Edo - the EDOPEDIA -

8/03/2020

Miyake Izu Oshima

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. Famous Places and Power spots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Miyake Mura 三宅村 Miyake village, Izu Oshima
Izu shotō 伊豆諸島 Izu Islands / 三宅島 Miyake Island

１　釜の尻バス停
２　火の山峠
３　ひょうたん山
４　三池浜園地
５　三池港
６　都道
７　旧阿古小中学校
８　島しょ保健所三宅出張所

Ａ　三宅支庁舎
Ｂ　三宅村文化会館
Ｃ　大路池周廻遊歩道
Ｄ　阿古漁港船客待合所
Ｅ　火山体験遊歩道
　　 -source : Tokyo Government Miyake divistion -

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Miyake (三宅村, Miyake-mura)
is a village located in Miyake Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis.
Miyake Village covers the island of Miyakejima, in the Izu archipelago in the Philippine Sea and the nearby uninhabited Ōnohara Islands, 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of central Tokyo.
- - - - - History
It is uncertain when human settlement first began on Miyakejima, but the island was known to be inhabited since at least in the early Nara period, and is mentioned in historical records for its many volcanic eruptions.
The island was used as a penal colony during the Edo period.
After the start of the Meiji period, in 1878, the island came under the control of Tokyo-fu and was organized into five villages (Izu, Kamitsuki, Igaya, Ako and Tsubota) under Oshima subprefecture on October 1, 1923.
Miyake subprefecture was created out of Oshima subprefecture on April 1, 1943.
On August 31, 1945, during the Allies' occupation of Tokyo, ground gunners on Miyake-jima fired three shots at an American transport aircraft, with no casualties. These were to be amongst the last shots fired in the war.
The three villages of Izu, Kamitsuki and Igaya merged on October 1, 1946, to form the village of Miyake, which was joined by Abo and Tsubota on February 1, 1956. The village was evacuated in the year 2000 due to volcanic eruptions, and the inhabitants were only allowed to return from 2005.
- source : wikipedia

Izu Oshima, an island of Japan, is famous for its cultivation of camellia
. Camellia Festival, Tsubaki Matsuri .

. quote .
Izu - View of Ōshima Habu-minato harbor 大島波浮湊

Ōshima Island is the largest of the Seven Islands of Izu.
This picture shows Habu-minato village located to the southeast of Ōshima Island
and the scenery of the habor which was praised as a fine port is well conveyed.
. source : Tokyo Metropolitan Museum .

. quote .
View of fishing at Chigasaki 千賀崎遊竿の図

Chigasaki is a cape located in the northernmost tip of Ōshima Island.
The tide flows fast in the sea under the cape and it was a good place for fishing.
. source : Tokyo Metropolitan Museum .

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Complete Illustrated Map of Toshima Island 利島全図

Toshima Island is a conical island located between Ōshima Island and Niijima Island.
The inhabitants of Toshima Island engage more in agriculture than in fishing,
something which is rare among the Seven Islands of Izu
and the products of island include camellia oil, firewood and dried fish.
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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Koozushima 神津島全図 Kozushima map

Kōzushima Island is located to the south of 式根島 Shikinejima Island.
It is said that the god who created the Izu Islands used Kōzushima Island
as a meeting point with other gods and for this reason,
the island's name was also spelt with a different set of Chinese characters
for 神集島 "god", "gather" and "island".
Kōzushima Island is blessed with fine harbors, and the island's fishing industry prospered from ancient times.
Bonito fishing prospered in the Seven Islands of Izu and
in order to preserve the freshness of caught bonito fish,
the fish were unloaded at Kōzushima Island and then processed to make dried bonito.
Bonito fishing held such an importance that a sacred event
known as "bonito catching" was held in a shrine on the island.
It is said that gods gathered at 天上山 Mt. Tenjō which is located in the center of Kōzushima Island
and is the tallest mountain on the island.
Located to the south of the mountain is the Kushigamine peak,
which provides a complete view of the Seven Islands of Izu.

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Kōzushima Island: A Boggy Bank 神津島沼の入江の図

This seems to depict 千両池 Senryō-Ike pond, north of the present-day Kōzushima Island Port.
Senryō Pond refers to a small inlet located in a gourd-shaped pond under the lighthouse.
It is said that in the times past, the area was a place where a great number of
千両船（北前船） Senryōbune (coasting vessels of the Edo period that transported goods
from northeast Japan to Ōsaka) were pulled in and it was so named.
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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Miyakejima Island: Sanbon-dake peak 三宅島三本岳の図

Sanbon-dake is a group of reefs located off the west-southwest shore of Miyakejima Island.
The official name for the reef is 大野原島 Ōnohara Island, but it is commonly called 三本嶽 Sanbon-dake peak.
The name comes from three lava necks which are seen steeply rising
when looking from Miyakejima Island (Sanbon-dake means "three peaks").
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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Hachijōjima Island: Nishiyama 八丈島西山の図

Hachijōjima Island has two mountains-Mt. Higashi 東山 (Mountain in the East), which has a complex shape,
and Mt. Nishi (Mountain in the West), which is shaped like Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Nishi, also known as 八丈富士 Hachijō-Fuji, is the tallest mountain among the Izu Islands.
An incident of an eruption in 1605, which caused great damage
to village on the foot of the mountain, is kept in a remaining record.
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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Hachijōjima Aigae-minato harbor 八丈島藍ヶ江湊の図

Aigae-minato harbor 藍ヶ江, of which the name refers to how the water within the bay
is a shade of blue that resembles indigo dye ("ai" means "indigo"),
is known as a place with scenic beauty in the island.
Furthermore, as it is a village benefiting from a rich supply of water in Hachijōjima Island,
it had many rice fields and was also an area with large rice crop.
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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Hachijō-kojima Island 八丈島小島の図

The small island lying in the west of Hajijōjima Island is the Hachijō-kojima Island.
In the Edo period, two villages called 鳥打 Toriuchi and 宇津木 Utsuki were located there.
On this island, until the villages of Toriuchi and Utsuki were set up in 1947,
the feudal system of 名主 Nanushi (the nominal holder in charge of rice field lots) had been kept.
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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Hachijōjima Island: Fish 八丈島魚の図

This picture depicts perch, abalone, striped sea bream and other seafood caught near the island.
. source . Tokyo Metropolitan Database .

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

.................................................................................　Tokyo 東京都
三宅島 Miyakejima 三宅村 Miyake village

hana no takai hito 鼻の高い人 a man with a long nose
Once a man went hunting but did not come back.
The villagers found him about a week later.
He said:
"There was a man with a large nose sitting in a tree.
I sat under the tree and we ate red dumplings."

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uma no kubi 馬の首 the head of a horse
Once a horse fell in love with a young woman and wanted her as his bride.
The mother of the girl said: "First you must grow a horn on your head"!
So the horse had a horn grow and then used it to kill the girl.
The horn of this horse is still in the home of the family.
They say on the 24th of January it flies around the village.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
63 三宅島 (02)
59 三宅村 collecting

. Edo, Tokyo　江戸 - 東京 - 伝説 Legends Index .

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Ojima Koto Ward

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Ojima Komatsugawa Park

Tokyo-to Ojima Komatsugawa Park was created with intentions of servicing the circumstances of natural disasters.
Located on the eastern end of the Koto delta, it spans across Koto-ku and Edogawa-ku, across former river Nakagawa, where it is a place of recreation and disaster-prevention. In the event of a natural disaster, it can be used as an evacuation site, servicing 20 million people.
With recreation in mind, the park is comprised of five sectors: a sporting field, ‘Wansaka’ plaza, a free open space, a seasonal square (of North and South sectors), and the Wind area.
Proximal to the free open space is the athletic area – garnering popularity with children – and a barbeque area. There is also a paid parking area available.
- source : tokyo-eastpark.com/ohjima -

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Nakagawa-guchi 中川口（なかがわぐち）

There was a facility called 中川番所 Nakagawa Bansho (guard station) in present-day Ōjima, Kōto Ward, to monitor river boats entering and leaving Edo.
The passage of cargo was particularly under strict checking and this served an important role as the checkpoint to Edo's water transport distribution.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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Edo meishozue, Pictorial Guide to Famous Places of Edo
the Hall of Five Hundred Rakan in Honjyo Itsutsume (presently, in the Ōshima district, Kōtō Ward), published in 1834
天恩山五百羅漢寺は本所五ツ目（現・江東区大島）にあり、境内六千坪を有する大寺院でした。江戸末期、暴風雨や地震により荒廃し、現在は小さなお堂を残すのみです。

- source : library.metro.tokyo.lg.jp... -

. Gohyaku Rakan 五百羅漢 Fivehundred Arhats .

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Sazai hall - Temple of Five Hundred Rakan
by Katsushika Hokusai

Temple of Five Hundred Rakan was established at the Kameido village(today’s Oojima-cho, Koto-ku, Tokyo Prefecture) in 1695.
Sazai (sazae) means a turban shell because the corridor of the hall took the spiral-shape.
When people finished climbing up the corridor, they could see the panorama of the lazy Sumida River and beautiful Mt.Fuji.
Those who watch the mountain are the geisha, samurai, child and merchants.
- source : masterpiece-of-japanese-culture.com ... -

. sazae 栄螺, サザエ the turban shell .

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. Kōtō 江東区 Koto ward, "East River" .

. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .

. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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- - - - - #oshima #ojima #kotoward #sazaedo #sazaehall - - - -
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8/02/2020

cotton momen

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. Edo shokunin　江戸の職人 Craftsmen of Edo .
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momen　木綿 cotton in the Edo period

. momen, wata 　木綿 cotton, Baumwolle - Introduction .
wata 綿 floss silk
momenbari 木綿針 sewing needle for cotton thread
itoguruma 糸車 a spinning wheel

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Transition from Linens to Cottons
here were many wholesale textile merchants who purchased and sold cottons in Õdenma-chô (present day Nihonbashi in Chûô-ku), which were called "momen-dana" (literary means "cotton merchant").
It must be noted that the development of cotton industry transformed the fashion of Edo. The period saw the transition of one type of clothes to another on the streets, as the linens worn by the people in the past could no longer be seen so often in public and it was replaced almost completely with cottons. Cotton is strong as well as nice and soft when touching it, and besides competent for moisture alsorption. Moreover, as it can be dyed easily, the fabric began to be adopted for casual-style kimono called "hitoe" (literally means "single-layered clothing") such as yukata, as well as for other products such as a padded dressing gown (i.e. wataire), socks (i.e. tabi) and bedding.
Furthermore, unlike expensive silk, cotton was not a costly fabric, and thus, it soon became popular among the people and grew into absolutely necessary products.

Picture of Dye House from "Picture Book: Amusements of Edo" （Ehon Azuma Asobi Kouya no Zu) Compiled by Asakusa-an and painted by Katsushika Hokusai 1802 (Kyōwa 2)

This, however, can be said that it occurred as a result of the encouraging policies about making cottons of the Tokugawa Shogunate as well as of the local feudal domains across the country. Especially, both Kansai region and Tôkai region were famous for their cotton products. These cottons were transported from these regions to the city of Edo, and many towns consisting of wholesale cotton merchants were developed here and there in the city of Edo. One famous example of this is Õdenma-chô.
- source : Tokyo MET library

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. Doing Business in Edo　- 江戸の商売 .

source : 1000ya.isis.ne.jp...

takani momen uri 高荷木綿売り selling cotton
cotton cloth seller
He had the rolls of cloth piled up high for the customers to see it easily and make their choice. By putting up different patterns every day before walking the streets of Edo, the vendors could choose their customers.

Image by 松野霞城 Kajo Matsuno Kajo
- reference source : tobunken.go.jp/materials... -

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. Ōdenma-chō 大伝馬町 Odenmacho district　 .
The packhorse and messenger superintendent　馬込勘解由 Magome Kageyu from Mikawa (now Aichi) was the first to establish his business here. He welcomed Tokugawa Ieyasu in Edo and was given the privilege as superviser and head of the ward.
Many of his people from Mikawa made a living as horse keepers in Edo and made some extra money by dealing in cotton from Mikawa (momendana 木綿店). They lived mostly in the second district of Odenmacho.
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. Hirata momen kaido 平田の木綿街道 Hirata Cotton Road .

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. kenyaku 倹約 frugality, thrift - Sparsamkeit .
Yukuta robes from cotton were allowed, so the craftsmem made them with ever more elaborate patterns. Bright red and yellow colors were not allowed any more. so the craftsmen prepared
hyaku nezumi 百鼠 a hundred shades of gray so show their individual tastes.

. shitateya 仕立屋　/ 仕立て屋 tailor, seamstress .
futomonodana 太物(ふともの)店 sold "thick robes" made from cotton 木綿, in contrast to the Gofukuya, who often sold silk material 絹.
kiwataya 木綿店 cotton cloth dealers

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

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moohatsu 毛髪 Mohatsu, human hair // 糸車
Human hair has mysterious power. If it is hung on a tree, birds will not come close. In the ground it does not rot.
If someone is fleeing, if people put his hair on a spinning wheel and turn it left, this person will get lost and soon come back.

.................................................................................　Akita 秋田県
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鹿角市 Kazuno city // 糸車

kitsune 狐 fox
In the middle of the mountain forest, a fox shapeshiftes into a woman using a spinning wheel. If someone shoots with a gun, she will just laugh. In that case the hunter should aim at the spinning wheel, not the woman.

. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .

.................................................................................　Ehime 愛媛県
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喜多郡 Kita district // 木綿針

. kooryuu 蛟龍 / 蛟竜 Koryu, a mythical dragon monster .

.................................................................................　Gifu 岐阜県
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大野郡 Ono district 丹生川村 Nyukawa village

doosai どうさい / ドウサイ / 蟇 Dosai Hikigaeru bull frog
Every night there came a beautiful woman to the mountain hut of the forest workers and used itoguruma 糸車 a spinning wheel to make 木綿糸 cotton thread. They were quite afraid and asked a hunter to shoot her.　The next morning there was a doosai bull frog dead on the ground, with a shot in one eye. It was about 100 cm long.

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Gifu 高山市 Takayama city 上宝町 Kamitakara town

iwana イワナ / 岩魚 bull trout
There is a river pool with a strong whirlpool, where the great master of the iwana bull trout lives.
There was a beautiful girl in the village and a handsome young man came to visit her regulary. But the mother of the girl was suspicious of the young man and made him eat 麦の焼き餅 mochi grilled with barley straw. Then she put a thread in her needle for cotton work and stuck it into the man. When she followed the cotton thread, she saw a large bull trout trying to swim in great pain. The bull trout asked the mother to forgive it and disappeared.

.................................................................................　Hyogo 兵庫県
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姫路市 Himeji city

ike no naka no wata 池中の綿 cotton threads in the pond
There was a small pond where a child had drowned and died. The villagers wanted to drain the pond and make fields out of it. When they had gotten all the water out of the pond, there were white connon threads at the bottom. There were so many that the villagers could sell these high-quality threads to other villages. The villagers became quite rich with this trade.

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Hyogo 神戸市 Kobe city

chi no ike jigoku 血の池地獄 the blood pond of hell
There is ritual near the 観音橋 Kannon bridge over the small river on the way to the 不動の瀧 Fudo Waterfall near 摩耶山 Maya san. Women who have died giving birth are supposed to fall into the blood pont of hell, but on this bridge they have put some white cotton cloths on sticks. People passing here can scoop some water and if the cloths make a hole to let the water through, the soul of the dead person will be saved and soon go to the Buddhist paradise.
. Maya san 摩耶山天上寺 Temple Tenjo-Ji .

. Waterfalles named "Fudo no Taki" 不動の滝 .

. chinoike 血ノ池 Chi-no-Ike - "The Blood Pond" .

.................................................................................　Ishikawa 石川県
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鳳至郡 Fugeshi district 門前町 Monzen town

choota mujina 長太ムジナ A badger named Chota
In the evening, walking on the narrow road from Minazuki toward Kamiozawa there is often the badger Chota coming out. He piles rocks on the road so that people can not pass. When travelers wander around the rocks their food will be stolen. The badger shape-shifts into a huge serpent or a monster and scares people. Once a man could feel the badger coming on and threw a stone at him. A man appeard and said "Let us have a fight!" "Let us compare the size of our kintama 金玉 "golden balls", testicles. (Badgers are famous for the size of their testicles.) They placed a furoshiki 木綿風呂敷 wraping cloth from cotton on the ground and the badger pulled out his testicles, in a hurry tearing them apart, so he fled back to the mountain. Since then he never appeared here.

. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢－ racoon dog, badger legends .

.................................................................................　Iwate 岩手県
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. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
The warm winter robes wor working in the snow have a crotch of 黒木綿 black cotton. This should prevent serpents to sneek inside while the owner takes a nap.

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遠野市 Tono city 土淵町 Tsuchibuchi town // 糸車

. zashiki warashi 座敷童子 / ざしきわらし　girl spooks .
The zashiki warashi 座敷童子 girl spook at the home of 助十 Sukeju can make a noise like itoguruma 糸車 a spinning wheel turning. Nobody has ever seen this girl, but the sound can be heard day and night. Sometimes there is also the sound of someone walking in the room.

.................................................................................　Kagoshima 鹿児島県
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ittan momen 一反木綿 "one roll of cotton" Yokai monster
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"one bolt(反 tan) of cotton") are a yōkai monsters from Kōyama, Kimotsuki District, Kagosima Prefecture (now Kimotsuki. They are also called "ittan monme" or "ittan monmen.
According to the Ōsumi Kimotsukigun Hōgen Shū (大隅肝属郡方言集) jointly authored by the locally born educator, Nomura Denshi and the folkloricist Kunio Yanagita, at evening time, a cloth-like object about 1 tan in area (about 10.6 meters in length by 30 centimeters in width) would flutter around attack people.
They are said to wrap around people's necks and cover people's faces and suffocate people to death,[2][3][4][5] and in other tales it is said that wrapped cloths would spin around and around and quickly come flying, wrap around people's bodies, and take them away to the skies.
- more in the wikipedia

.................................................................................　Hokkaido 北海道
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登別市 Noboribetsu city 幌別町 Horobetsu

Things used for a funeral are not thought to be impure. Items made of cotten can be used to wrap around the body when going fishing.

.................................................................................　Kochi 高知県
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幡多郡 Hata district 大月町 Otsuki town // 糸車

. neko 猫 / ねこと伝説 Legends about cats, Katzen .
Once a murderer was loading his gun to shoot a girl in front of a cat. The cat hurried out, shapeshifted into the girl using a spinning wheel. However much the murderer shot at her, he did not hit her. The mother-in-law suggested to shoot at the spinning wheel instead and indeed, the cat died.
One should never load a gun in front of a cat.

.................................................................................　Miyagi 宮城県
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角田市 Kakuda city 東根 Higashine // 糸車

Kakuda no nana fushigi 東根の七不思議 The Seven Wonders of Kakuda
③ Number 3 - At the parking space of Kanomata hall there often appeared a monster with three eyes in the evening. It made the sound of someone turning itoguruma 糸車 a spinning wheel.

.................................................................................　Nagano 長野県
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木曽郡 Kiso district 上松町 Agematsu town

hebizuka 蛇塚 stone mound for a serpent
In 萩原の里 the hometown of Hagiwara there was a farmer’s home where three beautiful sisters lived. The youngest sister was especially beautiful and soon had a young lover, who came to her home every night. The other members of the house felt a bit strange about this man. One day they put a cotton thread in a sewing needle and stuck it into his robe. Later they followed the thread to 箱だたみの淵 the Hakodatami river pool. The young man was a serpent living there. The young man never came to the house again. The daughter got pregnant and had a child, which was a young serpent. The girl died soon after that. The family built a stone mound to pray for the serpent.
. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .

Lake Hakotatami / 箱だたみ池 Hakodatami

.................................................................................　Shimane 島根県
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出雲市 Izumo City 大塚町 Otsuka town

shiroi momen 白い木綿 white cotton
When someone has a problem with an itching eye, if it gets worse, one has to wrap a piece of white cotton three times around the leg of the side where the eye hurts, saying "I take you off when my eye is healed!"
When the eye is healed the cotton colth has to be cut off.

................................................................................. Saitama 埼玉県
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豊野村 Toyono village

momen boozu 木綿坊主 the cotton monk
The cotton monk comes in the fourth lunar month. This is the time for sowing cotton seeds, when people pray for a good harvest. Farmers prepare special mochi 餅 rice cakes and call out: "Please come to stay here!"
The number of the rice cakes must be 21 or 23.

................................................................................. Shiga 滋賀県
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伊香郡 Ika district 余呉町 Yogo town

ushi no toki mairi 丑のときまいり cursing ritual at the hour of the ox
People have to do this for seven nights, hitting a nail into a straw doll.
Once a man did this, wearing 白木綿 a white piece of cotton and two candles on a holder. He had the impression that invisible people were shouting at him in disgust.

. ushi no toki mairi 丑のときまいり to curse a person .

.................................................................................　Wakayama 和歌山県
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東牟婁郡 Higashimuro district 北山村 Kitayama village

. Kojoro 小女郎 the Tanuki prostitute .
Kojoro had been often going to the pond 船戸池 Funatoike to meet a man. Her parents put a needle with a cotton thread into her robes and followed her. The poor Kojoro threw herself into the pond and died and her man followed her. Near the pass there is a grave of both. Kojoro was a beauty with long black hair, but from the waist down she looked like same 鮫 a shark.

.................................................................................　Yamagata 山形県
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ito-tori ba 糸とり姥 the spinning old hag // 糸車
On the Eastern mountain of the village, farmers could often see an old hag near the fire turning 糸車 the itoguruma spinning wheel. They were quite afraid and asked a hunter to shoot her. He tried many times, but could not stop the sight. So the farmers asked him to shoot the fire, which he did with great doubts. When they looked, they found a lot of big and small coins on the ground. This might have been the money collected by 狸 the Tanuki, who was the old hag.
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最上郡 Mogami district 真室川町 Mamurogawa town// 糸車

banba 婆んば an old hag
It became dark, a strong lukewarm wind like a typhoon begun to blow and the mountain was rumbling. A hunter appeared and fired his gun at the mountain, where a female demon seemd to lurk. The villagers saw an old hag with white hair turning her spinning wheel. When the villagers followed the bloody track, they found a dead serpent in a hole in a tree.

.................................................................................　Yamaguchi 山口県
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阿武郡 Abu district 福栄村 Fukue village // 糸車

. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
A hunter made a shelf for his guns, but it was a bit to small and they say a monster would live there. Every night there was a strange light and they heard the sound of a spinning wheel turning. If he shot at the light, the bullet would not leave the gun. His friends advised him to shoot at the spinning wheel and the spook stopped.
It might have been the trick of a fox.

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Yamaguchi 防府市 Hofu city

. Tateishi Inari 立石稲荷 / 立石稲荷神社 .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

. Edo, Tokyo　江戸 - 東京 - 伝説 Legends Index .

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5/26/2020

Asakusa legends

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. Famous Places and Power spots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. 浅草観音伝説 Legends from Asakusa Kannon Temple .
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Asakusa densetsu 浅草伝説 Legends from Asakusa
台東区元浅草 Taito ward, Moto-Asakusa and others

. Asakusa 浅草 district in Edo .

. 浅草観音伝説 Legends from Asakusa Kannon Temple .

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

.................................................................................　Tokyo 浅草 Asakusa

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浅草安部河町 Asakusa Abekawa district. Asakusa Abekawachō

. Asakusa Abekawacho　阿部川町 Abekawa district .
River Abe-Kawa 安倍川 / 阿部川 and Tokugawa Ieyasu

koonotori 鸛 Konotori, stork
In the year 1810, there was a temple of the Ikko sect 高田派一向宗, where a stork had put up his nest. Until then the stork had put up his nest at the temple 西福寺 Saifuku-Ji. In the same year in December, there was a fire and the temple Saifuku-Ji burned down. They say if a stork moves his nest, there might be a fire at the old spot.

- quote -
Ikkō-shū (一向宗) or "single-minded school" is usually viewed as a small, militant offshoot from Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism though the name has a complex history.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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浅草花川戸 Asakusa Hanakawado

. Asakusa Hanakawadocho　花川戸町 Hanakawado district .

marushime no neko 丸〆の猫 / 丸〆猫 / manekineko 招き猫 the lucky cat from Imado
. Imado yaki 今戸焼　 Imado ware and the Lucky Cat .

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浅草今戸町 Asakusa Imado district

In the year 1813, a man saw a strange woman and followed her. The way led to a graveyard in Imado, where the woman vanished in front of a grave.

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. 浅草駒形 Asakusa Komagata / Komakata district .

onna no ushi-oni 女の牛鬼 a female bull-demon
People have seen a female bull-demon running out of the gate to the Komagata district.

. ushi oni, ushioni, gyuuki 牛鬼 "bull-demon" .

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浅草南馬道竹門 Minami-Umamichi Takemon

. boozu 坊主と伝説 Legends about Bozu priests .
In the year 1810, on the 20th day of the 7th lunar month, there was suddenly a naked boy about 15 years old falling from the night sky at 竹門 Takemon. The boy was a retainer of a 京都安井門跡 Yasui, a samurai from Kyoto. He had climbed 愛宕山 Mount Atago on the 18th. Since it was very hot he had taken off his cloths. Just then an old priest appeared and said he wanted to show him something special. The boy did not remember any more.
But his 足袋 tabi socks were made in Kyoto.
- reference : edo.amebaownd.com... -
and 浅草北馬道町 Kita-Umamichi district

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浅草御蔵 Asakusa Okura

. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
at Asakusa Okura there was a serpent coming out and ate all the rice in the fields. The farmers wanted to install a watchpost for snakes, but another man told them not to. Once this man had been shut in a storehouse for rice and had nothing to drink. A snake came along, took his hand towle and wetted it so that he could suck out the moisture and thus survive.
. . . . . another legend about
. mugiwara hebi 麦藁蛇 / 麦わら蛇 serpent made from wheat straw .

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牛込山伏町 Ushigome Yamabushi cho district

Tanaka 田中幸右衛門 Tanaka Koemon and the gate 田安門 Tayasumon
. Ushigome district 牛込 .

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ema 絵馬 votive tablet of a horse and a dragon

. 狩野元信 Kano Motobonu and 左甚五郎 Hidari Jingoro .
and the stray carved horse or dragon on the votive tablet

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. Kasha 火車 Kasha Demon "burning chariot" .

At 筑後守屋敷 the estate of the regent of Chikugo the 庚申 Koshin deity is venerated on the 7th day of the 4th lunar month.
In the evening they heard the noise of someone falling on the roof. It was the body of a drowned person. They say 火車 the Kasha Demon has dropped it there.
. kooshin 庚申伝説 Legends about the Koshin Cult .

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kitsune 狐 fox

. Yasuzaemon Inari 弥惣左ヱ門稲荷. .
A fox named 熊谷弥惣左ヱ門 Kumagaya Yasuzaemon got caught here in a trap and died.
The shrine was erected in his honor.
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Once a daughter was bewitched by the Inari fox from a nearby pond. A priest in a session asked the fox why. The fox said hw wanted to eat manjuu 饅頭 steamed buns and wanted them to be offered at a place where no dog would disturb him. The priest was well versed in the tales of Asakusa and got rid of the bewitchment with a special ritual.
. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .

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kuchi-ire Inari 口入稲荷 Takadaya 高田屋

This shrine was located in the garden of the former employment agent Takadaya 高田屋 in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters of Edo.
In 1701 it was relocated in the precincts of 浅草玉姫稲荷 Tamahime Inari Shrine in Asakusa.

. Kuchi-ire Inari shrine 口入稲荷神社 .

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Iinuma no tenjin 飯沼の天神 Tenjin from Iinuma in 下総国 Shimosa no kuni (Chiba)

The Temple 浅草報恩寺 Asakusa Hoon-Ji was formerly located in Shimosa no Kuni (now Chiba). When the temple was built, there came an old man listening to the sermon and then told the priest that he was the Tenjin deity from Iinuma. He would care for the priest from now on.
In a dream he told the priest he would make an offering of two koi 鯉 carp. But during the annual festival a large tree fell down and all the carp in the pond were killed by the angry deity.

Hoon-Ji 坂東報恩寺 6-13-13 Higashiueno, Taito Ward

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o-neko sama お猫さま the honorable cat

In Asakusa lived a poor family, making a living by selling vegetables. When the old father got ill, they became even poorer. His son mumbled about the cat, which should be killed and from that day on the cat did not show up any more. The son thought this strange and asked the old man about it. The old man told his son that the cat came every night and lay on the part of his body that was ill. That way he could get some sleep. And soon the ill old man was cured.
. neko 猫 / ねこと伝説 Legends about cats, Katzen .

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tamashi 魂 soul

A man who had been ill for a long time went to the temple of his family and asked the priest to be burried there if he would die. The next day he came again and the priest thought this was strange. The priest investigated the case and found that the man had already died.

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tanuki 狸 badger

. tanukubayashi 狸囃子 Tanuki procession .

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Taroo Inari 太郎稲荷 the Deity Taro Inari

. Tachibana Sakon 立花左近 and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Taro Inari Jinja 太郎稲荷神社

柳川藩立花家 Yanagawa han, Tachibana clan - Naka Yashiki 中屋敷

- quote -
..... one of these Edo Yashiki shrines in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, the Taro Inari Jinja (Shrine). This used to be the estate shrine of the Tachibana House of the Yanagawa clan, who ruled southern Fukuoka province on the Island of Kyushu. The estate and the shrine was established here around 1660. This is the only remains of the old estate, even though some of the lots are still in the hands of the original noble family members who seem to be in the hotel business.
..... the Torii, the red gate in front of all shrines and holy places, has actually been incorporated into the neighboring building when it was erected, a torii shaped hole has been made in the building wall itself!
No matter how crowded Tokyo gets, you can’t really ask the Gods to move!
- source : tokyobling.wordpress.com... -

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yakujin 疫神 Deities of Illness

. Yakubyogami 疫病神 / 厄病神 Deity of Diseases .

In the year 1848 in Autumn, a pandemic was in the city. An old woman from Asakusa was walking with a strange youg woman, who said she had not eaten for some days. The old woman cooked some soba そば buckwheat noodles for her. After the meal the young woman thanked her and said she was in reality ekijin 疫神 the Deity of Disease. She instructed the old woman that if she would feel ill, she should soon eat some dojoo どじょう loach to get better soon.

- - - - - ekibyoo 疫病 epidemic and 第六天神様 Dairokutenjin Sama
There was an epidemic in the village 宝木塚村 Hogizuka with many dead people. The reason was the missing faith in a protecting deity - or so they said. Finally they got a deity from 第六天神社 DairokuTen Jinja Shrine in Asakusa and the epidemy stopped.

. Dairokuten Ma-O 第六天魔王 Big Number Six Heavenly Deity .

.................................................................................　Yamagata 山形県
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山形市 Yamagata city // 浅草の慶養寺 Keiyo-Ji

. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
The tutelary deity of the Temple 竜門寺 Ryumon-Ji was a dragon.
Once the stone wall of the temple collapses and when people came to check, they found a serpent coming out. They chased the animal and killed it. The man who had killed the serpent died the same night. The others became very ill for about two months.
The serpent was rather thick and had four legs. The body is preserved at the temple Keiyo-Ji in Asakusa.

慶養寺 Keiyo-Ji
台東区今戸1-6-22 / Taito ward, Imado
founded in 1653 by priest Ryokan 龍門寺十二世良寮和尚.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

. Edo, Tokyo　江戸 - 東京 - 伝説 Legends Index .

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Asakusa Kannon Legends

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. Famous Places and Power spots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Legends from Asakusa .
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Asakusa Kannon densetsu 浅草観音伝説 Legends from Asakusa Kannon Temple
台東区元浅草 Taito ward, Moto-Asakusa

. Asakusa Kannon Temple 　浅草観音 .

. Kannon Bosatsu 観音菩薩伝説 legends about Kannon .

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. Asakusa 浅草 district in Edo .

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

.................................................................................　Tokyo 浅草 Asakusa

Asakusa Kannon 浅草観音 and temple 浅草寺 Senso-Ji, Asakusadera .

Around the year 1802, a country bump came to Edo for sightseeing. After visiting the Asakusa Kannon he then was on his way back home. On the bank of the river he met a very drunk man who attacked him and killed him . . . at least the man lost his conscience and fell to the ground. When he came back to his senses, he felt for the amulet of the Asakusa Kannon, which he had placed into his breast pocket. The imprint of Kannon had disappeared from the paper.
Now he knew that Kannon had taken his place and saved his life.

In the compound is the temple
. Denboo-In 伝法院 Denboin, Denbo-In .

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Kannon 観音 / Kanzeon 観世音

A man named 土師臣中知 Haji no Nakatomo, an official during the Asuka period around 628, came to the Asakusa area. He heard the story of two brothers, 檜熊浜成 Hinokuma Hamashige and 武成 Takenari. They worked as fishermen. One day they fished a statue of Kannon out of the river, but threw it back. At another place in the river they again caught the Kannon statue in their net. Nakatomo realized it was a special statue and venerated it in his home, making it into a temple and he himself became a priet.
But the statue smelled very much like fish, so he used a lot of incense to get rid of the smell.

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ubagaike 姥ヶ池 the pond of the old woman
- quote -
In the old days this unremarkable park with its little pond was shallow marshland that grew smaller and smaller as the city of Edo (old Tokyo) grew around it. In 1891 the local government finally had the marsh filled in and the present day park was put in its place. The name of the pond comes from an old legend concerning a stone pillow housed at a nearby temple.
During the reign of Emperor Yomei (585-587 A.D.), in a place called Asajigahara, there was a small trail connecting Oshu and Shimofusa. It was the only trail in the area and along it there was only a single house, inhabited by an old woman and her beautiful daughter. Any traveler wishing to rest on his journey had to stop over at their house where the old lady would promptly bash his head in with a stone pillow and steal his clothes and belongings. The old lady would then dump the bodies in a nearby pond.
Naturally her daughter was not happy with this and pleaded with the old lady to stop the killings but there was no persuading her. The body count reached 999 and the daughter was desperate to stop the killing.
One day a young man came to stay over and the old lady, as was her habit, took the stone pillow and promptly split his skull open. Upon closer inspection though, the old lady found that she had killed her own daughter who had gone in disguise, hoping that this final sacrifice would persuade the old lady to stop the killings. As the old lady was going mad from the realization of her deeds she took her daughter’s corpse and threw herself and the corpse together into the pond.
Since that day, the pond has been knows as Ubagaike, the Pond of the old Lady
(old hag might be a better translation).
- reference source : tokyobling.wordpress.com.. ubagaike.. -
The daughter turned into daija 大蛇 a large serpent and became the protector deity of the area.
. daija, orochi 大蛇 the huge serpent, great snake - legends .

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. henjoo nanji 変成男子 a boy with a mysterious story .
was saved through the grace of Asakusa Kannon.

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. Ennin -　Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 / 慈覺大師 . - (794 – 864)
and the old man with a white beard

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. Legends about Jizo Bosatsu - 地蔵菩薩 .

Around 1760, there lived a priest near the Asakusa Temple, called Arigata Bo ありがた坊 "the thankful priest".
His other name was Rakushin 楽心 (rakuchin . . . to feel at ease), but he was deaf.
He had to make regular prayers at the Jizodoo 地蔵堂 Jizo Hall. When he recited his first prayer, he heard the voice of Jizo callilng him 楽心 Rakushin. Next Jizo called arigatoo gozaimasu 「ありがとうござります」 "thank you very much".
Since then he could hear again and also talk to people.

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. Kannon Bosatsu 観音菩薩伝説 legends about Kannon .
migawari Kannon 身代り観音 Kannon as a substitute
As the belief in Kannon spread, a man was walking along the Nihonzutsumi embankment when a robber stabbed him. All his money was stolen, but he did not get any wounds. This happened in 1806.

. Migawari ... the deities substitute for us .

Nihonzutsumi 日本堤 Nihon Embankment, Japan dike district in Taito ward

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raijin 雷神 God of Thunderstorm / 浅草寺雷神門 Asakusa temple Kaminari mon gate

. Raijin 雷神 God of Thunder .
. To protect a child from 疱瘡 Hoso smallpox .

- quote -
Raijin-mon gate at Sensō-ji Temple of Kinryū-zan
金龍山浅草寺雷神門之図

Kaminari-mon gate (Fū-Raijin-mon gate) is situated at the entrance to the grounds of Sensō-ji Temple.
It is said that the original was built in 942 (the fifth year of Tengyō) and located somewhere around Komagata, Taitō Ward.
It is said that Fūjin and Raijin (The gods of wind and thunder) statues were enshrined for the first time when the gate was moved to the current location after the Kamakura period.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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. uma 馬 koma 駒伝説　horse legends .
The horse painted on an ema 絵馬 votive tablet walks off to feed and cause trouble at night. To appese it, reins were painted.

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浅草仲見世 Asakusa Nakamise

. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢－ racoon dog, badger legends .
tanukibayashi 狸囃子 "Tanuki Orchestra"
In 1877, at the home of the Ohashi family in 浅草仲見世 the Nakamise, Asakusa, for about half a year many weird things happened.
Well, this was a curse that goes back some time.
An ancestor of the Ohashi family was a Samurai attendant of 伝法院 the temple Denbo-In. He had to clear a bamboo grove in the temple compound, where tatari 祟り a curse was lingering. To appease the deity, a small Shrine was erected to appease the angry deity.
As a protector amulet against fire and disaster, the golden statue of a tanuki was erected.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

. Edo, Tokyo　江戸 - 東京 - 伝説 Legends Index .

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. Legends from Asakusa .

. Taitoo, Taitō 台東区 Taito Ward .

. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .

. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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- - - - - #asakusakannonlegends #kannonlegends #kaminarimon #raijinmon - - - -
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