. Yama no Kami 山の神 Yamanokami - Introduction .
. Ta no Kami 田の神 Tanokami - Introduction .
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Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain
and Legends from Yamagata 山形県 and Yamaguchi 山口県
. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説 .
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....................................................................... Yamagata 山形県 .....
More than 200 statues of Yamanokami ! - 山神神社 Shrine Yamanokami Jinja
- source and more photos : chindera.com/yamagata-yamanokami... -
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岩野村 Iwano mura village
hakuba 白馬，arauma, ara-uma 荒馬 wild horse，shinme 神馬 sacred horse
At the beginning of the mountain trail to 獄山 Mount Gakeyama Yamanokami is venerated.
Around 1575 Yamanokami became quite angry and caused a large landslide. A lot of sand covered the village. Then a white horse appeared and flew off to the sky.
. hakuba 白馬と伝説 Legends about a white horse .
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最上郡 Mogami district 金山町 Kaneyama town
sankichi sama 三吉様 / 三吉神 Sankichi Deity
The mountain deity of 太平山 Mount Ohirasan (Mount Taiheizan 太平山 (1,170 m)) is 荒神様 a wild deity called Sankichi Sama.
Once a 大男 large man named ロクノジョウ Rokunojo from Sugizawa hamlet carried a heavy bundle of rice walking over the pass and even chased a kiji 雉 pheasant while carrying the bundle - he was really strong. He went to Akita to 相撲大会 a Sumo wrestling tournament and won easily. Quite happy he went to have a bath when 小僧 a young priest came and carried the bath tub with him outside to clean the bathroom. He became quite afraid and fled secretly at night.
The young priest had been an incarnation of Sankichi Sama.
In Akita 秋田県
. Sankichi Oni サンキチ鬼 The Demon Sankichi .
venerated at 三吉神社 Miyoshi Jinja
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西村山郡 Nishi-Murayama district
The 17th day of the third lunar month is the Festival of Yamanokami. Forest workers have to stay home. If they go to the mountain and meet Yamanokami, the following year will be full of hardship for them.
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The 17th day of the 10th lunar month is the Festival of Yamanokami. Yamanokami counts the trees of the forest. Forest workers have to stay home.
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The 12th day of the third lunar month and the 12th lunar month is the Festival of Yamanokami.
In Spring he goes down to the fields, in Autum he goes back to the mountain.
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On the 12th day of the 3rd lunar month it is not allowed to cut trees in the forest.
Once upon a time a pour husband went to the forest on this day, his wife came running after him when she saw a beautiful woman sitting on the tree, the jealous female Yamanokami. She made the tree fall down and killed the husband.
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The festival day of the personal Yamanokami of the family of 佐藤弥蔵 Sato Yazo is on the 12th day of the third and 12th lunar month.
In Spring Yamanokami comed down from the sky, in Autumn he goes back to the sky.
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Yamanokami is a female deity with three daughters.
. Yamanokami and miso 味噌 と伝説 Legends about Miso .
ozuke おずけ is the local dialect for Miso soup.
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Oshiragami オシラ神 "White Deity"
In the hamlet of 長沼 Naganuma people are not allowed to go the the forest on the 17th day of the second and 10th lunar month, the Festival of Yamanokami.
From Spring to Autumn Yamanokami becomes the "White Deity" to protect the kaiko 蚕 silk worms.
. O-Shirasama, oshirasama おしらさま White Deity .
Protector deity of the silk worms.
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Tanokami 田の神 God of the Fields
On the 13th day of the tenth lunar month, Yamanokami becomes Tanokami. People make offerings of 13 botamochi ボタ餅 rice cakes at kamidana 神棚 the shelf of the gods.
On this day people are not allowed to work in the fields or sow seeds. They are also not allowed to go into the mountain forest.
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A pine tree in the form of the letter Y is called kaeroo matsu かえろう松 pine tree to come home to. Those growing in the East-Western direction are especially disliked.
Before cutting such a tree, people have to make offerings of o-miki 御神酒 ritual rice wine. If they do not have this wine, they must 小便 pee on the tree. If they do this, Yamanokami will not come to stay on this tree.
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西置賜郡 Nishi-Okitama district 小国町 Oguni town
On the 15/16 day of the lunar tenth month, Tanokami goes back to become Yamanokami. People prepare
Tanokami dango 田の神団子 dumplings for Tanokami and place them on the side of the komebitsu 米びつ rice container. They hit the mortar with a pistle to invite the Deity.
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On the 16th or 17th day of the second lunar month Yamanokami goes through the forest to count the trees and then comes down to the fields. On this day people make offerings of dumplings.
The female Yamanokami likes songs, On this day people are not allowed to sing while they work outside.
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source : blogs.yahoo.co.jp/bbpapajp...
三つ又の大木 A large tree with 3 main stems is sacred to Yamanokami. Before hunting for bears the hunters come here to pray.
. shinboku 神木, shinju 神樹 sacred tree, divine tree .
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米沢市 Yonezawa city
. Benten 弁天と伝説 Legends about Benten .
At 西簗沢 Nishi-Yanazawa there is a deity called 杉山弁財天 Sugiyama Benzaiten, who is a curse for the local people.
Once she bewitched a young man who was very good at making charcoal and singing.
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米沢市 Yonezawa city 笹野町 Sasano town
On the 17th day of the third lunar month, Yamanokami becomes Tanokami in the fields.
On the 12th day of the tenth lunar month or the 29th day of the 9th lunar month, Yamanokami goes back to the mountain.
Each month on the 17th day, Yamanokami comes to count the trees and if people are in the forest, they will also be counted and turned into mountains.
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Yamanokami does not like the fires to burn a dead person, but likes the fires used during the birth of a baby. She is therefore revered as
san no kami 産の神 Deity of Birth.
. o-san no kami お産の神 the deity of birth .
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About 50 years ago, the local children imitated the festival of Yamanokami in a game. One of the children got bewitched by Yamanokami and begun to hop around like crazy.
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....................................................................... Yamaguchi 山口県 .....
山代本谷神楽「山の神」Yamashiro Mototani Kagura
- Kagura dance on youtube -
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. Guhin matsu グヒン松 Pine of the Guhin Yokai monster .
(a kind of Tengu)
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tatari-yama, tatariyama タタリ山，kegayama ケガ山 cursed mountain
Places where strange things have happened are avoided and trees around there not cut any more. They are called "cursed mountains".
Sometimes people hear the voice of a baby crying or the sound of festival music or even the sound of a big tree falling to the groung, but then they run away fast.
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. Yamanba, Yamauba 山姥 Mountain Hag Monster .
yamanba 山姥
On day 20 of the New Year, Yamanokami and Yamanba are cooking rice, and if someone goes to the mountain forest and is hit by the smoke, he will die.
If people stay too long in the forest, yama no ji 山の爺 "Grandfather of the mountain" (Yamanokami) will come and abduct them.
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岩国市 Iwakuni city 由宇町 Yu town（清水 Shimizu）
yatsugashira no ryuu 八つ頭の竜 a dragon with eight heads
According to the tale of an old man, once there was a special light in 水神浴 the valley of the Water Deity and he saw two dragons playing tenderly while swimming down the river 清水川 Shimizugawa. If someone sees these two dragons, he will become very ill and die.
The whole mountain is therefore dedicated to Yamanokami and called 山の神山 Yamanokami Yama, Mountain of Yamanokami.
Until our day, the village has a special festival for Yamanokami, 『山の神祭り』held once in five years.
- reference source : dydo-matsuri.com/archive/2015 -
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美弥郡 Mine district
. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .
Katsuragi san 桂木山 Mount Katsuragi (702 m)
On the 8th station is a forest with large trees, Katsuragi no Mori. It is also called Yamanokami no mori 山の神の森 "the forest of Yamanokami".
This mountain is sacred as one of the three famous training grounds for Tengu. Here Yamanokami is identical with Tengu.
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見島 Mishima island
ikiahi イキアヒ iki-ai
Yamanokami is seen as ushi 牛 a bull.
If a normal bull happens to meet Yamanokami in the mountain, he will fall ill and die. This is called "イキアヒに出会う ikiahi ni deau".
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In Oita 大分県
In Oita the wind タチアイの風 "tachiai no kaze" is also called "ikiahi no kaze" or toorigami 通り神 (通神 kayougami) "the deity is passing".
If one happens to feel this wind be it in the mountain forest, be in on the sea, one will become ill.
If grandmother recites the 般若心経 Hanya Shingyo Heart Sutra, one will get better.
. Hannya Shingyoo 般若心経 Hanya Shingyo Heart Sutra .
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大島郡 Oshima district
. Aobōzu 青坊主 Legends about Aobozu, a "Blue Priest" .
The Yamanokami of this district often turns into Aobozu and asks people to have a Sumo wrestling match. Since he is rather small, but very strong, people accept and then he throws them around, sometimes to their death.
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下関市 Shimonoseki city 蓋井島 Futaoi Island
mori sama 森様 "the honorable fores deityt"
Fuseki no Mori Sama 浮石の森様 the forest of pumice stones, includes the grave of 田の中 Tanokami, where he is called "Mori Sama".
Yamanokami is something different. He is venerated in old trees which are not to be cut down.
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oni 鬼 demon
In Futaoi Island there are 山の神の森 four forests sacred to Yamanokami. They come with their legends.
Once upon a long, long time
there came four demons from 新羅 Shiragi, Silla in Korea and wanted to invade Japan. Empress Jingu Kogo gave them poisonous Sake rice wine to drink to get rid of them.
Three of the demons fell down at Futaoi no Mori 蓋井の森, the forest of Futaoi and one demon fell down at Takano no Mori 高野の森, the forest of Takano. Their vengeful spirits brought much trouble to the inhabitants of the island and to appease them, they were venerated as Deities.
. Empress Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 / 神宮皇后 . - (170 - 269)
. Oni densetsu 鬼伝説 Regional Demon Legends .
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柳井市 Yanai city 平郡島 Heigun Island
. ike no nushi 池の主と伝説 Legends about the Master of the Pond .
The serpent deity from the pond of 皇座山 / オオザ山 / おおざさん Ozasan wanted to go to the pond on the other side of the island and asked the fishermen to bring her there.
Then the fishermen put their nets in the water and had a great catch, but only once, as they were told by the serpent. The second time they caught only old roof tiles and dirt.
Now the fishermen spread out a large furoshiki 風呂敷 wrapping cloth and - oh wonder - it turned into a large pond.
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- reference source : nichibun yokai database -
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. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説 .
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. Yama no Kami 山の神 - Table of Contents - .
. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .
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sangaku shinkoo 山岳信仰 religion of the High Mountains is a different matter.
. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja 神社) - Introduction .
. kami 神 Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .
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