PERSONS Ajaribo Tengu Saint Koen

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Ajaribo 阿闍梨坊 Ajari-Bo Tengu
Higoajari, Higo Ajari 肥後阿闍梨 / 備後阿闍 the Ajari of Higo, Acharya of Higo
Kooen, Kōen 皇円 Saint Koen
(? - 1169)

First a short description of an Ajari:
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ajari Sk: acarya.
Teacher or master. A title conferred on an eminent priest who guides his pupils and sets a good example. As a rank in the Japanese priesthood, it was first used in 857, and was conferred on masters of both the Tendai 天台 and Shingon 真言 sects.
- source : JAANUS

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Kooen, Kōen 皇円 Koen
諡号 -- 肥後阿闍梨 - Higo Ajari
尊称 -- 皇円大菩薩 - Koen Daibosatsu 皇円上人 Saint Koen Shonin
He was a priest of the Tendai sect and his most famous disciple was 法然 Saint Honen.
He died at Mount Hieizan 比叡山功徳院.


His statue at 蓮華院誕生寺奥之院

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Renge-in Tanjō-ji (蓮華院誕生寺) Tanjo-Ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon Risshu, or Shingon-Vinaya Buddhism, in Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture. It is the head temple of Shingon-Vinaya Buddhism in Kyūshū and a branch temple of Saidai-ji (西大寺) in Nara (奈良).
It venerates Maha-Bodhisattva Kōen (皇円大菩薩, Kōen Daibosatsu) as its patron deity.
The temple stands on the site of Jōkō-ji Renge-in which was founded either at the end of the Heian period or the beginning of the Kamakura period and burnt down during the wars of the Sengoku period. The first abbot Zeshin Kawahara (1896 - 1977) was instructed through a spiritual communication by Kōen to restore Jōkō-ji Renge-in, which he accomplished in 1930 and renamed it Renge-in Tanjō-ji ("Birth Temple") in honor of the fact that it stands on the birthplace of Kōen.
... The temple consists of the Main Temple and the Oku-no-in, or the Inner Temple, which is located 2.5 miles north of the Main Temple on Mt. Shōdai.
... 1937 The Acharya Hall (阿闍梨堂, Ajari-dō) completed.
...
Patron Deity Maha-Bodhisattva Kōen
is venerated as the patron deity. Kōen (皇円) was a Tendai monk in the latter part of the Heian period. Since he was said to have died on June 13 in 1169, it is assumed that he was born in 1074.

Kōen was born in Tsuji, Tamana-shō in Higo Province as a great-great-grandson of Kampaku Fujiwara no Michikane (藤原道兼). His father was Fujiwara no Shigekane (藤原重兼), governor of Buzen Province. In his teens, he took the novice's ordination with Kōgaku (皇覚), a master of Sugiu School (椙生流), at Mt. Hiei, and studied Exoteric Buddhism under him. He furthered his education by studying Esoteric Buddhism with Jōen (成円). He started going by the name of Kōen around this time by taking a Chinese character from each of his masters' names. He lived in Kudoku-in on Mt. Hiei and became known as the Acharya of Higo (肥後阿闍梨, Higo Ajari). Hōnen who founded Jōdo-shū, a major school of Pure Land Buddhism, was ordained under Kōen in his last years and became his disciple.

He was also a noted scholar known for his erudition. He wrote Fusō Ryakki (扶桑略記, A Concise History of Japan) which is considered Japan's first chronicle detailing the events (mainly related to Buddhism) from the reign of Emperor Jimmu to that of Emperor Horikawa in the chronological order.

The actual circumstances of his death are unknown. According to the biographies of Hōnen written in the latter part of the Kamakura period, on June 13, 1169, Kōen commenced tantric practice in the form of a draconic deity in Sakuraga-ike Pond in Enshū. Sakuraga-ike Pond is an actual dammed lake in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture.
- source : wikipedia -



皇円大菩薩絵巻 Koen Daibosatsu Emaki - Scroll about his life
- source : youtube.com/watch -

This temple is Nr. 21 蓮華院誕生寺 一願成就不動 - Renge-In
of the Kyushu Fudo Pilgrimage 九州三十六不動霊場.

. 九州三十六不動尊霊場 Kyushu - 36 Fudo temples .


- HP of the temple -
St. Koen was born to a noble family on the very site of Rengein-Tanjyoji temple in 1073, in the Heian Era, the era of the aristocracy. Holding the reins of Higo province government, his grandfather, Lord Shigefusa Fujiwara, (Kanpaku; the highest rank of courtiers). St. Koen entered the priesthood in his infancy. He studied Buddhism and practiced Buddhist training asceticism at Mt. Hiei near Kyoto. When he was young, he was very famous as a great priest, as well as being a profound Buddhist scholar in Japan.
He wrote "Fusoryakki," which is numbered among the three great chronicles in Japan, including "Dainihonshi" and "Nihonshoki".
He also educated thousands of disciples. At the age of 74, he granted the fundamentals of Jyodo Buddhism to 15-year-old Honen who then founded the Jyodo Sect (the Pure Land Sect) and became the master of the priest Shinran.



Because of St. Koen's vow to attain a miraculous power to save mankind, he entered Nirvana as a dragon-deity incarnate at Sakuragaike-pond in Shizuoka prefecture in 1169. Subsequently he received Bosatsugyo-training asceticism in the next world. ...
- source : www.rengein.jp -
2288 Tsuji, Tamana, Kumamoto / 熊本県玉名市築地2288



His most important work is Fusoo Ryakki 扶桑略記 Fuso Ryakki, written in 1094 on request of 堀河天皇 Horikawa Tenno (1079 - 1107), at Mount Hieizan. It contains 30 volumes

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Koen the Dragon Bodhisattva:
History and Hagiography, a Translation and Analysis of the "Fuso Ryujinden."


Aaron Patrick Proffitt (Author)

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Kōen as Maitreya Devotee and Tengu
... the Fusoo ryuujinden claims that according to "folk-lore" and "myth", Koen was also said to be a Tengu, or mountain spirit/goblin. In these contexts he is referred to as the Higoajari 肥後阿闍梨, or the Ajari of Higo Kingdom.
- source : books.google.co.jp

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Ōshōkyō-in 応声教院 山門　Sanmon Gate at Oshokyoin Temple
Oshokyoin Temple located in Nakauchida, Kikugawa City, Shizuoka Pref. is a temple of the Jodo sect. The principal object of worship is the statue of Amida Nyorai (quasi national treasure). The temple originates in Tengakuin Temple of the Tendai sect, which was established in 855 by the priest Jikaku Daishi as an Imperial prayer temple for Emperor Montoku. Later, Honen Shonin (1133-1212), the founder of the Jodo sect Buddhism, placed the statue of Amida here to the memory of his teacher, Koen Ajari, who was said to have transformed himself into the Ryujin (dragon god) to save people in Sakuragaike Pond in the neighboring town. The temple sect was changed from the Tendai sect to the Jodo sect and its name was also changed from Tengakuin to Oshokyoin at this time.



Oshokyoin is a branch temple of Chioin Temple in Kyoto. It is also known as the fudasho (a visiting place for pilgrims) for those who are born in the year of dragon and snake in Enshu (present-day Shizuoka Pref.) area. The temple possesses the manuscript of the Koen Ajari legend and the statue of Hafuki Amida Nyorai (Amida with mouth open). Up the stone steps at the entrance stands the Sanmon Gate (the temple gate), which was erected by the 2nd Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. In the precinct are full of unique objet d'art such as Nonbei Jizo (Bottle-man Jizo). There are also two of the Seven Wonders in Enshu, Mitabi-guri (a chestnut tree producing chestnuts three times a year) and Kataba-no-Ashi (the reed grass that has leaves on only one side of the stem).
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

................................................................................. Nagano 長野県

Ajari-ike 阿闍梨池 The Ajari Pond
In 1198 建久9(1198)年正月18日，Saint Koen Ajari became a dragon thanks to his faith in 弥勒菩薩 Miroku Bosatsu. He came to the 善光寺如来堂 Nyorai Hall in the temple Zenko-Ji.
He walked around seven time and then went into the Ajarigaike pond, which was in fact a swamp. This swamp is now quite small, but if people perform 如来印文 certain rites of Nyorai for 17 days, it will become full of water. This happens because this pond in Nagano is said to be linked to the Sakuragaike in Shizuoka (遠州 Enshu), where he died.



. Zenkooji 善光寺 Zenko-Ji Nagano .


................................................................................. Sakuragaike 桜が池

Koen Ajari became a serpent and waited for his ascend as a dragon to the realm of Miroku Bosatsu.



When his death came near, he scooped some water from the pond and suddenly there were huge waves on the pond. Even now on a calm evening people can hear the sound of ritual bells near the pond.



Every year during the summer equinox people bring an offering of rice with red beans in a half-open bucket and someone pushes it into the water. Then the water begins to whirl and draws the bucket to the bottom.

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


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- quote
Ajari Kikenbo - a Kingmaker Character
Languages:
Tengu, Common, Varisian, Draconic (kobold), Elvish
Homeland
Untrustworthy. Liars. Thieves. Ne'er-do-wells.
Sooner or later the names people call you begin to sink in and become your own identity. Such was the case with young Ajari.
- source : brevoy.obsidianportal.com


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. - yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - .

. Tengu 天狗と伝説 Tengu legends "Long-nosed Goblin" .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #tengu -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Gokuraku - Jigoku on 8/14/2016 12:44:00 pm

HEIAN - keyaki zelkova tree legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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keyaki 欅と伝説 Legends about the Zelkova tree

. keyaki karu 欅枯る（けやきかる）withering zelkova tree .
- kigo for all winter -


CLICK for more photos !
Keyaki is a very special tree, often venerated as a ritual tree of the gods, 欅神木 shinboku.

- quote -
Zelkova serrata (Japanese zelkova, Japanese elm or keyaki; Japanese: 欅 (ケヤキ) keyaki / 槻 (ツキ) tsuki)
is a species of flowering plant native to Japan, Korea, eastern China and Taiwan. It is often grown as an ornamental tree, and used in bonsai.
- more in the wikipedia -


. 箪笥 Tansu: Traditional Japanese Cabinetry .
Many are made of Keyaki wood.
The wood is very strong and was also suited for making wooden nails, which were used by the traditional carpenters.

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dotei no gyooja 土定の行者 / ドテイノギョウシャ an ascetic burried in the ground

In the autumn of 1817 a huge Keyaki tree suddenly fell down and in the hole in the ground a 石櫃 stone sacrophagus appeared. From inside there was a voice heard reciting the holy Sutras and ringing a bell. This must have been the Saint Ascetic who was burried there alive about 150 years earlier.
The long line of visitors coming here to pray lasted until the winter of that year.

. Sokushinbutsu 即身仏 the Living Mummies of Japan .
土定 (dojoo) - Others offered their life in a fire 火定 (kajoo) or in water 水定 (suijoo).

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Aichi 愛知県 ......................................
北設楽郡 Kitashitara 設楽町 Shitara

穴瀧という瀑布があり、近くに大蛇の遊木と言われた大欅があった。ある時、ある男が大欅を切り倒そうとした。すると美女が現れて名残惜しそうに立っていた。男はそのまま仕事を続けていたが、ふと大蛇の化身ではないかと思いついた。急に戦慄を覚え家に逃げ帰ったが、病床に臥してそのまま死んでしまった。


.......................................................................... Akita 秋田県 ......................................

. Gyokuzooji 玉蔵寺 Gyokuzo-Ji .
The main hall has been erected in 1983, with stems from precious old keyaki zelkova trees 神代欅.


.......................................................................... Fukui 福井県 ......................................
今立郡 Imadate district 池田町　Ikeda

Daishogun no Mori 大将軍の森
There was a Zelkova tree surrounded with Tsuta ivy, venerated by a family nearby.
In 1951 this tree was felled and soon after the family died out.

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Once there was a Sake brewer in the village. At night, from the nearby Zelkova tree, a 天狗Tengu sneeked in with a paper lantern and begun to drink the new Sake, slurping happily. When the brewer heard this sound, ne knew that he had made a good rice wine that time and was grateful to the Tengu.

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遠敷郡 Onyu district 上中町 / 名田庄村 Natasho

tsurube otoshi 釣瓶落し "throwing a well-bucket"
Once there was a large Zelkova tree and when someone passed it by night, a well-bucket fell down from the tree top and hurt the person. So to our day it is called the "Well-Bucket Throwing Tree" and people do not dare to pass here at night.

tsurube otoshi is also a kigo for all autumn, referring to a fast sunset,
lit. "the sun goes down like a bucket in the well"
. nichibotsu　日没 sunset, evening sun .



CLICK for Keyaki trees from Fukui !


.......................................................................... Fukushima 福島県 ......................................
南会津郡 Minami Aizu district 檜枝岐村 Hinoemata

shihoogatame no ki 四方がための木 shiho-gatame, four trees to appease the four directions
and protect a village from evil influence. These trees are not to be cut.
If someone cuts them they will leek red blood and moan and groan like a wounded human.

In the East in the Keyaki tree 東にけやき.
南に唐松 South: Karamatsu - 北に黒松 North: Kuromatsu - 西に赤松 West: Akamatsu


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いわき市 Iwaki

Kuramochi Mishima Hachiman 蔵持三島八幡
蔵持に里という美しい少女（未亡人という説もあり）がいて、たそがれに軒端で歌っていた。その声に寄せられて毎夜同じ時刻に若者がたずねてきた。そのころ、村人が蔵持三島八幡境内にあるえのき（神白村ぼんてん山の大けやきという説も）を切り倒してお里の家の近くに橋をかける話をまとめた。毎夜お里を訪ねてきた若者は、悲しそうに今夜限りで会えないといって帰った。村人たちがその木を切ると、血が流れ出た。ようやく切り倒して運ぼうとしても動かない。お里を呼んで歌を歌わせ、音頭をとらせたら、木は自分から動き出した。その夜から若者の姿はみられなくなった。この橋を里也橋という。
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さとや橋の南にあった大きなけやきの木を切って橋をかけようとすると、木から血が出て、倒すのに７日間もかかった。ところが重くて動かない。お里という女に木やり節を歌わせたら軽々運べた。

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大沼郡 Onuma district 金山町 Kaneya

八町のだだ坊 Hatcho no Dadabo Tanuki
At the local shrine of Hatcho village there lived a strange monster called Dadabo , which would often eat children. So the villagers asked 中井坊 the blind priest Nakai to drive away the monster.
The blind priest placed a すり鉢 mortar on his head, grabbed a howe and a mallet and went to the Shrine. He threw the monster into the mortar and hit it with the hoe and mallet until it begun to bleed and run away.
Next morning the villagers followed the blood and game to a hole under the Zelkova tree near the shrine. They found 古狸 a bleeding tanuki badger without much hair. They killed it and made some Tanuki soup out of the meat.
From that day on, the monster never showed up.

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田村郡 Tamura district 小野町 Ono

A few years go someone found a straw doll hammered into the stem of the Zelkova tree in the shrine compound. That is quite astonishing for our century.

. wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls for curses .


.......................................................................... Gunma 群馬県 ......................................

上州一ノ宮貫前神社 Shinshu Ichi no Miya Nuisaki Jinja
敗戦近くの頃、上州一ノ宮貫前神社の欅の神木に蛙の形の茸が生え、神木に宿る軍神が怒って現れたものと言われた。さらに、大戦果時には大きくなり、玉砕などの時はしぼんだとか、敗戦直前には蛙に蛇が巻きついた形になったなどという話にまで発展した。


.......................................................................... Ibaraki 茨城県 ......................................

Once at 常陸 Hitachi a shabby looking monk begged at a home for a lodging, but was refused. When the master of the home later found out that it was Kobo Daishi, he climbed on a large 欅 zelkova tree and called out for the monk to come back.
弘法様よーい、弘法様よーい Kooboo sama yoooi, kooboosama yooi
Eventually the man turned into a 蝉 cicada calling ちばひめ chibahime.


source : otafuku.cocolog-nifty.com
若宮八幡宮の大けやき The Keyaki zelkova tree in the compound of the shrine Wakamiya Hachimangu in Hitachi Ota 常陸太田市.

It is said that to our day the cicadas of the region come to this tree on the 23rd of July (this is the day when Kobo Daishi is supposed to have passed here).

. Kōbō Daishi Kūkai 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説　 Kobo Daishi Kukai Legends .

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茨城町 Ibaraki Town

諏訪大社　Suwa Taisha
お諏訪様の欅の上辺りに、大きな提灯が下がっていて、これは、むじなのいたずらだと言われた。春先のことだった。

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tamase, hitodama 人魂
A bluish-white fireball 火の玉 fell down to the ground near a Zelkova tree.
The local folks called this tamase タマセ（魂) (tamashi) a soul.



.......................................................................... Ishikawa 石川県 ......................................
能美郡 Nomi district 川北村 Kawakita

Tengu 天狗
During the Meiji period, a boy named サク Saku got lost and was missing. His parents called out for two nights:
「鯖食うたサク」 saba kuuta saku
(Saku has been eating mackerels)
(It is said that the Tengu dislikes mackerels!)
And then found him sleeping in the store house.
He told them he had been caught by a Tengu and spent the time as prisoner in the branches of a Zelkova tree. Eventually the Tengu had let him down.

. Tengu 天狗と伝説 Tengu legends "Long-nosed Goblin" .

鯖 天狗 / 天狗は鯖が苦手 / 天狗の鯖ぎらい
Saba and Tengu comes with more legends on its own.



.......................................................................... Iwate 岩手県 ......................................
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岩手県花巻市東和町北成島５－１ Hanamaki


source :　hidemichitanaka.net

成島毘沙門天 Narushima Bishamonten
The largest statue in Tohoku, made from one stem of keyaki wood, 4.73 meters high.
. Bishamon-Ten 毘沙門天 Bishamonten (Vaishravana) .


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

There is a keyaki 欅 zelkova tree in 亀岡市 Kameoka that was planted by Abe no Seimei.
If people want to cut it or hurt it, they will be cursed.
. Abe no Seimei 阿倍晴明 (921 - 1005) .


.......................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県 ......................................
黒川郡 Kurokawa district 大和町 Taiwa

kasa ni baketa mujina 笠に化けた狢
吉岡館主但木土佐より前の時代の話。宇古館地内に欅の大木があった。ある夜一人の若者がそこを通ると枝に饅頭笠が懸かっていたので，怪しんで笠の紐を掴み，地面に叩き付けるとそれは笠に化けた狢であった。亡骸を埋めた所を近年までキンタマ塚などと呼んでいたが，今は自衛隊キャンプ敷地になっている。

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仙台市 Sendai 青葉区 Aoba

Tennozuka 天皇塚 Mound of the Emperor
On a hill near the 阿弥陀堂 Amidado hall there were the huge roots of a Zelkova tree. People say that the gibutsu 御物 imperial treasures of 安徳天皇 Antoku Tenno are burried here.
Many woman come here to pray for an easy birth.

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柴田郡 Shibata district 村田町

Yamato Takeru 日本武尊
At the shrine Shirotori Jinja 白鳥神社の祭神は日本武尊。境内に、今も二条の大藤がからみつく大欅がある。源頼義父子は前九年の役に際してこの境内に宿陣し、夢に祭神が現れ大勝した。戦いの初め、官軍が苦戦した時、この藤が二頭の大蛇となって敵を敗走させたという。

. Yamato Takeru 日本武尊 / 倭健命 - Introduction .


.......................................................................... Nagano 長野県 ......................................
東筑摩郡 Higashichikuma district 麻績村 Omi

At the shrine of the hamlet Kanori 叶里のお宮 there is a Zelkova tree that should not be cut down.
But then a villager tried to cut it down anyway. The tree begun to bleed red blood and the man died soon.

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北佐久郡 Kitasaku district 立科町 Tateshina

kimon yoke no keyaki 鬼門除けのけやき
The Zelkova tree between the Hachiman shrine and the Myojin Shrine is supposed to ward off evil. Once three farmers said they could not pass there with their horses and tried to uproot the tree by pulling it sown with ropes. All three of them soon died at a young age.

. kimon 鬼門 "Demon Gate" in the Northern direction .


.......................................................................... Nagasaki 長崎県 ......................................
対馬市 Tsushima

o hideri sama オヒデリ様
氏神の維持金を捻出するためにオヒデリ様（神無月の間の留守番の神様）の山の一部と大欅を売ったら、区長の次男の足が悪くなって立てなくなった。責祈祷をすると上手くいかなかったが、後で和尚に神様が乗りうつり、欅の木を売ったせいだということがわかった。代わりに欅を植えたが、次男は死んでしまった。


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

. Nakayama Jinja 中山神社 .




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阿哲郡 Atetsu district 神郷町 Shingo

yashikigami 屋敷神
備中北部の神郷町の8ヶ村を支配する庄屋の家の西に接する山裾には、欅造りの荒神祠がある。そこに祀られている荒神はもとは庄屋の屋敷神であったが、今では牛の加護を祈るものとなっている。
.
阿哲郡神郷町三ヶ市の荒神は、欅の大木の下に祠があり、部落の者みんなで祀っている、この部落の氏神は国司様であり、子供の宮参りにはこちらに参り、荒神には参らない。



.......................................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県 ......................................
庵原郡 Ihara district 両河内村 Ryogochi

Once the farmers wanted to cut down a large Zelkova tree in the forest. A nearby 藤 wisteria tree became so sad about the loss of its companion that it was howling and then begun to have blossoms, right in the middle of winter. The owner of the tree wrote a peaceful Waka poem on a slip of decorative paper and fixed it to the wisteria tree. The wiseria then stopped flowering and they could finish their work.
Yama no Kami 山の神, the deity of the mountain, had become angry, the farmers thought.



.......................................................................... Tochigi 栃木県 ......................................
上都賀郡 Kamitsuga district 東大芦村 HigashiOashi

When Kobo Daishi Kukai visited 日光登山 Mount Nikko he planted his staff in the ground at Higashi Oashi village. It grew to a large Zelkova tree.


.......................................................................... Tokyo 東京都 ......................................
八王子市 Hachioji

namakubi 生首 the cut-off head
In former times, when the 滝山城 Takiyama Castle was lost, the cut-off head of the Lord of the castle rolled down to the Zelkova tree and then jumped up to bite in the head of the victorious Samurai.
Since then the soul of the cut-off head resides in the Zelkova tree and sometimes comes down to bite people.
Once the head bit a man into the leg and the scars were seen and never healed. A learned man said it was the Yokai monster Jinmensoo 人面瘡 Jinmenso and suggested to offer it some おにぎり rice balls to eat every day. And indeed, after two months, the wound healed.



source : てくてくお気楽ダイアリー

jinmenso 人面瘡 - a supernatural tumor with a human face

- - - - - Not related, it seems, but interesting is the legend of

Jinmenju 人面樹　– The Human Face Tree
This tree is found in mountain valleys. The fruit of the tree looks like a human head. It doesn't say a word, but it is constantly laughing. It is said that if the fruit laughs too heartily, it falls from the tree.

- source : hyakumonogatari.com　- Zack Davisson -



.......................................................................... Toyama 富山県 ......................................
東礪波郡 Higashitonami district 平村 Taira

Once a 天狗 Tengu lived in a large Zelkova tree with two stems. When he went out to work he prayed to the tree to let him go safely. When he came back at night he gave thanks in prayer with folded hands.


keyaki with two stems 双幹 / 二股に分かれた幹


吉田神社の欅 - 長野県長野市吉田１丁目 / Yoshida Shrine, Nagano

- Check out this page with many special Keyaki trees:
- source : azumauta.web.fc2.com/kengai-

.......................................................................
中新川郡 Nakaniigawa district 上市町 Kamiichi

daija 大蛇 huge serpent
滝橋集落の青どろという淵に、深い洞が２つあって、大蛇が棲んでいた。大蛇は女の子に化けて、欅の木の下によく出た。ある人が大蛇の化けた女に「一番嫌いなものは何だ」と訊いたら、「タバコのヤニだ」と答えたので、タバコのヤニを取って手桶に入れて大蛇の化けた女に掛け、「俺は大判小判が嫌いだ」と叫んで逃げ出した。その晩、大蛇は仕返しに男の家に大判小判を投げ込み、男は長者になった。


.......................................................................... Tottori　鳥取県 ......................................

. Nagata Jinja 長田神社 .





.......................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 ......................................

Once there was a Zelkova tree of more then 2000 years (樹齢数千年の欅).
But one day the villagers tried to cut it down. That night 怪僧 an strange monk appeared and killed all men who had helped.
This Zelkova tree is the seat of a great deity 大神様, where the God comes to rest.



.......................................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県 ......................................
富士吉田市 Fujiyoshida

ジュウバコタタキ，ゴロチ
舟久保泰明氏の生まれたうちにはかつて月の木とよばれる欅の木があった。その木にジュウバコタタキだとかゴロチとかいう鳥か獣が来たといって、「ジュウバコがくるぞ」とか、「ジュウバコが縄を下ろしてひもひき上げちまうぞ」などとおどかされた。

.......................................................................
北杜市 Hokuto

meoto keyaki 夫婦欅 "husband and wife Zelkova"
At the Suwa Jinja shrine of 日野春村長坂上條村社 there are two Zelkova trees. The one on the left side is the 婦木 Wife, the larger one on the right is the 夫木 Husband.
The bark of the Husband Tree is very rough with many warts. People come here to wipe the warts with a 紙縒 paper string, and then their own イボ warts, to make them go away.

日野春村長坂上條村社の諏訪神社に夫婦欅とよばれるケヤキがある。社殿の右を夫木、社殿の左を婦木といい、夫木の表皮には多数の突起が疣状についている。紙縒をこの突起に結ぶとイボが治ると言われている。

- - - - -There are other trees of this kind


CLICK for more photos !
meoto keyaki 夫婦欅 "husband and wife Zelkova"


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
27 to explore ケヤキ (00)

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


. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- - - - - HAIKU 俳句 - - - - -

葉を脱いで欅すらりと月の中
ha o nuide keyaki surarito tsuki no naka

Having shed its leaves
the zelkova stands svelte
in the moonlight
Tr. Hiroaki Sato

. Tada Chimako 多田智満子 (1930 - 2003) .

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

仙台 ケヤキ並木 The famous Keyaki Road in Sendai, Miyagi


CLICK for more photos !

仙台の欅を慕いわたしは水
Sendai no keyaki o shitai watashi wa mizu

渋谷道 Shibuya Michi (1926 - )

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


初冬の好日欅一樹立ち
松村蒼石

千年の杉や欅や滝の音
草間時彦

八幡宮夏至の欅が亭々と
高澤良一

- MORE haiku about the Keyaki tree:
- reference : haikureiku database -

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #keyaki #zelkova -
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. Legends about trees - - 木と伝説 .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 8/08/2016 09:40:00 am

LEGENDS - ishibitsu stone coffin legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ishibitsu, sekibitsu 石櫃と伝説 Legends about stone coffins
いしびつ box-shaped funerary urn made of stone


. haka 墓 grave and funerals .
- Introduction -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


source : museum.pref.yamanashi.jp

This stone box contains two 朱印状 trade licenses with personal seals,
one from 徳川家康 Tokugawa Ieyasu and one from 羽柴秀勝 Hashiba Hidekatsu (1568 - 1586), the fourth son of Oda Nobunaga and adopted child of Hashiba Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
They give permissions for trade to the businessmen of 右左口村 Ubaguchi village in Yamanashi prefecture.


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dotei no gyooja 土定の行者 / ドテイノギョウシャ an ascetic burried in the ground

In the autumn of 1817 a huge Keyaki tree suddenly fell down and in the hole in the ground a 石櫃 stone sacrophagus appeared. From inside there was a voice heard reciting the holy Sutras and ringing a bell. This must have been the Saint Ascetic who was burried there alive about 150 years earlier.
The long line of visitors coming here to pray lasted until the winter of that year.

. Sokushinbutsu 即身仏 the Living Mummies of Japan .
土定 (dojoo) - Others offered their life in a fire 火定 (kajoo) or in water 水定 (suijoo).


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


Once upon a time
the villagers wanted to built a 祠 small Shinto shrine in the mountains and when they begun digging, a stone coffin came to light. Inside were the bodies of a man and a woman, almost like still alive, but when the coffin was opened, they suddenly disappeared into the breeze. There was also a 刀と鏡 sword and mirror in the coffin, so the villagers brought them to the lord of the domain.
But from this day on, suddenly an epidemic begun to haunt the village.
So they asked for the sword and mirror to have them back and bury them properly in the new shrine,
saying prayers for the souls of the man and woman.


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Shizuoka　静岡県 ......................................
伊豆の国市 Izunokuni town

伊豆の国市北江間横穴群大北支群 Kitaema cave mound / Kita Ema Caves
Kitaema Cave Tomb Cluster


source : sgkohun.world.coocan.jp/archive



.......................................................................... Tokushima 徳島県 ......................................
千代ヶ丸山 Chiyogamaruyama

In the year 1702, on the 24th day of the 4th month, the 観音堂 Kannon Hall at Chiyogamaru was to be repaired. In the ground they found a large stone sarcophagus 長さ9尺8寸、高さ2尺9寸、奥行き3尺. Inside were two skulls and two swords, spears and arrow heads.
The skull was about 3尺7寸 in diameter, and 1尺4寸 in length.,
1尺 - 30 cm, 1寸 - 3 cm



- reference and photos : awa-otoko.hatenablog.com -


.......................................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県 ......................................

The 甲府中納言殿 regent of Kofu, a member of the Tokugawa family, visited the state mansion 桜田御殿 Sakurada Goten, when he suddenly became very tired and fell ill.
The attendants called a mountain priest named 義孝 Yoshitaka to performe some rites for healing.
The priest revealed that there was something quite frightening below the bedroom of the mansion.
When they started digging, they found a stone coffin. Inside was a doll with a human figure.
The priest performed exorcist rituals with all his might and dilligence and indeed, the regent recovered in no time.


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

- reference : 石櫃と伝説 -

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


. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #ishibitsu #stonesarcophagus -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 8/10/2016 09:44:00 am

HEIAN - tokko dokko Vajra Thunderbolt legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

tokko 独鈷 と伝説 Legends about the Vajra Thunderbolt

tokko, dokko, toko, doko 独鈷 / 獨鈷 / とっこ single-pointed Vajra, single-pointed "Thunderbolt", Donnerkeil
kongoosho 金剛鈷

. tokko, dokko 独鈷 Thunderbolt, Vajra .
- Introduction -



(kongoosho 金剛鈷, kongoochisho, kennesho, basara) Donnerkeil, Vajra
(tokkosho, dokkosho 独鈷杵, toko; S: ekasuucika vajra, dokosho) - Einspitziger Vajra
Donnerkeil mit drei Spitzen (sankosho; S: tri-sanku) - Dreispitziger Vajra
(gokosho, 五鈷杵 gohoo kongoo, gochi koomyoohoosho ; S: panca-suucika vajra, panca sanku) Fünfspitziger Vajra.
(kukosho　九鈷杵) Neunspitziger Vajra
- and many other variations.




- - - - - Many legends and tales about the Tokko are related to
. Kōbō Daishi Kūkai 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説　 Kobo Daishi Kukai .

Hitting the ground to produce a healing spring or well produces
dokkozui, dokkosui (dokko mizu) 独鈷水　/ ドッコ水, also read
O-koozui 独鈷水（おこうずい）"Vajra Water"
O-Koozui お香水 O-Kozui, "fragrant water"



. sanko-ken 三鈷剣 "three-pronged vajra sword" .
attributed to Fudo Myo-O　不動明王



::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.......................................................................... Chiba 千葉県 ............................
館山市 Tateyama

. En-no-Gyôja 役行者 En no Gyoja (Jimpen Dai-Bosatsu) . - (634 - 706)
En-no-Ozuno 役小角

At the temple Yoorooji 養老寺 Yoro-Ji thre is a special spring, the 独鈷水 Tokkozui, which never dries out, even in the worst drought.
Once En no Gyoja came to this area on this way from 大島 Oshima and hit the ground with his magic 独鈷 Tokko .


.......................................................................... Fukushima 福島県 ............................
いわき市 Iwaki

At the 薬師堂 Yakushi Hall of 閼伽井薬師 Akai Yakushi

there is a stone in the form of a 独鈷 Tokko, which looks very much like the real thing. But now it is not there any more.
There is also a well (Akai 閼伽井) where Kobo Daishi had hit with his 独鈷 Tokko to produce healing water for eye diseases.

. Joofukuji 常福寺 Jofuku-Ji .
Akaidake Yakushi 閼伽井嶽薬師/ Akaidake Fudo 赤井嶽不動

.......................................................................
二本松市 Nihonmatsu

In former times there was no well in the region, but then came Kobo Daishi, hit the ground with his 独鈷 Tokko and produced water for all in the village.
In some parts of the waterways there are now snakes.


.......................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫 ............................

. Dokkosan 独鈷山, Kaburaiji 鏑射寺 Kaburai-Ji .
Dokko Mizu no Ido 独鈷水の井戸 Kukai Kobo Daishi passed here and dug the well.


.......................................................................... Kagawa 香川県 ............................
さぬき市 Sanuki

. Ookuboji　大窪寺　Okubo-Ji .
The last one of the 88 Henro Pilgrimage.

When Kobo Daishi passed here, he hit a rock with his 唐伝来の独鈷 Tokko from China and indeed, fresh water came forth.


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

Yokoku Kannon no O-koozui 柳谷観音の独鈷水（おこうずい）"Vajra Water"

. Yookokuji 楊谷寺 Yokoku-Ji .
長岡京市浄土谷堂ノ谷2　 Donotani-2 Jododani, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto

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Tokonagesan Senjuji 獨鈷抛山千手寺 Mount Tokonage-San, Senju-Ji
- 薭田野町鹿谷大タワ７ / 7 Otawa, Rokuya , Hiedano-cho, Kameoka
Rokuya (Valley of the White Deer)



On his way to China, Kukai Kobo Daishi's boat was in great distress and he mad a vow to carve a statue of Kannon with Thousand Arms, if he could return safely to Japan. On the way back he threw his vajra scepter 独鈷 Tokko (Dokko) in the air praying for a place to start his new temple in Japan. Back in Japan he stayed some time at the shrine 春日大社 Kasuga Taisha. The Deity 春日明神 Kasuga Myojin revealed to him that the Tokko had stopped in 丹波国山内庄 Tanba, so he should go there fast and carve the Kannon with 1000 Arms, then the Deity would show him the way.
When Kobo Daishi came to the Tamba region a white deer (messenger of the Kasuga Deity) and showed him the way to the valley. There hang his Tokko in the branches of a pine tree and light shone far and wide. So without delay he carved the Kannon and founded this temple. This is how it got its name.
The Tokko then took off to reach Mount Koyasan (see below).

The Kannon with 1000 Arms of this temple cures eye diseases. The water of the temple well can be used to wash an eye disease away. It is called O-Koozui お香水 O-Kozui, fragrant water.
This cure is especially powerful on the 17th of April and July, when a visit to the temple will count as 1000 days visiting 千日参 sennichi mairi.
The legend knows this about the spring:
Once there was a sparkling light every night in this region, maybe the spook of a fox or tanuki badger, the farmers were worried and one of them shot an arrow in the direction. He felt a hit and went looking. The found the arrow and a bloody trail to the temple Senju-Ji, where he saw that the left eye of the Kannon Statue was bleeding. He pulled the arrow out of her eye and made a vow never to use bow and arrow again.
Soon after this the spring of the "Fragrant Water" begun flowing in the temple compound, healing all kinds of eye disease.

- - - HP of the temple
- source : odn.ne.jp/tokonage_san -

. ganbyoo chiyu kigan 眼病治癒祈願 prayer for healing of eye disease .

. senju Kannon 千手観音 Kannon Bosatsu with 1000 arms .



.......................................................................... Miyagi 宮城県 ............................
角田市 Kakuda 小田 Oda

Kannon Dokko Mizu 観音独鈷水 Dokko Water and Kannon Bosatsu

The Kannon of Mount Tokura 斗蔵山 produced a clear well, お授け清水 O-Sazuke Shimizu,
when Kukai Kobo Daishi passed there.



Tokuraji 安狐山 斗蔵寺 Ankosan Tokura-Ji
宮城県角田市小田斗蔵９５ / Tokura-95 Oda, Kakuda-shi, Miyagi
The Kannon Hall was built in 807 by
. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 (758 - 811) .
to house a special bronze statue of a Kannon with 1000 Arms.
In the same year Kobo Daishi passed by and praized the statue as a place with no second in the Northern Region:
紫雲天になびき　奥州無二の霊地なり
- Look at the statue here:
- source : city.kakuda.miyagi.jp/syoko -

.......................................................................
仙台市 Sendai

Kooboo shimizu 弘法清水 "Fresh Water from Kobo Daishi"
In former times the area around Sendai had very poor water distribution.
Once Kobo Daishi passed here and asked an old woman in a poor farmhouse for a drink. The woman had to walk quite a way to fetch some water for the monk. He was very greatful for her deed and produced a spring beside her home. But now it has dried out.

There are other wells and springs related to Kobo Daishi in Miyagi:
弘法清水 Kobo Shimizu （仙台市若林区六丁ノ目）
毬清水 Mari Shimizu （仙台市太白区鉤取栗木)
弘法井 Kobo I （石巻市田代島大泊松盛院）
弘法独鈷水 Kobo Dokkosui（桃生郡河南町北村高福寺)
弘法水 Kobo sui （名取市秋保野尻）


.......................................................................... Nagano 長野県 ............................

Tokkosan 独鈷山 Mount Tokko San
Koizumi Kotaro 小泉小太郎 / Izumi Kotaro 泉小太郎 (Izumi no ko, Taro)

A young priest was studying an Mount Tokkosan, and a beautiful girl came to visit him regularly. But he became suspicious and followed her to the riverside 鞍ケ淵, where she turned into a 大蛇 huge serpent (other sources quite a dragon). In due time the serpent gave birth to a boy and died.
The boy was picked up by an old hag (Tatsu) who named him
Koizumi Kotaro. The boy grew up to be a strong warrior.

龍の子太郎 Tatsu no Ko Taro
A novel, manga and movie telling his story.



- quote -
Taro, the Dragon Boy by Miyoko Matsutani
... In the distant past of Japan a lazy and selfish Taro loves to eat and sleep and wrestle with the animals. With no direction in his life, a Tengu appears that gives him a special potion. With this potion, he gains the strength of a hundred men - but he can only use it when he is helping others. After drinking the potion, Taro, day by day, begins to understand what it means to help others, ...
... his mother, Tatsu, now lives. Tatsu tells Taro why she was transformed, as a mother heavy with child fulfilling her duties to her unborn child, she needed to eat, but neglecting her duties to the rest of her village, she left nothing of her catch for the other workers. ...
- source : wikipedia -


CLICK for more photos and toys with Kotaro !


Kotaro no Haha, Tatsu 小太郎と母龍
Similar legend from 千曲（ちくま）の湖 the lake Chikuma in 信濃 Shinano.
- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com/modules/stories -



source : daiya.co.jp/blog


.......................................................................... Nara 奈良県 ............................
御所市 Gose

. En-no-Gyôja 役行者 En no Gyoja (Jimpen Dai-Bosatsu) . - (634 - 706)
En-no-Ozuno 役小角

When En no Gyoja practised austerities at 葛城山 Mount Katsuragisan at age 17, he was tempted by a beautiful woman. When he hit her with his 独鈷杵 (とこしょ) Tokosho the vanished, leaving behind a bad smell. When he followed the smell in a South-Western direction, he came to a pond and saw her turn into a 大蛇 large serpent. When he tried to fight with her, The Deity of Kamo Ducks 鴨の神 came to his help and drove her away. So this area is now called
Oitsuki no Mori 追付の森 "Forest of Pursuit"
and the deity venerated there is
Oitsuki Daimyoojin 追付大明神 Oitsuki Daimyoji.


Shrine 追着神社 Oitsuki Jinja



.......................................................................... Shiga 滋賀県 ............................

Ikagu Jinja 伊香具神社 - Dokko sui 「独鈷水（ドッコ水）」

Kobo Daishi produced a spring with clear water.
It is a special water source to our day.

滋賀県長浜市木之本町大音 / 688 Kinomotocho Ooto, Nagahama, Shiga


source : 家庭菜園の番人日記



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

. Shuuzenji 修善寺 Shuzen-Ji .
Hitting the rocks with his tokko 独鈷 Vajra, Kobo Daishi produced a hot spring to heal all kinds of illnesses, Tokko no yu 独鈷の湯 Tokko Hot Spring.


.......................................................................... Tokyo / Edo　東京　江戸 ............................
目黒 Meguro

. Meguro Fudo Myo-O 目黒不動 .
Ennin hit the ground with his Tokko and produced a spring with fresh water.

. Ennin 円仁 -　Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 . (794 – 864)

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台東区下谷 Shitaya - 清水稲荷 Kiyomizu Inari

Parents of a child which was very ill prayed to Kukai for help. So he hit the ground with his tokko 独鈷 Vajra and a well begun flowing out with healing water.


.......................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 ............................


higyoo no sankoshoo 飛行三鈷杵 The flying Vajra
三鈷金剛杵
It flew all the way to Mount Koyasan.
Part of the story has been told above, at Kyoto, Mount Tokonage-San, Senju-Ji .

Sanko no matsu 三鈷の松 The Pine and the three-pronged Vajra, Trident Pine
To our day it has some pine needles with three needles.
三鈷の松の葉

michibiki inu 導き犬
Two dogs let Kobo Daishi to the right place, sent by the deity 丹生都比売神 or 狩場明神.

. Koya San in Wakayama 高野山　和歌山県 .
On returning to Japan, Kobo Daishi Kukai looked for the sankosho and finally found it hanging on a pine tree in Koyasan in the year 816. After more than 1,200 years, the pine tree is still revered by monks and visited by many tourists daily.

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

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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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Posted By Gabi Greve to Heian Period Japan on 8/06/2016 01:25:00 pm

PERSONS - Keichu Priest

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Keichuu, Keichū 契沖 阿闍梨 Keichu Ajari
(1640 - 1701)

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a Buddhist priest and a scholar of Kokugaku in the mid Edo period. Keichū's grandfather was a personal retainer of Kato Kiyomasa but his father was a rōnin from the Amagasaki fief. When he was 13, Keichū left home to become an acolyte of the Shingon sect, studying at Kaijō in Myōhōji, Imasato, Osaka. He subsequently attained the post of Ajari (or Azari) at Mount Kōya, and then became chief priest at Mandara-in in Ikutama, Osaka. It was at this time that he became friends with the poet-scholar Shimonokōbe Chōryū (下河辺長流:1624 – 1686).



However, he disliked the worldly duties of his work and, after wandering around the Kinki region for a while, made his way back to Mount Kōya. Deeply influenced by the thinking of Kūkai, he also read widely in the Japanese classics under the patronage of Fuseya Shigeta (伏屋重賢), a patron of the arts in Izumi Province. After serving as chief priest at Myōhōji, Keichū spent his last years at Enju'an in Kōzu in the Province of Settsu.

His prolific works set a new standard in the study of the classics, though building on recent revivals of interest in the subject. When the daimyo of Mito, Tokugawa Mitsukuni, decided to sponsor an edition of the Man'yōshū, he commissioned Shimonokōbe Chōryū, heir to the learning of the great poet and Man'yō expert Kinoshita Chōshōshi (木下長嘯子:1569 – 1649), to undertake the project. However his dilatory approach, combined with illness, and finally death, impeded his work and the task fell to Keichū, a close friend.
The result was the latter's Man'yō Daishōki (万葉集大匠記:1687-1690), which had a profound effect on kokugaku scholarship.


Manyo Daisho-Ki 万葉集代匠記 / 萬葉代匠記

Similarly his Waji Seiranshō 　　和字正濫鈔　(1693: A Treatise on the Proper way to Write Japanese Words) challenged the standard orthographical conventions set by Fujiwara Teika and reconstructed distinctions in the old Japanese lexicon based on the earliest texts. In addition to these Keichū wrote the
Kōganshō  厚顔抄 1691 A Brazen-faced Treatise, the Kokin Yozaishō, the Seigodan, the Genchū Shūi, and the Hyakunin Isshu Kaikanshō.
- source : wikipedia

kokugaku 国学 Japanese studies

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Keichū
a commentary to the Nara-period poetry collection Man'yōshū (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, mid-8th c.).
Keichū's aim in writing this work was to reconstruct as closely as possible the original meaning of the text by looking at a wide range of contemporary and near-contemporary sources. Within the work, Keichū discusses the basic principles of his approach to the study of the past, which can be summarized as follows:

Reconstruct the contemporary meaning of the work and avoid at all costs any interference from the modern reader's expectations and beliefs.
Make use only of sources from the same time period or thereabouts.
Do not take for granted the theories contained in later commentaries, including traditionally authoritative ones, because they may not be accurate or not apply directly to the age of the Man'yōshū.

Keichū applied these principles not only to the Man'yōshū, but also to the Kokinshū and other important works of the past. Through his method he made a number of important breakthroughs that forever changed the face of scholarship on the classics.

Although Keichū's method may seem obvious today, no one before him had used such a rigorous philological approach in waka studies. Traditionally, waka scholars studied under a master and the emphasis was on amassing the transmitted teachings of one's school or "house" (ie) rather than on textual study. Keichū never studied under a specific master, and so was never bound by a master-disciple type of relationship. Even more important was the boom of book publishing, which enabled Keichū to obtain the texts he needed for his research with ease.

As sources for his commentary to the Man'yōshū, Keichū names the Nihon shoki (Chronicles of Japan, 720), the Kaifūsō (Collection of Fond Recollections, 751), the Shoku Nihongi (Later Chronicles of Japan, 797), the Kogo shūi (Gleanings of Ancient Words, 807), the Shinsen Man'yōshū (Newly Edited Man'yōshū, 894), and the Wamyō ruijūshō (Japanese Words by Category, ca. 938), all of which were written between the 8th and 10th centuries, and all of which were available in print when Keichū wrote Man'yō daishōki in 1683.
None of them had ever been printed prior to the late 17th century, so it can be said that Keichū's text-based scholarship would have been impossible in earlier periods. That Keichū's approach relied heavily on printed editions of the texts he studied can be seen from the many notes and comments that he personally wrote on his own printed editions of the classics. Keio University Library owns one such book (Fig.2).
- source : futurelearn.com/courses - Keio university -


. Man'yōshū 万葉集 / 萬葉集 Manyoshu Poetry Collection .
Manyoo-Shuu, Manyo-Shu, Manyoo'shuu, Manyōshyū
"Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves"

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Keichuuki, Keichuu Ki 契沖忌 Memorial Day for Keichu
契沖の忌日 / 正月二十五日 / 25th day of the first lunar month
- kigo for the New Year, late Winter or Spring -

一扇の軸を上座に契沖忌
issen no jiku o jooza ni Keishuu Ki

a scroll
of one fan on the seat of honor -
Keichu Memorial Day

. Iida Dakotsu 飯田蛇笏 .





. Memorial Days of Famous People - Saijiki .

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- reference : 契沖 -


. Famous Buddhist Priests - ABC-List .

- - - #keichu #manyoshu - - -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to PERSONS - index - PERSONEN on 8/02/2016 10:04:00 am