EDO - Iwamotocho district

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Iwamotochoo, Iwamotochō 岩本町 Iwamotocho
Benkeibashi 弁慶橋 Benkeibashi bridge
Aizomegawa 藍染川 river Aizomegawa

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Iwamotochō (岩本町) is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
It consists of 3 chōme.
This article also deals with Kanda-Iwamotochō (神田岩本町). As of April 1, 2007, the total population of the two districts is 1,989.

Iwamotochō is located on the northeastern part of Chiyoda. The area consisting of both Iwamotochō and Kanda-Iwamotochō borders Kanda-Sakumakaji and Kanda-Sakumachō to the north; Higashi-Kanda to the east; Nihonbashi-Kodenmachō and Nihonbashi-Honchō, Chūō to the south; and Kanda-Sudachō, Kanda-Higashimatsushitachō, Kanda-Higashikonyachō, Kanda-Konyachō, Kanda-Nishifukudachō and Kanda-Mikurachō to the west.

Showa-Dori Avenue runs between Iwamotochō and Kanda-Iwamotochō. Iwamotochō, located east to the avenue, has already undergone modernization of the addressing system while, in Kanda-Iwamotochō, located west to the avenue, the modernization has not been enforced yet. In Chiyoda, many districts in the Kanda area has the prefix Kanda-; the addressing system modernization has not been enforced in such districts.
- source : wikipedia

During the early Edo period, this area was quite a swamp and unfit for human population. There was a cliff that looked almost like a goose, Iwapuchi　岩淵 and a lot of 笹 Sasa reeds grew here.
In the middle of the Edo period the area was dried and Samurai begun to build their estates here. A lot of the area was kept empty for fire protection purposes 火除明地.
The name Iwamoto begun to be used at the time, meaning "below the cliff/rock" 岩の根元.
Now there are many shops selling cloths and tailors have their ateliers there.

The bridge 弁慶橋 Benkeibashi crossed the river 藍染川 Aizomegawa here.

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岩本町の歴史
家康入府の後、江戸の発展にともない、火災や洪水の防止と物流の大動脈として神田川が掘割されました。（万治4年、1661年）
その時、掘り出された土が川の両側に土手の様に積み上げられ、そこに柳の木が植えられた事からこのたり一帯を「柳原土手通り」と言います。



その土手にそった現在の岩本町・東神田地区はその頃より商人と職人の町、庶民の町として栄え、特に文明 開化以後は「洋服」の街として東京の衣料の中心地として発展してきました。
- source : millionarrow.co.jp/history -

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藍染川 river Aizomegawa, Aizome-gawa

This river flowed in the Shinobazunoike 不忍池 Shinobazu pond.

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Kon'ya-cho 紺屋町　
This was a town ruled by the dyer 土屋五郎右衛門 Tsuchiya Goroemon who was allowed by Tokugawa Ieyasu to purchase Japanese indigo plants from the Kanto Region and Izu from the Keicho Era (1596-1615), where many indigo dyers lived together.
The river (channel) that flowed nearby was called the Aizome-gawa River (indigo dyed river).
The ruins of the small shrine called 於玉稲荷 Otamainari and the ruins of the 於玉が池 Otamagaike reservoir are located in the north of the town and it is associated with the following legend. During the middle ages, this area was along the highway to Oshu, and there was a beautiful woman named Tama who served tea to travelers near the reservoir. 2 men proposed marriage to Tama, however she could not decide between them and drowned herself in the reservoir.
It is said the village people dedicated the small shrine to Tama's spirit.
- source : ndl.go.jp/landmarks/e/sights -


. Konyachō 神田紺屋町 Konya-Cho .
- Introduction -


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Sendagi 千駄木
This area was originally forest land called 千駄木御林 Sendagi Ohayashi, and was contributed as a supply area for firewood after the construction of Ueno Kan'ei-ji Temple. It is said that the area was named Sendagi because senda was the amount of goods carried by a thousand horses and a senda of firewood was cut each day. Because the top of 団子坂 Dango-zaka Hill, which runs from Sendagi to Yanaka and Ueno, overlooks 佃沖 Tsukuda-oki , it was also known as 汐見坂 Shiomi-zaka Hill, and there were many dango (rice dumpling) shops along the roadside. There were many gardeners on top of the hill, and some sort of garden plants could be seen throughout the year. In 1856, a gardener who cultivated chrysanthemum moved to Sendagi from 染井 Somei, and the area became known for kiku ningyo (dolls wearing clothing made of chrysanthemums).
At the bottom of the hill, the 谷戸川 Yato-gawa River (Aizome-gawa River) threaded between the Hongo and Ueno plateaus, but it was turned into a culvert after the Great Kanto Earthquake. It is said a gardener named 宇平治 Uheiji opened a flower garden called 紫泉亭 Shisentei and established a pond.
- source : ndl.go.jp/landmarks/e/sights/sendagi -


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Sendagi
Sendagi Station is located in the Sendagi district of Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo. It is operated by Tokyo Metro for its Chiyoda Subway Line.
Sendagi is part of the historical area known as 谷根千　Yanesen.
The atmosphere of this simple and cozy residential district still holds signs of the Edo period. One can still find traditional wooden houses, small old-styled pubs (Izakaya), and a large number of old temples here mainly because this area has miraculously survived the 1923 Kanto earthquake and the World War II bombings. Walking through the narrow streets of Sendagi will take you to many of these sights. Among the most prominent of these are:
Daienji Temple
Choanji Temple
Tennoji Temple
Yanaka Cemetery
Asakura Choso Museum ( Choso Sculpture Hall )
Yanaka Ginza
- source : tokyo-tokyo.com/Sendagi -


- reference : sendagi edo -
Sendagi Dango-zaka Hanayashiki
Flower Pavilion on Dangozaka Hill in Sendagi - Hiroshige
Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi 谷中・根津・千駄木 - - 谷根千 Yanesen

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- reference : aizome-gawa -
"Aizome Gawa" (The Resurrection of a Woman at Aizome-gawa River), Noh Drama

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Benkeibashi 弁慶橋 Benkeibashi bridge

The bridge is rather steep and once you are on the top, there are two exits, one to the right and one to the left.
A text from 1732 mentions the difficult construction of this bridge, by the master carpenter named
Benkei Kozaemon 棟梁弁慶小左衛門.
In 赤坂見附 Akasaka Mitsuke there is the Benkeigoo 弁慶濠 Benkei Moat, also built by Kozaemon.


source : yasuda.iobb.net/wp-googleearth

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Benkei Bashi Bridge
At first, a Kyoto Style wooden bridge Benkeibashi was built at the outer moat of Akasakamitsuke in 1888. The name Benkeibashi was named after another bridge across the Aizome River near the Otamaike pond in Kanda, (Kanda Matsued-cho, currently Iwamoto-cho). Due to reclamation work on the river the old bridge was dismantled and what materials remained were reused in the building of the new Benkeibashi bridge.
The original "Benkeibashi" was built by the master carpenter "Daiku Benkei Kozaemon," who was in the service of the Edo Shogunate. The name of the bridge comes from that man's name.
The bridge was fully reconstructed in 1985 and careful consideration was given to its setting and historical nature. The construction began in October 1983 and was completed in December 1985. The opening ceremony was held on December 18, 1985 with many guests related to the construction in attendance.
- source : koujimachi.net/newtown -

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Benkeibashi [Strong man bridge] spanned the moat protecting the Fukiage approach into the Edo Castle (and, later, the Imperial Palace) grounds from Akasaka Mitsuke. Fukiage comprised the western area of the castle grounds made into a firebreak after the great Meireki fire of 1657. (A 10-acre section of the grounds was also turned into a garden, now within the grounds of the New Otani hotel.) The bridge as seen in these images was constructed in 1889. Sadly, as with Nihonbashi, an elevated expressway now almost completely obscures from aerial view the present-day Benkeibashi.

"There used to be parsley and shepherds-purse growing in spring on the banks of the Tamaike reservoir, and families used to got there to pick them. The flowers alongside the outer moat here were indeed so splendid that they would now be thought of as one of the sights of Tokyo. The green of the willows of Benkeibashi, too – especially in the haze of rain on a spring morning – were just indescribable."
— Thirty Years in Tokyo, Tayama Katai, 1917

- Look at more photos here:
- reference source : oldtokyo.com/benkeibashi-akasaka-mitsuke -

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- source : yasuda.iobb.net -

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Lafcadio Hearn in Japan
The scene viewed from Benkeibashi Bridge near Hotel New Otani in Akasaka,Tokyo. This place around the exterior moat of Edo Castle is now heavy traffic,but only a few passengers passed at the time of Edo period.
The left picture shows around the scene of Kinokunizaka Slope,the stage of the novel titled "Mujina".
In the beginning of the novel, there are passages as follows,

"On the Akasaka Road,in Tokyo,there is a slope called Kii-no-kuni-zaka-which means the Slope of the Province of Kii. I do not know why it is called the Slope of the Province of Kii. On one side of this slope you see an ancient moat, deep and very wide, with high green banks rising up to some place of gardens."
- source : bekkoame.ne.jp/~gensei -

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Benkei Bridge - Sekino Jun'ichirō, 1945
..... His subject in this print is Benkei Bridge, which crosses the outer moat of Edo Castle on the north side. Named for a legendary monk-warrior of the twelfth century, it still stands today.



- source : myjapanesehanga.com -

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The old bridge is now gone and only a marker 弁慶橋跡　reminds of its presence.


- reference source -


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. Musashibo Benkei 武蔵坊弁慶 (? - 1189) .

- reference : Benkeibashi Edo -

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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Posted By Gabi Greve to Edo - the EDOPEDIA - on 6/16/2016 09:49:00 am

EDO - metsuke ometsuke inspector

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .
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metsuke 目付 and oometsuke . Ōmetsuke 大目付 Inspector and Inspector General
soometsuke 惣目付 Sometsuke
daikansatsu 大監察 Daikansatsu "Great Inspector"
kansatsukan 監察官 Kansatsukan, Inspector General


江戶幕府大目付の研究 - Edo Bakufu ōmetsuke no kenkyū
山本英貴 Yamamoto Hideki

Metsuke worked under the supervision of the 若年寄　Wakadoshiyori.
Ometsuke worked under the supervision of the 老中　Roju.

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Metsuke (目付) were the censors or the inspectors of Tokugawa Japan. They were bakufu officials ranking somewhat lower than the bugyō. The metsuke were charged with the special duty of detecting and investigating instances of maladministration, corruption or disaffection anywhere in Japan; and particularly amongst the populace having status below the daimyō.

- - - - - Intelligence gathering
The shogunate recognized the need for some kind of internal intelligence-gathering apparatus and for some degree of covert espionage within its own ranks. It could be said that the metsuke functioned as the Shogun's intelligence agency or as internal spies, reporting to the officials in Edo on events and situations across the country.

The metsuke were charged with focusing on those ranking below daimyō-status; and their counterparts, the ōmetsuke, were responsible for supervising the activities of officials and members of the daimyō (feudal lords).

Although similarly engaged, the reporting protocols of the metsuke and ōmetsuke differed. The metsuke reported to wakadoshiyori who ranked just below the rōjū. The ōmetsuke reported directly to the four or five rōjū at the top of the shogunate bureaucracy. By design, the intelligence-gathering activities of the metsuke was intended to complement those of the ōmetsuke even though there was no official reporting relationship between the two somewhat independent groups.
There were at any given time as many as twenty-four metsuke.

- - - - - Ad hoc evolution
The bureaucracy of the Tokugawa shogunate expanded on an ad hoc basis, responding to perceived needs and changing circumstances. Sometimes one or more of the metsuke or ōmetsuke would have been selected to address a specific or even a unique problem. For example, Arao Norimasa in the period from 1852 through 1854 was charged with special duties as kaibo-gakari-metsuke.

The prefix kaibō-gakari meaning "in charge of maritime defense" was used with the titles of some bakufu officials after 1845. This term was used to designate those who bore a special responsibility for overseeing coastal waters, and by implication, for dealing with matters involving foreigners. "Kaibō-gakari-metsuke" later came to be superseded by the term gaikoku-gakari. These developments prceeded the Gaikoku bugyō system which began just prior to the negotiations which resulted in the Harris Treaty. First appointed in August 1858, the gaikoku-bugyō were bakufu officials who were charged with advising the government on foreign affairs and who were tasked with conducting negotiations with foreign diplomats both in Japan and abroad.
- - - - - In popular culture :
- - - - - List of metsuke:
Oguri Tadamasa (1859–1860).
- source : wikipedia


- - - - - List of metsuke:
柳生宗矩 Yagyu Munenori （1632年 - 1636年） (the first one)
水野守信 Mizuno Morinobu（1632年 - 1636年）
秋山正重 Akiyama Masashige （1632年 - 1640年）
井上政重 Inoue Masashige （1632年 - 1658年）
加賀爪忠澄 Kagatsume Tadazumi（1640年 - 1650年）
- - - and many more
合原義直 Gohara Isaburo（1868年）(the last one)
- reference : Japanese wikipedia -




metsuke 目付 can also just mean a look or the looks of a person, not related to the Edo officers at all.

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In March 10 / 11, 1641, there was a great fire in Oke-machi 桶町火事. More than 400 people lost their lives and 123 homes of Samurai were burned down.
The fire started in the home of a medicine maker (薬師 kusushi) named Matsuo　松尾, and spread fast in the strong wind.
The home of the Government official 大目付　Ometsuke 加賀爪忠澄 Kagatsume Tadazumi (1586 - March 11, 1641) burned down and he died in the fire.
After this fire, the Shogun Iemitsu established a fire brigade of the Daimyo, 大名火消 Daimyobikeshi.

. okechoo, okemachi、桶町 Okecho, "Bucket district" .

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Asakusa Abekawachoo　阿部川町 Abekawa machi
Since 1636 a lot of government workers called "o kobito shuu"　(okobito) 御小人衆 lived here, working for Metsuke office. At that time, the district did not have a special name yet. Since having no name was confusing as Edo grew, in the year 1696 it came under the directive of 細井九左衛門　Hosoi Kuzaemon, who gave it the name.
The leader of the Okobito, 川村太四郎　Kawamura Taishiro, had come from the Abekawa region of Shizuoka.
The ABE spelling changed from 安倍　to 阿部.

. Abekawa, Abe-Kawa 安倍川 / 阿部川 .

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Metsuke: Intelligence gathering



kangen no metsuke 観見の目付け

(the text of this page is the same as the wikipedia.
- source : america.pink/metsuke -

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- - - - - H A I K U and S E N R Y U - - - - -

松例祭火事装束の大目付
shooreisai kaji shoozoku no oometsuke

pine torch festival -
the inspector wears robes
of the fire brigade
Tr. Gabi Greve

Mihara Seigyoo 三原清暁 Mihara Seigyo


. shoorei sai 松例祭 Shoreisai, pine torch festival .
toshiya matsuri 歳夜祭（としやまつり）
hyaku taimatsu no jinji 百松明の神事 ritual of 100 pine torches
- - kigo for mid-winter - -

on the last day of the old year, leading into the new year.
The last day of the 100 day-long winter austerities of the yamabushi at Dewa sanzan in .
It was held in former times to ward off the epidemy of tsutsugamushi, scrub typhus, along the coast of Northern Japan, about 1300 years ago.
The epidemy demons were driven out with large pine torches.

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]- - - - - #metsuke #ometsuke #inspectorsinedo - - - -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Edo - the EDOPEDIA - on 6/14/2016 09:44:00 am

KAPPA - Umibozu yokai

- Yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - - ABC-Index -
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umiboozu, umibōzu 海坊主 Umibozu, "sea monk", "sea bonze"
umihooshi 海法師 Umihoshi, Umi boshi / uminyuudoo 海入道 Uminyudo

mojabune 亡者船 "ship of the dead", associated with Umibozu.


Tokuso the sailor encountering an Umibozu
Utagawa Kuniyoshi　/ 歌川国芳 『東海道五十三対 桑名』の海坊主

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The Umibōzu is said to live in the ocean and capsize the ship of anyone who dares speak to it. This spirit's name, which combines the character for "sea" with the character of "Buddhist monk," is possibly related to the fact that the Umibōzu is said to have a large, round head, resembling the shaven heads of Buddhist monks. Alternatively they are demonic Yōkai (spectres) that appear to shipwreck victims and fishermen.
They are believed to be drowned priests, and exhibit the shaven head and typically appears to be praying. It is usually reported as having a grey, cloud-like torso and serpentine limbs.
According to one story,
if angered, they ask that the crews provide a barrel that it proceeds to fill with sea water to drown them. To avoid this disastrous fate, it is necessary to give him a bottomless barrel.
This folktale is likely related to another Japanese tradition, which says that the souls of people who have no one to look after their graves take refuge at sea.
The umibōzu
is a very well known yōkai as it is also recognized in modern Japanese culture: ...
- source : more in the wikipedia


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Umibōzu – The Sea Monk

Translated and sourced from Mizuki Shigeru's Mujara, Yokai Jiten, Japanese Wikipedia, and other sources.
If you find yourself out sailing strange tides in an unfamiliar sea, the umibozu is not the kind of monk you should pray to for help.
Traditionally,
umibozu rise from calm waters. Their appearance is sometimes said to herald a coming storm, and they can be accompanied by other strange ocean phenomenon. Or even just feelings of dread. In any case, wise fishermen could read the signs that an umibozu was about, and would refuse to launch their boat until the waters were clear.
When they attack,
some say that they cling to the hull of a ship to drag it down, or have great stretching arms that can pull a ship down by its mast. Some say that they try desperately to quench any lit fires on the boat. Some say they cry "Kuya kuya" as they attack, and that striking them with the oars will bring cries of pain, "Oitata!," from the smaller species. In some legends, they can be repelled by tobacco smoke. ...
. . . with all the details here
- source : Zack Davisson -


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Umi bōzu
..... APPEARANCE: Perhaps no other aquatic yokai is as mysterious as the giant umi bōzu. Their true form is unknown, as they are only ever seen from the shoulders up, but they appear to be roughly humanoid in shape, with inky black skin and a pair of large, round eyes. Eye-witnesses report a great range in size, from slightly larger than a ship, to a size so unimaginable that only the creature's bulbous face is visible above the water. Its head is smooth and round like that of a venerable monk, and its body is nude and as black as shadow. Some reports make them out to be more serpentine, while others make them out to be more ghostly, like a gigantic kind of funa-yūrei.
INTERACTIONS: .....
ORIGIN:.....
- source : yokai.com/umibouzu -

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Some legends involve a ladle, ladel, scoop, dipper called
shaku 杓, shakuji 杓子, hishaku 柄杓 / ヒシャク, enaga エナガ


source : 猫も杓子も

Umibozu comes and asks for a ladle: Shaku kure しゃくくれ.
If he gets one he begins to scoop water into the boat until it sinks.
So before giving him one you have to knock the bottom out of it.

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大洋にいる海坊主はすっぽんの体に人頭で髪が無く、大きなもので５，６尺ある。これを見ると不漁になる。捕らえて殺そうとすると涙を流して助けを乞うように見える。
中国では和尚魚という。

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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

ある男が晩に海岸通を歩いていると知人にあい，声をかけた。男が「この辺は海坊主が出るという。頭が丸く，背が3メートルもあるという。」と言うと，その知人は「このくらいか」といって3メートルの海坊主になった。男が家に逃げ帰り，息子にその話をすると，息子の背もやはり3メートルほどになったという。


............................................................................　Aomori 青森県

In Aomori prefecture, Shimokita district, Higashidori village, people who ate shark (eating shark was sometimes taboo in Japan, as sharks ate people so it was seen as cannibalistic) were said to become mojyabune (亡者船; ship of the dead), which was associated with the umibozu. People protected themselves from the mojyabune by mixing miso paste with water and pouring it into the ocean.
Zack Davisson



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

海坊主は毛がたくさんついていて、相撲を挑んだり，夜遅く通る船に「つけてくれ」と言ったりする。ある力自慢の人が海坊主と格闘になったが、そのうち鶏が鳴き、海坊主は姿を消した。三日ほどしてその人は死んだ。
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入道鼻の海坊主は相撲を挑んだり、夜遅く通りかかる船に「つけてくれ」と言ったりする。力自慢の男が海坊主と格闘したが、鶏が鳴くと姿を消した。身体には毛がたくさんついていた。三日ほどしてその男は死んだが、海坊主も出なくなった。
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話者が漁に出た帰路に、船が進まなくなった。海坊主につかまったと思ったが、話者の父は「海神に御神酒を供えるとよい」と言う。酒を海に注ぐと、船は動き出した。海坊主が舟をつかまえるのは、海神が怒っているからという。
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船を「たでる」とは、船に付く虫を蒸し殺すことである。船たでの際は船霊様は陸に上がっているという。船たでが終わるとタデ棒で二三度船をたたいて終了を知らせる。実際の船霊様は女の人形で、船大工が作る。funatama
.
夜間、海にでるとエンコ(海坊主)が相撲を挑んでくる。これに応じたら必ずヅベ(肛門)を抜かれると言う。 - Enoko (Kappa)
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舟の艪をいくら漕いでも前進しないと、海坊主がついたためだとされる。海坊主は火の玉や女の姿になって現れたりする。杓子を貸せといって現れたときは、底を抜いた杓子を渡さないと、海水をつぎこまれて水舟にされてしまう。 - shakuji
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夜、漁に出ていると、海坊主が手を出して「杓をくれ」という。この時は底の抜けた杓をやらなくてはいけない。海坊主はその杓で船一杯水がたまるまで水を汲むため。- shaku

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松山市 Matsuyama

二神の沖で、40年前に海坊主が現れたという。頭は坊主で赤銅色で、手足があって目が丸い。７・８寸の尾があり、泳ぎ方は人間よりも少し遅いという。これを見た人は長寿するといわれている。

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南宇和郡 Minami Uwa district 城辺町 Johen

沖へ出ると海坊主が出て、水が呑みたいから柄杓を貸せ、と言う。貸すと船に水を入れられて沈められてしまう。逃げようとして櫓を漕ぐと水が入って沈んでしまう。海坊主に遭ったらもう助からない。
hishaku

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御荘町 Misho town

海坊主の船は帆柱のセミがついていないのですぐわかる。海坊主の船と競漕しても勝ち目はない。赤火(出産の穢れ)・黒火(死の穢れ)の者が乗っていると、必ず海坊主に憑かれる。金比羅様を念じたり、鰯をくすべたり、マッチの火を投げつけると退散する。

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中島町 Nakajima town

海坊主は頭が坊主で赤銅色で手足があり、七・八寸の尾がある。見た者は長寿する。宇和島には、漁に出ていたら舟に何かが上がってきたので槍をつくと逃げたが、その奥さんがあんまに化けた海坊主に殺されたという話がある。

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宇和島市 Uwajima town

艪をいくらこいでも前進しない時は海坊主がついている。海坊主が火の玉となって海上を飛んだり、女の姿となって現れたりする。エナガ（杓子）を貸せと言われて底の抜いたエナガを渡さないと海水をつぎこまれて沈んでしまう。 enaga shakuji


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

Aiga no umiboozu 安乎の海坊主 Umibozu from Aiga
いつの頃であろうか、淡路島の安乎（洲本市安乎町）の海に、見たことも無い奇妙な生き物が現われたという。
それを見た者の話をまとめると、体はねずみ色で、猿のような頭に丸い眼と尖った口。喉の下が茶色く、手はヒレのようで、海老のような尾ビレをしていたという。しかし、全身を見たものは誰もいなかった。
また、海中深く潜ってヒラメやカレイなどを捕らえては海の上に浮きあがって食べていたという。

Komagabayashi no umiboozu 駒ヶ林の海坊主 Umibozu from Komagabayashi
明治の頃の話である。ある年の一月三十一日、駒ヶ林村（現　兵庫県神戸市長田区駒ヶ林町）の男が沖に船を出した。しばらく進むと、突然目の前の海上に大きな山のような物が現われた。驚いた男はその山を避けようと進路を変えるのだが、どうしたわけか、いくら船の向きを変えても目の前に山が立ちはだかる。何度かそんな事を繰り返した後、男は諦めてそのまま目の前の山めがけて突き進んで行った。するとどうしたことだろう、山はまるで雲か霞のように消えてなくなり、男は無事港に帰り着くことができたという。
そんな事があって以来、駒ヶ林村では（旧暦の）一月三十一日に海に出ると化け物に遇うといって船を出さなかったという。
- reference : nachtmahr_3rd/F-tales/umibouzu -

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明石市 Akashi town

海坊主が船に乗ることがある。何かがのった感じがするが、何もいない。杓子で海水を汲んで、オモテ（船先き）に投げかけ、その杓子のそこを抜いて海に流すとよい。海坊主はしけの日にはでない、凪の日にかぎってでる。shakuji


............................................................................　Ishikawa 石川県
鳳至郡 Fugeshi district 能都町 Noto

Once a man went fishing alone when suddenly from the sea an Umibozu appeared and told him: "You had better go home now!".
By the time he reached the beach, the man was dead.



............................................................................ Kagawa 香川県
.......................................................................
丸亀島 Marugame island

amagoi 雨乞 and tsurigane 釣鐘 rain rituals and temple bell
ある運送屋の夫婦が釣鐘を運んで阿波の国に向かう途中、釣鐘がいつの間にか消え、驚いた夫は水死し、妻は後を追った。それ以来、沖では、鐘の音が聞こえたり、鐘を撞く海坊主が見られた。風説が広がり、恐れられたので、船頭達は鳴神を祀って神社を建てた。怪異はなくなり、この神社は雨乞いの験があるという。

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三豊郡 Mitoyo district 詫間町 Takuma

The Umibozu is seen as the spirit of 水死者 drowned people.

enko エンコ (河童）Kappa
At Tanabata 七夕には、海坊主が出ないので、皆潮浴びに出るという。海坊主が出ないのは、人間がお客に呼んだからだという。エンコに竹のゴクチを、人間はタケノコを食べ、人間が食べ終わってもエンコは食べ終わっておらず、エンコは人間が偉いと思ったという。またエンコが相撲を取ろうと言ったら、人間は手につばを吐いた。つばを吐くのを止めろと言っても止めないからエンコは恐ろしくなって相撲を取るのを止めたという。

............................................................................ Miyagi 宮城県

漁船は出港する際満潮のときに祈祷して海上安全・大漁万足を祈祷する、正月神官に船の旗を清めてもらい船霊様に安置する、虎猫を乗せていけば漁がある、海坊主が出て船を沈めるから、底なしの手柄杓を一つ持っていく、などといわれる。
hishaku

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石巻市 Ishinomaki town, 網地浜 Ajihama beach

藩政時代の末頃の話。力士大戸平（大正時代，二代目関脇金の花，年寄尾車，本名阿部吉太郎）の祖父は力自慢の大男であったが，夏の夕べ砂浜を歩いていると，夕暗の中から突然袖をつかんで引っ張るものがある。相手の手首を握ろうとしたがぬるぬるして掴めない。海坊主である。とっさに砂浜に引き上げてあった船に掴まったが船もろとも海に引き込まれそうになった。その時通りかかった人たちがこの様子を見て流人の脱島（網地島は流刑地）と勘違いし誰だと怒鳴ったので，海坊主は袖を引きちぎって倒れた。その隙に祖父は逃げ，家の近くまで来てふり返るともう海坊主はいなくなっていた。それから祖父は病みつき，しばらくして亡くなった。


............................................................................　Nagasaki 長崎県

海坊主は舟へ来てアカトリを貸せという。貸さないと船を沈めると脅す。アカトリを貸すと海の潮を船に汲み込んで船を沈める。一説には死んだ人間の魂という。高した災難に遭わないために漁師は船に船玉様をまつって祈願を込めた。

. Funadama 船霊 / 船玉 female guardian deity of a boat .

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有川町 Arikawa

sokoyuurei ソコ幽霊につかれると船が動かなくなる。海坊主のようになったり、幽霊船になったりもするらしい。

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五島市 Goto

Funayuurei 船幽霊 Funayurei
幽霊船や海坊主は柄杓を貸せという。そこを抜いて貸さないと船に水を注がれて沈められる。船幽霊は決して艫からは船へ上がってこない。船玉様がともの方を向いているからだという。磯女は乳から上が人間で下は幽霊のように流れていて、やはり船を襲う。
Funadama


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

海坊主に出会った場合は味噌を海中にまけば逃げるとされている。
miso


............................................................................ Oita 大分県
国東町 Kunisaki town

松原の沖の尼が瀬では，舟の中で寝ると海坊主に襲われる。女の海坊主は築港の中に，男は外海に出る。船霊様を祀る舟の中央部にいれば現れない。海坊主が柄杓を求めたときには水を汲み込まれるので，柄杓の底を抜いて与えるとよい。 hishaku

............................................................................ Okayama 岡山県

... the umibozu were considered to be an aspect of the yokai nurarihyon.
Sailors in the Seto Inland Sea feared the rising of the nurarihyon's large head from the water, which would flip ships over as a joke.
Zack Davisson

nurarihyon　ぬらりひょん　/ 滑瓢
illustration by Sekien 鳥山石燕『画図百鬼夜行』
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


............................................................................ Osaka 大阪府
貝塚市 Kaizuka

和泉国に住んでいる人が言うには、貝塚のあたりに海辺には時々海坊主が現れて、磯の近くに来るという。そのあたりの家では子供を磯には行かせず、間違って行くと捕られるという。3日ほどで沖に帰るという。その形は人に似て大きく、全身は漆のように黒く、半身を海上に現す。



............................................................................ Shimane 島根県

Fishermen do not go to sea on the 16th of August (last day of O-Bon rituals for the ancestors).
On this day the Umibozu comes and asks for a ヒシャク ladle. If he gets one he begins to scoop water into the boat until it sinks. So before giving him one you have to knock the bottom out of it.

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那賀郡 Naka district 濱田町 Hamada

The Umibozu is also called Norouma のろうま.

のろうまを海坊主とも言う。船が近寄ってきて柄杓を貸せと言ってきたとき、底を抜いた柄杓を貸さないと、それで水を汲みこんで船を沈没させてしまう。

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八束郡 Yatsuka district 美保関町 Mihonoseki

船頭が暴風雨に遭った。すると海坊主が船の舳先に上がってきて、世の中で何が一番恐いかと問うので、商売が一番恐いと答えたら、その海坊主はたちまち消えて、暴風雨も止んだ。



............................................................................ Shizuoka　静岡県

In Shizuoka prefecture, Kamo district, they told tales of the umi kozo, which refers to a young monk. The umi kozo was covered in a fine hair up to its eyes, and came up along people's fishing lines, cackling hideously.
Zack Davisson

oshooroosama, o-shooroo sama オショーロー様 O-Shoro sama
お盆の13日の夕方に漁をしていると、海坊主が出て来て柄杓をくれと言う。この日はオショーロー様が帰って来る日なので、海坊主はオショーロー様の怒りであろう。 hishaku

namikozoo 波小僧 Namikozo, Nami Kozo, Monk of the Waves
If a fisherman helps the Umibozu or Namikozo, he will be able to predict the weather according to the sound of the waves.



- quote -
Namikozo Statue at Maisaka
When you walk along the Rows of Pine Trees at Maisaka, you will find the statue of a young boy called Namikozo. According to the folklore in Enshu region, Namikozo is a yokai (goblin) who has the power to tell the weather by the sound of the waves.
The legend has it that namikozo originated from one of the two straw dolls produced from the harvested rice. Priest Gyoki (highly respected priest during mid 8th century) chanted the sutra and told the dolls to help the farmers to forewarn the storms and threw them into the river. Years later one of the dolls turned into the goblin and was caught by the fishnet of the fishermen.
The goblin asked the fishermen to let him go and he will use his magic so that the fishermen know how the weather will be like by the sounds of the waves and fishermen released him. Since then, when the roaring of the wave comes from the southeast it tells the sign of rain, from the southwest the sign of fine weather.
Namikozo is often picked as one of the seven wonders of Enshu Province.
- source : virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia -

- reference : namikozo -

. Gyooki Bosatsu 行基菩薩 Gyoki Bosatsu (668-749) .


............................................................................ Tokyo 東京都
神津島 Kozushima

The Umibozu can posess a person. If someone goes picking Nori seaweed, he might end up a dead body.


............................................................................ Yamagata 山形県

kawaboozu 河坊主 Kawabozu, River Monk
In the village of 大石田 Oishida there are Kawabozu and Umibozu, who eat live snakes and can make humans look like snakes and more.


............................................................................ Yamaguchi 山口県
.......................................................................
萩市 Hagi town

Sometimes an Umibozu comes onto a ship. In that case you should start to sharpen a knife on a whetstone. This will make the Umibozu jump back into the sea.

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長門市 Nagato

夜に沖へ出るとよく火を見る。風に逆らって走る船影も度々見る。万燈のように灯をつけた船が突然近付き、急に消える事もある。海上で遭難した人の魂が同志を取るために人を殺すのであろう。海坊主が篝をけしにきたので、篝火を投げ付けたという話もある。

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大島郡 Oshima district 周防大島町 Suo Oshima

師走に周防大島の港へ向う船が逆風に会い、やがてハタと止まったかと思うと、目が一つの男が海から船に乗ろうとし、「おまえはこの世の中で何が一番恐ろしい」と聞いた。船頭が「生業が一番恐ろしい」と答えると、消えた。海坊主だという。
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Funayuurei 船幽霊の話である。海で闇の中、突然大坊主が現われてニタニタ笑っている。簀板を持って殴りつけるとパッと消えるがまたニュッと立っている。追っても追っても逃げないが、そのうち鶏が鳴くと消えた。

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
53 海坊主 (40)

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !

- Japanese reference -

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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

亜空間の無声の原の海坊主

林桂 Hayashi Kei (1953 - )

- reference : haikureikudb - 妖怪 -

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- source : Umibozu Jewelry -





10 Types of Sea Monsters
The Umibōzu is a Yōkai or ghost from Japanese folklore, specifically the ghost of a drowned priest. Another unfriendly water being, the Umibōzu will upturn your ship if you speak to it. The Umibōzu mainly preys on fishermen and shipwrecked sailors. Today the Umibōzu is a recurring figure in many contemporary manga series.
- source : hubpages.com/education Sea-Monsters -

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- reference source : -
Ayakashi (妖)
is the collective name for yōkai that appear above the surface of some body of water.
In the Nagasaki Prefecture, the kaika that appear above water are called this, and in the funayūrei in the Yamaguchi Prefecture and the Saga Prefecture are also called this. In the western part of Japan, they are said to be those who died at sea and are attempting to capture people to join them. In Tsushima, they are also called "kaika of ayakashi (ayakashi no kaika)," and appear on beaches in the evening, and it would look like as if a child were walking in the middle of the fire. On coasts, kaika would appear as mountains and obstruct one's path, and are said to disappear if one doesn't avoid the mountain and tries to bump into it intently.
There is the folk belief
that if a live sharksucker, an actual fish, gets stuck to the bottom of the boat, it would not be able to move, so ayakashi is a synonym for this type of fish.
In the Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by Sekien Toriyama,
the ayakashi is represented by a large sea snake, but this may actually be an ikuchi.
- - - - - Legend in Chiba
In the "Kaidanoi no Tsue," a collection of ghost stories from the Edo period, there was as stated below.It was in Taidōzaki, Chōsei District, Chiba Prefecture. A certain ship needed water and went up to land. A beautiful woman scooped up water from a well, and thus retrieved the water and returned to the boat. When this was said to the boatman, the boatman said, "There is no well in that place. A long time ago, there was someone who needed water and went up to land in the same way, and became missing. That woman was the ayakashi." When the boatman hurriedly set the ship to sea, the woman came chasing and bit into the hull of the ship. Without delay, they drove it away by striking it with the oar, and were able to escape.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Ikuchi, Ikuji　イクチ
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. - - - Join my Yokai friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Hashihime, Hashi Hime 橋姫 / はし姫 "Princess of the Bridge" .
a vengeful water deity


- Yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - - ABC-Index -

. - yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - .
- Reference -

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #umiboozu #umibozu #seabonze -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Kappa - The Kappapedia on 6/18/2016 09:39:00 am

SHRINES - Hashihime Bridge Deity

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. Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
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Hashihime, Hashi Hime 橋姫 / はし姫 "Princess of the Bridge"
"bridge maiden", "The Lady at the Bridge"

Uji no Hashi Hime 宇治の橋姫, 織津比売 (せおりつひめ)の神
. Checkpoints, barriers around Kyoto .

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- quote
Hashihime (橋姫) ("the maiden of the bridge")
is a character that first appeared in Japanese Heian-period literature, represented as a woman who spends lonely nights waiting for her lover to visit, and later as a fierce "oni" or demon fueled by jealousy. She came to be associated most often with a bridge in Uji.


Kyōka Hyaku-Monogatari 1853

Very little is known about the origin of Hashihime. The most common interpretation is that she was a lonely wife pining for her husband / lover to return but due to his infidelity, she became jealous and turned into a demon.
- source : wikipedia

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Hashihime no Yashiro 橋姫の社
Hashihime Jinja 橋姫神社 Hashihime Shrine



橋姫の社（はしひめのやしろ）　は宇治橋の西づめにあり。はじめは二社なり。一社は洪水のとき漂流す。いま、礎存せり。
『古今』　　さむしろに衣かたしくこよひもやわれをまつらんうぢの橋姫　　読人しらず
この歌の評説をもって祭る神をしか云ふなり。『袖中抄』に、「住吉大明神橋姫の神にかよひ詠みたまふ歌なり」とぞ。清輔の説には、「山には山の神あり、橋には橋の神あり。姫とは佐保姫・竜田姫などに同じ。旧妻を橋姫になぞらふ」となり。一条禅閤（いちじょうぜんこう）の御説には、「離宮の神、夜ごとに通ひたまふとて、暁ごとにおびたたしく狼のたつ音のする」となん。
玄恵（げえん）法印の日く、「むかし嵯峨天皇の御とき、をとこにねたみある女、貴船のやしろに七夜丑の時参りして、この河瀬に髪をひたし悪鬼と化す。これを橋姫といふなり」。宗祇（そうぎ）の説には、「おもひかはしたる妻、立ちわかれて恋しきままに、『なれもわれをまつらん』とはし姫を妻によそへて、かこちいへる儀なるべし」。また『源氏物語』に「橋姫」の巻あり。これはなぞらへて書けるのみなり。この歌に付きてさまざまの儀侍れどもその詮なきよし、定家卿も宣ひけるとぞ。また逍遥院（しょうよういん）殿の御説も、清輔・宗祇のいふところに同じ。佐保姫・竜田姫・橋姫、これを三姫といふて、深き口授のあるよし、歌道の師によりて明らむべし。


あじろ木にいざよふ浪の音ふけてひとりやねぬるうちの橋姫　
ajirogi ni izayou nami no oto fukete hitori ya nenuru uji no hashihime　
慈円 - Jien (1155 - 1225) - 『新古』

橋姫のおるや錦とみゆるかな紅葉いざよふうぢの河波　　
後宇多院 Gouda-In (Gouda Tenno) (1267 - 1324) - 『新千』　


宇治市宇治蓮華47 Uji
- source : sites.google.com/site/miyakomeisyo -


Writing Margins: The Textual Construction of Gender in Heian and Kamakura Japan
By Terry Kawashima
The figure of Hashihime, . . .
- with poems about the Hashihime
- source : books.google.co.jp -



はし姫のもみぢ重やかりてましたびねは寒し宇治の川かぜ
Hashihime no momijigasane ya kari te mashi tabine wa samushi Uji no kawakaze.

Wondering if I should borrow
from the Princess of Bridges
this robe of autumn leaves—
my rest while traveling so cold...
the Uji River wind.

Otagaki Rengetsu (1791 - 1875)

- source : rengetsu.org/poetry_db -


さむしろに衣かたしきこよひもや我をまつらむうぢのはしひめ
samushiro ni koromo katashiki koyo mo ya ware o matsuramu uji no hashihime

On a thin straw mat
Beneath a single layer of clothes
On this night, too,
I wonder, does she await me,
My maid at Uji Bridge.

source : Anonymous - wakapoetry.net



さむしろや待つ夜の秋の風ふけて. 月をかたしく宇治の橋姫
ｓamushiro ya matsu yo no aki no kaze fukete tsuki wo katashiku uji no hashihime

How cold!
waiting out the autumn's weary night
deepening as the wind blows
she spreads out the moon's light
the Princess of Uji Bridge.

Fujiwara no Teika
- source : wikipedia -


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- quote -
橋姫（はしひめ）
は、橋にまつわる日本の伝承に現れる女性・鬼女・女神である。
- Image 鳥山石燕『今昔画図続百鬼』より「橋姫」。解説文に「橋姫の社は山城の国宇治橋にあり」とあることから、宇治の橋姫を描いたものと解釈されている。
- Image 鳥山石燕『今昔画図続百鬼』より「丑の刻参り」
- Image 現在の堀川と戻り橋
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- quote -
Hashihime – The Bridge Princess
From Mizuki Shigeru, Yōkai Stories
Nothing quite embodies the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" like the Hashihime. A human woman consumed by jealousy and hatred, she transformed herself through sheer willpower—and the assistance of a helpful deity who taught her a complicated ritual—into a living demon of rage and death. A yokai from the Heian period, she is one of the most powerful and fierce creatures in Japan's menagerie.



What Does Hashihime Mean?
With only two kanji, her name is straight-forward: 橋 (hashi; bridge) 姫 (hime; princess). But there is a secret meaning hidden inside. In ancient Japanese, the word airashi (愛らしい; pretty; charming; lovely; adorable) could be pronounced "hashi." So "Hashihime the Bridge Princess" was also a homophone for (愛姫) "Hashihime the Pretty Princess."
The only real question is why does such a horrible demon have such a lovely, delicate name? This is because the name predates the monster. There have been Bridge Princesses—benign deities of the water—for far longer than there have been jealous women with crowns of iron and burning torches clenched between their teeth.
- - - Hashihime as Water Goddess
Going back into ancient, pre-literate Japan, there has long been a mythology built around bridges. Japan was—and still is—an animistic culture where nature is embodied by spirits of good and ill. The wonders of nature, like particularly large and twisted trees or odd and out of place rocks, had their own guardian deities called kami. Rivers too, especially large rivers, were the abodes of gods. ...
In the year 905 CE, we get one of the oldest known written mentions of the Hashihime, in a poem from the 14th scroll of the Kokin Wakashū (古今和歌集; Collection of Poems of Ancient and Modern Times). This is especially notable because it mentions not just any Hashihime, but the Hashihime of Uji—a legend that would come to dominate all images of this fantastic creature.

Upon a narrow grass mat
laying down her robe only
tonight, again –
she must be waiting for me,
Hashihime of Uji

- - - Hashihime as Female Demon
How the transformation happened—from benign, sexy river goddess to avatar of female rage—is unknown. Most likely it happened like all folklore, organically and over time. The shrines to the Hashihime existed near bridges, and as people forgot their original purpose they began to make up new stories. Most of these stories tended to include some legend of the Hashihime as "woman done wrong." There are old legends of a woman whose husband went off to war and never came back, and she wept by the river bank in sorrow until she was transformed into the Hashihime. Others are stories of jealousy and revenge. ...
While Lady Rokujo is not the Hashihime, ...
- - - The Heike Monogatari and the Hashihime of Uji
...The Heike Monogatari emphasizes repeatedly than the Hashihime is a "still-living" oni. ...
Toriyama's Text:
"The Goddess Hashihime lives in the under the Uji Bridge in Yamashiro province (Modern day Southern Kyoto). That is the explanation for this drawing of the Hashihime of Uji."
- - - Kanawa 鉄輪 – The Iron Crown
The Noh play Kanawa (鉄輪; The Iron Crown) comes from one of the versions of the Hashihime story from the Heike Monogatari. ...
- - - Other Hashihime
Although she is by far the most famous, the Hashihime of Uji is not the only Hashihime. Nagarabashi bridge over the Yodogawa river in Osaka and the Setanokarabashi bridge over the Setagawa river in Sega prefecture also lay claim to their own Hashihimes.
- - - The Hashihime Shrine
..... Shrine records claim the Hashihime Shrine dates back to 646 CE, making it older than most known legends of the Hashihime of Uji. Most likely it was originally dedicated to the water goddess under the bridge, and the kami of the shrine evolved along with the legends. ...
- source : Zack Davisson -

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- quote -
The Tale of the Hashihime of Uji
Translated from the Heike Monogatari
During the Imperial reign of the Emperor Saga, there lived a courtly lady consumed by jealousy. So powerfully was she in jealousy's grip that she made a pilgrimage to the shrine at Kifune and cloistered in prayer. For seven days, she devoted herself to a single-minded wish: "Oh great and powerful Kami of Kifune, grant me the powers of a devil while I am still living. Make me a fierce being, terrible to behold. Let my outer form match the flame of jealousy that burns so brightly within. Let me kill."



That great miracle-working Kami of Kifune understood the depths of her desire, and heeded her call. "I am moved by pity and by the sincerity of your prayer. If you wish to become a living oni, to change into a monstrous form, get thee to the Kawase river in Uji. Perform the ceremony I shall now teach you, and then return to submerge yourself in the waters of the river. Do this for 21 days." This courtly lady saw and heard the manifestation of this celestial being, and was in rapture.
- continued here
- source : Zack Davisson -


. ikiryoo 生霊 . 生き霊 Ikiryo"living spirit" .
vengeful spirit, mostly female
ushi no toki mairi

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totose 十歳 - an expression from the Genji Monogatari.
Hashi Hime, Hashihime 橋姫

その人もかしこにてうせ侍にし後ととせあまりにて
sono hito mo kashiko ni te use haberi ni shi nochi,
totose amari nite

quote
A pictorial subject based on "The Lady at the Bridge" Hashihime, Chapter 45 of GENJI MONOGATARI 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji).



The last ten chapters of the Tale are known as UJI JUUJOU 宇治十帖 (The Ten Books of Uji). This chapter, the first of the ten, introduces the Eighth Prince Hachi no miya 八宮, a half-brother of Genji, and his two daughters, Ooigimi 大君 and Naka no kimi 中君, who live with him in his self-imposed retirement at Uji (south of Kyoto). The prince is known for his piety and wisdom. Kaoru 薫, whose serious character is engendered by deep misgivings about his paternity, begins to study under Hachi no miya.
Eventually he learns from Ben no kimi 弁君, the daughter of *Kashiwagi's 柏木 wet nurse, that he is not in fact Genji's son, but rather the illegitimate son of Kashiwagi. The scene most frequently chosen for illustration shows Ooigimi playing a lute biwa 琵琶 and Naka no kimi a harp koto 琴 under the moon and clouds while Kaoru secretly peers in through a break in the villa's bamboo fence.
This scene survives in a section of the earliest illustrated version (12c) in the Tokugawa 徳川 Art Museum.
source : Jaanus


. Matsuo Basho - totose 十歳 .
aki totose kaette Edo o sasu kokyoo

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Tea Bowl, Known as "Hashihime" (bridge maiden)
Mino ware, Shino type, Azuchi-Momoyama - Edo period, 16th - 17th century



- source : Tokyo National Museum -

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- Reference : 橋姫
- Reference : Hashihime


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

- #hashihime #hashihimeshrine -
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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

Shrine Hashihime no Yashiro, Uji
京都府宇治市宇治蓮華47番地

If the procession of a wedding passes before this shrine, someone will certainly become very ill or even die. It is also possible that the wedding will not be successful and the couple divorced.

During the Time of Minamoto no Raikō many people suddenly disappeared.
When he investigated the events, he found that during the times of 嵯峨天皇 Saga Tenno a very jealous woman cast a spell at 貴船の社 Kifune Shrine.
The shrine is therefore associated with the Ushi no toki mairi　丑の時参り, the ritual of wearing candles on one's head and laying a curse at a shrine during the "hour of the Ox", since it is from the resident deity that Hashihime learns the prescribed ritual to turn herself into an oni鬼 demon to exact vengeance.
This story is told in the Noh play Kanawa 金輪 ("The Iron Crown").

. 源頼光 Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Raiko (948 - 1021) .
Minamoto no Raikō


- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Japan - Shrines and Temples on 6/18/2016 10:35:00 am

FUDO - Rokuji Myo-O

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Rokuji Myoo-Oo, Rokuji Myō-ō　六字明王 Rokuji Myo-O
Enlightened King of the Six Words
- and
Rokuji Ten 六字天
黒六字 Black Six Words 黒仏 "Black Buddha"

This is a very powerful deity to prevent the influence of evil.
He often looks like a Kannon with black skin. He stands on the left foot, the right one is bent backward at the knee.



六字大明王陀羅尼 Rokuji Myo-O Darani Ritual Spell
六字大明呪 Rojuji Daimyo Ju
- - - - - Shingon Mantra of Rokuji Myo-O
オン
ギャーチギャーチュー
ギャービチ
カンジュー　カンジュー
タチバチ　ソワカ


口奄（オーン）・麼（マ）・手尼（ニ）
鉢訥（ペ）・銘（メ）・吽（フーン）

Chanting this Mantra will prevent bad influence, protect from deasters and grant a long life.
「悪霊調伏」「息災延命」
- reference : shimo-yoshiko.com/ryuseimei -

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六字明王 = 六字天


source : jikisinndoujyou 八葉山 天華院 - 六字明王



source : rakushisha.ocnk.net - 六字天

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- quote -
Rokuji Myō-ō 六字明王
Literally "Six-Syllable Luminescent King."
The below two drawings share certain iconographical similarities with the 12th-century monochrome drawing of Myōken  and the 13th-century painting of Sonjō-ō at Miidera. In all of them, we see the four-armed one-headed central deity holding the sun disk and moon disk, with right foot raised behind the opposite knee. However, in the below drawings, the deity is portrayed atop a lotus, whereas the earlier images show her atop a dragon. The drawings also portray the deity holding different objects. Rokuji Myō-ō appears in the Rokuji Jinjuōkyō 六字神咒王經 sutra, where the deity is described as the central icon (honzon 本尊) in esoteric rituals (known as the Chōbuku Shinpō 調伏信法 or Chōbuku-hō 調伏法) to ward off evil spirits, enemies, and malicious influences.


Drawing from 12th-century Japanese text

Notes on the Rokuji Mandala 六字経曼荼羅.
Also called the Rokujikyō (Rokujikyo Mandala), literally Six Letter Mandala or Six-Syllable Incantation.
Centered on Shaka Nyorai 釈迦 (the Historical Buddha) holding a gold wheel (hōrin 法輪).
See Hokuto Mandala (Big Dipper Mandala) for more about this form of Shaka.
The central deity is surrounded by Six Kannon (Roku Kannon 六観音), and the group of seven appear within a moon disc. At the top of the mandala are two flying celestials (hiten 飛天); at the bottom are images of Fudō Myō-ō 不動明王 and Daiitoku Myō-ō 大威徳明王, and positioned between them are six figures venerating a smaller moon disc. The deity is also said to be the composite reward body (総合成就身) of the Roku Kannon who protect people in each of the six realms of karmic rebirth.
Says JAANUS: "Images of the Six Kannon began to be made as offerings for the welfare of the dead and for personal salvation in the first half of the 10th century. The Six Kannon appear in the most common form of the Rokujikyō Mandala, which from the Heian period was the focus of the Rokujikyōhō 六字経法, a Shingon ritual used particularly for sickness and childbirth. The six forms of Kannon often appear along with their corresponding Sanskrit bonjimon 梵字文.

Twenty-Eight Constellations
28 Moon Lodges, 28 Lunar Mansions
- source : Mark Schumacher -

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. Senyuuji 仙遊寺 Senyu-Ji . 　
- Shikoku Henro Nr. 58 - Introduction -

- - - - - Chant of the temple:
たちよりて作礼の堂にやすみつつ 　
六字を唱え経を読むべし
Tachi yorite sarei no dō ni yasumitsutsu rokuji o tonae kyō o yomubeshi

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- quote -
rokuji myougou　六字名号 (rokuji myogo)
Lit. Six Character Name
The six Chinese characters used to write 'Namu Amida Butsu 南無阿弥陀仏'
An homage to the Buddha *Amida 阿弥陀, generally referred to as the nenbutsu 念仏, a chant that devotees believed would ensure one's salvation in Amida's Pure Land gokuraku 極楽. The Six Characters may be written in ink, embroidered or printed. Sometimes the Six Characters are incorporated with illustrations of the Six Realms of Reincarnation *rokudou-e 六道絵. A well-known sculpted image is the statue of the priest *Kuuya 空也 (903-72) in Rokuharamitsuji 六波羅密寺 in Kyoto, in which the Six Characters are represented by six miniature images of Amida coming out of the priest's mouth. Kuji myougou 九字名号 or "Nine Character Name," refers to a variant name for Amida written with nine characters, 'Namu Fukashigikou Nyorai 南無不可思議光如来.'
Written forms of Amida icons also employ Sanskrit letters shuji 種字.
- source : JAANUS -

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- quote
Rites, Rice, and Rokuji Myōō
- Workshop July 2016 -
"Dipper Worship or gejutsu 外術 Practice?
Framing Rokujiten 六字天 in Medieval Japan"
This presentation proposes to explore the iconography and ritual of Rokujiten 六字天, an esoteric manifestation of Kannon invoked during exorcistic rituals of the Shingon school of Buddhism in the Heian and Kamakura periods.
Although Rokujiten is said to instantiate the rokuji dai myōju 六字大名呪, the renowned six-syllable dhāranī of Kannon expounded in the Kārandavyūha sutra, its representations are identical to those of two other deities worshipped within Tōmitsu and Taimitsu circles as incarnations of the Pole Star: Myōken 妙見 and Sonjōō 尊星王.
Taking as a point of departure a lavish example currently in the possession of Hōjūin 宝寿院, dated to the 14th century, I suggest that instead of resulting from a conflation between these two deities, Rokujiten was a carefully crafted product.
First, I present how ritual sources draw a clear picture of Rokujiten aimed at setting it apart—both in terms of iconography and ritual—from Pole Star imagery. Then, by looking at the way that Kamakura-period ritual sources addressed its striking similarities with icons connected with the Dipper, I explore the possible temple and lineage disputes that may have facilitated its creation.
Benedetta Lomi
- source : icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html

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- reference - rokuji myo-o -

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Rokuji Monju　六字文殊　Six-letter Monju
Monju mit sechs Zeichen
. Monju Bosatsu 文殊菩薩　Manjushri　.

guarding against natural disasters and nightmares


CLICK for more photos !

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. Black Buddha Statue 黒仏 kurobotoke .

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

Yamanashi 山梨県 Otsuki town 大月市

. Saint Shinran 親鸞 (1173 - 1263) .
When Shinran passed the village of 笹子村 Sasagomura in the North he heard a story from the villager 作太郎 Sakutaro. In the old pond of 吉が窪 there lived a Yokai woman named お吉 "O-Kichi" who could take the shape of a poisonous snake and came to harm and haunt the villagers. So Shinran begun to chant the 阿弥陀経 Amida Sutra and begun to write 南無阿弥陀仏 the name of Amida and 六字 the Six Words on small pebbles and threw them into the pond.
In no time the woman was relieved from her past sins and could go to paradise.
Since that time small pebbles are found at the side of the pond.


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


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. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

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. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .


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- - #rukujimyoo #rokujiten - -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Fudo Myo-O - Introducing Japanese Deities at 6/06/2016 08:44:00 PM