine their characteristics.
- The etymology of Raijin
Raijin’s name is derived from the Japanese words rai (rendered in Chinese character雷, “thunder”) and “god” or “kami“(神 shin).
According to the Encyclopedia of Shinto, “Ancient texts associate the raijin‘s appearance with serpents or a small child, but from around the Kamakura period, pictures and sculptures of raijin portrayed a demonic form holding a whip and surrounded by a ring of linked drum.”
As depicted below, thundergods evolved their identity over time, with Raijin later becoming typically depicted as a fiercesome-looking demon-spirit that beats on drums to create thunder. Popular iconography usually includes drums that have the tomoe symbol engraved or painted on them.
This appears to have been a combination of Central Asian steppeland and Silk Route influences as well as continental Chinese influence from the Tang dynasty onwards. According to Chinese sources, the Thundergod along with the wind deity are demons conquered by Buddha.
Raijū (雷獣,”thunder animal” or “thunder beast”)
- Read the most extensive explanation here :
- source : japanesemythology.wordpress.com... -



. the monster 雷獣 Raiju and its legends .


. Raijin 雷神と伝説 Legends about the God of Thunder and Lightning .

. heso no o へその緒と伝説 Legends about the umbilical cord .


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Tales of the Appearance of Thunder and the Thunderous Navel Thief
亡靈としての雷と雷の臍取物譚
- very extensive illustrated information :
- source : scribd.com/document... -


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Before climbing into a boat or ship, people take some sand from the land, wrap it in paper and place it on their navel.
This will prevent them from sea sickness.

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


hesotori Gorobei　へそとりとろべえ Gorobe takes away the navel
赤羽末吉 Akaba Suekichi (1910 - 1990)

- quote -
「おれは　おへそが　だいすきだ　あまくて　しょっぱくって　こーりこり　うふふ　たべたいなー」かみなりのごろべえは、家宝のへそとりきを使って、生きものたちのおへそをとりまくります。「くりんくりんの　シュー　すっぽーん」と、軽快におへそをとっていく音が楽しい詩の絵本です。
- reference source : doshinsha.co.jp... -



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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :



......................................................................................... Hokkaido 北海道

A legend from アイヌ the Ainu:
Once 天の神 the Kami in heaven had come together and looked down at the human villages.
There were two homes side by side with two beautiful girls playing nearby.
雷神 Raijin was sitting in the front on the assembly and could see them well. The other Kami pushed him down in anger and as he fell on earth, lightning struck and the two homes burned down.
On the spot two trees begun to grow,
Chisakini チサキニ (Chikisani) and Ohyo (Atoni) おひょう（アトニ）の木.
The girls had been pregnant at that time and gave life to many male children. Thus the Ainu thrived.
akadamo あかだも（チサキニ chisaniki）


source : cikisani.com...
Princess Chikisani (spring elm red bark) and Princess Atoni (lobed elm white bark)




......................................................................................... Ibaragi 茨城県
.......................................................................
石岡市 Ishioka city

Raijin 雷神 lives in a hole in the mountains. The child of Kaminari sama, the Thunder God, played in the clouds above it. Its bentobako 弁当箱 lunchbox fell on the ground and it came back to get it. When he tried to look below the box, he was told "Do not look below your belly button."
If Raijin can not go back to his hole, there will be a strike of lightning.





......................................................................................... Kagawa 香川県
.......................................................................
高松市 Takamatsu city 圓座 Enza district

When it begins to thunder, people shout to the sky:
"Rai San go back to Enza, go back to Enza and take the heso 臍 navel (bellybutton) out of people there!"
雷さん圓座へ行け、圓座の婆々の臍をとれ




......................................................................................... Nara　奈良県
.......................................................................

At 大和秋篠寺 the temple Akishinodera
there is a memorial stone for the navel of Raijin.
Around 730 there was a strike of lightning at 金堂 the Golden Hall of the Temple and it begun to burn.
There came an old man, 善珠僧正 the priest Zenju Sojo, recited spells and caught the God of Thunder. He took out its navel and made him swear never to produce lightning and cause fire any more.
The navel is burried at the temple.
..... The Shoku Nihongi of 797 places the origins of the temple in Hōki 11 (780), while the Legends of Akishino-dera (秋篠寺縁起) of 1139 ascribes it to the vows of Emperor Kōnin and Emperor Kammu and names its founder as Zenjū Daitoku (善珠大徳), younger brother of Emperor Shōmu.
- more in the wikipedia -
Zenju lived from 723 - 797. He is one of the founders of Akishinodera.




......................................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県
.......................................................................
大津市 Otsu city

raifun 雷糞 "thunder medicine"
In the year 1717, a was rakurai 落雷 a stroke of lightning at the home of a family in Otsu.
It came with a fragrant smell of jakoo 麝香 musk and left a piece of string like a navel. Since the smell was so good, it was used to make raifun medicine 雷糞 "like the poop of the Thunder god".




......................................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県
西牟婁郡 Nishi-Muro district

Once there was a heso 臍 belly button of Raijin on the ground in 紀州 Kishu.
It had the quality of a pottery piece and the form and size like the heart of a bora 鯔 mullet (Mugil cephalus).
When 雷神 Raijin came to get it back, the villagers asked him to show his body.
First he showed his eyes, then his nose and then the mouth.
They wanted to see what was below the bellybuttoo, but he refused and disappeared.




......................................................................................... Yamaguchi 山口県
.......................................................................
豊浦郡 Toyoura district 豊田町 Toyoda town

hyoo 雹 hail
In the year 1943, they performed amagoi 雨乞い a rain ritual. On the way home from heaven fell hail stones in the form of horns with a navel hanging to it.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
06 雷神 臍 belly button, done
31 臍 (04) collecting

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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 .

. 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 -
- Introduction -

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

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- #heso #navel #bellybutton #nabel -
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