Yamanokami Regional 28 Tochigi Tokushima Tokyo

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. 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 栃木県 Tochigi, 徳島県 Tokushima and 東京都 Tokyo

. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.


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.......................................................................　Tochigi　栃木県


山の神ドライブイン Yamanokami Drive-In
栃木県鹿沼市上粕尾/キャンプ場 / Kanuma city, Kamikasuo

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. kinki 禁忌 taboo and legends .
On the day when Yamanokami is counting the trees, people should not go to the forest. They might get hurt by cutting their arm with the hatchet or fall under a tree and die.
Yamanokami does not like to see blood.

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安蘇郡 Aso district 田沼町 Tanuma town

. Tengu daoshi 天狗倒し Tengu knocking down trees" .
If a forest worker takes a nap at lunch time, he calls out loud to Yamanokami: "Please, wake me up at xx time!" At the exact time there will be a sound of a large tree falling and the man will wake up. But no tree nearby has fallen down.
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. Yamanokamisama no yasumi ki 山の神様の休み木 Tree to rest .
A tree 三又のナラノキ / 楢 with three stems from the family of Quercus is sacred to Yamanokami, who comes here to rest.
in 1964, some people wanted to cut it down. A painful sound like ヒエーヒエー」 hiee hiee was heard from the cut. But someone said this was not the voice of Yamanokami and they continued without a problem.
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Two fellows went to the forest to work. They were arguing if there was really a being like Yamanokami. On their way back home in the evening, the baskets on their backs were shaken heavily by Yamanokami.

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鹿沼市 Kanuma city

People who work in the forest are not allowed to pour soup over their cooked rice meals, because Yamanokami does not like that.

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鹿沼市 Kanuma city 粟野町 Awano machi town

Once a man was 炭焼き making charcoal on a cold winter night, when something black stuck to his throat. It might have been Yamanokami.
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Once the head of a family went to pray at the shrine of Yamanokami, who was his family deity. While he was there he saw a strange red face with white hair staring at him angrily. This was Yamanokami. The man was afraid and never came back to this shrine.

. ujigami 氏神 clan KAMI deities, family deity .

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那須郡　Nasu district 大山田村 Oyamada mura village

. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
If Yamanokami gets angry and envious, he might send a fox to kill a baby. Even if the mother thought she was holding it, suddenly the child was gone and found dead down in the well.



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.......................................................................　Tokushima 徳島県

峰八の「山の神神社」Minehachi no Yamanokami Jinja
Deity in residence is 大山積命.
峰八古墳群
- reference source and photos : sueyasumas.exblog... -



Yamanokami Kofun 山ノ神古墳
徳島県名西郡石井町石井 Myozai district, Ishii
- reference source : wikipedia 峰八古墳群 -

石井町における山の神の信仰
１．祠について
２．行事について
（１）祭り
（２）ヤマノクチアケ Yama no kuchi ake
（３）山の神講
３．山の神の祠一覧 (almost 20 Hokora shrines)
４．山の神の祠分布図
おわりに
- source and photos : library.tokushima-ec.ed.jp... -

. Yamanokami kofun 山の神古墳 Yamanokami tumulus of Japan .

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徳島県阿波市土成町吉田山の神、Awa City, Donari town, Yoshida, Yamanokami hamlet

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The third day of the third lunar month is called
shika no aku hi シカのアク日 in the local dialect. People do not work but celebrate with Yamanokami.
On the fourth day they stay at home and hope Yamanokami will come down to the fields to protect them as 田の神 Tanokami.
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In most hamlets people venerate Yamanokami. Before cutting down a tree, they pray at its roots. If they find special marks on the roots, they venerate this tree as sacred to Yamanokami and to not cut it down.

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海部郡 Ama district 宍喰町 Shishikui cho town

If someone immerses himself in the smoke at the fire of the Dondoyaki ritual, he will not loose much weight and strenght in summer.
The 20th day of the first lunar month is sacred to Yamanokami, who plants trees in the forest. So people should not cut trees on this day.

. dondon yaki どんどん焼き Dondon Fire Ritual, Dondo yaki .
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If a tree begins to wither in the forest, it shows that Yamanokami had taken a pee here, so the tree should not be cut down.

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三好郡 Miyoshi district

The 9th day of each month is the festival day of Yamanokami. On this day people are now allowed to sumiyaki 炭焼き make charcoal or go to the mountain forest.
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There is a special place where the makers of wooden items venerate Yamanokami and other poeple are not allowed to go there.
If someone does, he will die a young man.
Since Yamanokami is also the deity 猿田彦 Sarutahiko, nobody may use the word saru 猿 / サル monkey while in the forest.

. kijishi 木地師 maker of wooden items, wood turner .
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. Yamanokami likes Okoze 虎魚 / 鰧魚 / オコゼ / ヲコゼ stonefish .
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. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
hikagiri ヒカギリ Hikagiri is a form of Yamanokami and 水神 Suijin the Water Deity.
If someone is bitten by this snake, he will die the same day.
Once a man observed this snake trying to swallow a kiji キジ pheasant, tore it out of its mouth and went home. But the serpent followed him all the way and at the entrance of his house he gave it back to the serpent.

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The bird shijuukara 四十雀 Japanese tit (Parus minor) is 山の神の使い the messenger of Yamanokami.
If a hunter shoots it, the bird will fly up to heaven with a twig of Shikimi (hanashiba ハナシバ) in its beak.
On such a day the hunter should go home and pray.
In some parts of Japan this bird is seen as a harbinger of bad luck. Its voice is interpreted as
「親死ね子死ね、四十九日の餅をつけ」oya shine ko shine shijuukunichi no mochi o tsuke
. shikimi シキミ, 樒 Skimmia, Illicium religiosum .

Another messenger of Yamanokami is hikagiri ヒカギリ Hikagiri, a small serpent with a ring pattern around its neck.

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三好郡 Miyoshi district 東祖谷山村 Higashi Iyayamason village

Trees sacred to Yamanokami are not to be cut down.

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麻植郡 Oe district 山川町 Yamakawa cho town

. 山の神 and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .
Once a man cut a branch from 銀杏 a Gingko tree which was in memory of the 赤穂浪士 Ako Roshi legend.
Since then there was often the sound of someone practising with the sword below the tree. But when looking closer, there was nobody.
The noise was also heard in 山の神の森 Yamanokami no Mori wood.
The person who cut down the Gingko tree was later killed, but he came back to life with the face of a Tengu.



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.......................................................................　Tokyo 東京都


（1月17日）は山の神のお祭りの日.
January 17 is the Festival of Yamanokami and Tokyo Wood Workers do not go to the forest.
- reference source : tokyowood.net/workers... -

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The 17th day of the third lunar month is sacred to Yamanokami.
On this day people do not go to the mountain forest. Once a man went anyway to collect maki マキ firewood and burned it in the middle of his field, but it started a real yamakaji 山火事 mountain fire.
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In the hut where a dead body has been burned, people have to walk around three times before going in, lest Yamanokami will get angry and bewitch him.
Once a man became bewitched, went to the sea and drowned.
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. O-inu sama オイヌ様 / Oinusama 御犬様 O Inu Sama, Wolf Deity .
Once people quarreled about the existence of O-Inu Sama. The man who had insisted there was NO such Deity passed a spot where a creature with four legs stopped him from passing.


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神津島 Kozushima island 神津島村 Kozushima village

. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin legends .
Once a man cut down sugi no ki 杉の木 an old cedar tree of more than 100 years, where Yamanokami (and his alter-ego, 大天狗・小天狗 Big and Small Tengu) reside).
The deity got very angry about loosing its home and killed all the members of the wood cutter's family.
To show his regret and apology, he planted a new tree.

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三宅島 Mitakejima Island 三宅村 Mitake mura village

If someone cuts down a tree sacred to Yamanokami, he will be bewitched, which is called
kirikomi キリコミ in the local dialect.

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西多摩郡 Nishi-Tama district 桧原村 Hinohara village

A Shaman has the ability to see the figure of the local deity.
At 和田の山 Mount Wadayama it is a hebi 蛇 serpent.
At 大沢の山 Mount Osawayama it is a small serpent
At another mountain, where the female Yamanokami went as a bride, it is a serpent with a large belly.

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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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- #yamanokami #godofthemountains #tanokami #tochigi #tokushima #tokyo -
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Ta no Kami Legends

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. kami　神　Shinto deities .
. Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain .
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Ta no Kami, Ta-no-Kami 田の神 Tanokami, God of the Fields -
Introduction and Legends
paddy field Kami, god of the rice paddies, spirit of the rice field, Kami of the rice paddy

Ta no Kami, God of the Rice Fields is an important deity of the rice farming communities.
It is usually seen as a female deity with one eye.
In Spring she comes down from the village mountain forest to the ta 田 rice fields to protect the harvest, hence the name Ta no Kami

In Autumn after the harvest, Ta no Kami goes back to the Satoyama mountain or forest behind the village to take a rest and collect strength for the next season..

Yama no Kami, God of the Mountain is the alter-ego of Ta no Kami after the harvest.
Yama here refers to the - - - . Satoyama 里山 "Village Mountain Forest" .



There are many stone monuments in his honor near the fields and at roadsides.
During festivals in his honor, the farmers hang paintings in their home or the local Shinto shrine to venerate this deity.

To understand Ta no Kami, it is important to know about the wet paddy culture of Japan.
The Japanese Emperor is embodying the god of the ripened rice plant.
. The Japanese Rice Culture .

The rice culture is related to divine animal messengers :
. Inari 稲荷 The Divine Fox Messenger .
- - - - - The deity venerated at Inari Shrines is Ukanomikami 宇迦之御魂神 / 倉稲魂神, the the spirit of rice.
. Ta no Kami and the ookami 狼 wolf connection .

Ta no Kami 土人形　clay bells and dolls
Ta no kami 掛け軸 scrolls and paintings

. Ta no Kami Matsuri 田の神祭 Tanokami festivals and rituals .

. Ta no Kami Mai 田神舞 / 田の神舞 神楽 Tanokami dance and Kagura dance .

keshoogami 化粧神 Kami with make-up
sootai tanokami 双体田の神 two Tanokami (on one stone, painting etc.)

. Haiku and Kigo 俳句と季語 for Ta no Kami .

. Ta no Kami - Legends from Aichi to Yamanashi .

. Doosojin, Doososhin 道祖神 Wayside Gods .
They are usually represented as two stone figures, man and woman.

. Daikoku Ten 大黒天 the Deity Daikoku venerated as Ta no Kami .
He is portrayed holding a golden mallet, seated on bales of rice, with mice nearby (mice signify plentiful food).

. Ebisu Ten　恵比寿天 the Deity Ebisu venerated as Ta no Kami .

Ta no Kami is depicted holding phallic fertility symbols or a rice bowl and a
. shamoji しゃもじ / 杓文字 / shakuji 杓 ladle, rice paddle .
Shamoji are used to scoop rice out of the cooking pot. Also called "Rice Paddle", rice spoon, wood spatula, rice scoop.
meshige メシゲ in Kagoshima dialect.

. Ta no Kami - Reference, Books and Links - .




. Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain - Introduction .

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- - - - - Terminology - other names of Ta no Kami - - - - -

. inokami, i no kami 亥の神 Kami of the Boar .
- and inoko 亥の子 / イノコ the "young wild boar" legends
. jigami, jishin, chigami, chijin 地神 Kami of the Earth / the Land .
. koosaku no kamisama 耕作の神様 Kosaku no Kami, Deity of Cultivation .
nōgami, nooshin 農神　Nogami, farming Kami Nogami
. Sakugami 作神　Kami of production 作神様 Sakugami Sama .
. Shanichi Sama, Shajitsu Sama 社日様 "Shrine Day Kami" .
sanbai sama 三拝様 local Kami from the Setonaikai region
sojin 祖神　ancestral Kami
ta no kansaa 田の神さぁ　Ta no Kansa, dialect of Kagoshima
tsukurigami 作り神　Kami of making rice / see 作神 Sakugami
. ushigami 牛神　Kami of cattle .


- - - - - Another important deity for the fertility of the rice paddies is
. Mizu no Kamisama 水の神様 God of Water / 水神 Suijin .

- - - - - A personal deity for each villager
. ujigami 氏神 / ikke ujigami 一家氏神 .

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. Sai no kami, Sae no Kami 幸の神 Kami of Good Fortune . *

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- - - - - Ta no Kami - Introduction - - - - -

- quote -
Tanokami "Kami of the rice paddy,"
a tutelary of rice production. The general term ta no kami can be found nationwide, but regional variations exist in the specific names used to refer to the kami. Some include nōgami (farming kami) in the northeast, sakugami (kami of production) in Yamanashi and Nagano, and tsukurigami (kami of making) in the Kinki area. People in the Izumo region use the term i no kami (kami of the wild boar), while the term jigami (land kami) is used in the Inland Sea region, and ushigami (kami of cattle) in Kyushu.



The rice paddy kami has also undergone synthesis with Ebisu in eastern Japan, and with Daikoku in the west, leading to different cults from those of fishing and commerce normally associated with these two deities.

Festivals celebrating the kami of the rice paddy are ordinarily distributed between spring and autumn in accordance with the various stages of the agricultural process, but they are especially noteworthy around the time of spring rice transplanting, while additional rituals may be held at harvest. Examples of the former include observances called saori (greeting the rice-field kami) and sanaburi (or sanoburi, "sending off the rice-field kami"), while the latter include i no ko ("child of the boar") and tōkan'ya ("tenth night").
The cycle of spring and autumn festivals celebrating the rice paddy kami are seen nationwide, and appear to be linked to legendary concepts of identity between the rice paddy kami and the mountain kami (yama no kami) in those two seasons. Namely, in spring it is believed that the mountain kami descends from the mountain to the village, becoming the kami of the rice paddy, and in fall, the rice paddy kami leaves the field and returns to the mountain, where it becomes the mountain kami.
Certain differences exist in some regions, however. In the ritual called aenokoto of the Noto area, for example, the same kami circulates between rice paddy and the home, while in other examples, the deity is believed to remain in the field as a "guardian watch." The tradition of the "watch" kami is related to the legend that all the kami throughout Japan gather at the Izumo Shrine in the tenth lunar month (called kannazuki, or "month without kami"), while the "watch" kami alone remains behind to keep guard.

Since the time of folklorist Yanagita Kunio, the theory that the rice paddy god is actually an ancestral kami (sojin) has gained wide acceptance.
- source : Kokugakuin - Iwai Hiroshi -


This deity with one eye and one leg comes to the fields to protect them before the harvest, now in the form of a kakashi, with one leg and one eye.
Even the modern yellow plastic balloons with one black ring, which hang in the fields, are a modern version of this deity with one eye.



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- quote -
Tano Kami (田の神)
is a kami who is believed to observe the harvest of rice plants or to bring a good harvest, by Japanese farmers. Ta in Japanese means "rice fields". Tano Kami is also called Noshin (kami of agriculture) or kami of peasants. Tano Kami shares the kami of corn, the kami of water and the kami of defense,　especially the kami of agriculture associated with mountain faith and veneration of the dead (faith in the sorei). Tano Kami in Kagoshima Prefecture and parts of Miyazaki Prefecture is unique; farmers pray before Tano Kami stone statues in their communities.
- Agricultural kami
In Japan, there are agricultural deities or kami. In the Japanese documents, Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, there were kami of rice plants, Ukano Mitama, Toyouke Bimeno Kami, and kami of corns, Ootoshino Kami. （Of them, Toyouke Bimeno Kami was written also in Engishiki, and is considered to be a female kami.
Generally speaking, in the Tohoku area of Japan, agriculture-related kami is Nogami (agriculture kami), in the Koshin area, it is Sakugami, in the Kinki area, it is Tsukurigami, in the Tajima and Inaba areas, it is kami of i, i no kami 亥の神 (inoshishi, wild boar), (On the day of i 亥の日, the fields are struck; which is considered to give peace on the harvest ground). In the Chugoku and Shikoku areas, it is Sanbai Sama, in Setonaikai, it is the local kami. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Clay bell of Ta no Kami

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- quote -
... in a park in Ikebukuro in downtown Tokyo ...
This particular Suitengu is just a small local shrine in front of which stand four very unusual stone statues. Seen from the front, these stones depict stolid standing monks with grinning, almost mischievous faces. In their hands, they hold small bowls topped with steamed rice, and shamoji paddle-shaped rice ladles. Although the local people treat these stones as Dosojin guardians, they are actually Ta no Kami, rice paddy spirits that have somehow arrived here from southern Kyushu region.



The Ta no Kami cult is widespread throughout the country, and is at the heart of Japanese rural folk cosmology. The Japanese imbue rice with a sacred reverence and deep cultural significance that completely transcends the plant’s nutritional and economic value as a food grain. It was rice, first brought here from the Korean Peninsula nearly 3,000 years ago, that transformed Japan from a land of scattered hunter-gatherers to a great nation. Gohan, the basic word for cooked rice, is also a general term for food or a meal. Even today, the Japanese people, despite their insatiable appetite for bread and noodles, still think of themselves as rice eaters.

In most regions, the Ta no Kami are represented abstractly, with tree branches decorated with strips of paper, sometimes stuck into mounds of sand. In a restricted area of southern Kyushu, however, there is a tradition, dating back to at least the early 18th century, of carving unique stone representations, locally called Ta no Kansa. This tradition centers in Kagoshima Prefecture but includes a small portion of neighboring Miyazaki Prefecture as well.
- snip -
Yama no Kami reside in hills and forests all over Japan.
They can be thought of as basic animistic spirits mingled with the departed souls of the local ancestors, which are believed to eventually rise into the mountains. In many regions, these basic protective spirits inhabit the mountains during the winter months, but come spring they move down into the rice paddies, turning into the Ta no Kami and watching over the precious crop until the autumn harvest is over, after which they return to the forested slopes. In Kyushu, the Ta no Kansa stones are placed on the dikes that surround and separate the paddies, and the villagers hold colorful festivals to welcome and petition the Ta no Kami in spring, and to see them off with great thanks in autumn.
- source : Green Shinto 2012 -


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- quote -
Ta-no-kami: Water God of the rice paddy
Ta-no-kami: “Kami of the rice paddy,” a tutelary of rice production.
The general term ta no kami can be found nationwide. While the ta-no-kami has undergone synthesis and conflated with other folk beliefs and deities from other lineages, such as Daikoku and the Lord of the Mountain (Yama no Kami) and is now thought of as a male mountain spirit, it is plausible that the early Ta no kami was originally a female water goddess, given that such a goddess was venerated throughout Eurasia, and much of Central and Southeast Asia and given that the sound of “Ta” is similar to the “Da” shortened Indian form of the Danu / Dana / Dhanya goddess.
The Ta no kami
is depicted usually as an abstract deity or holding phallic symbols ...

- Continue reading in the :
. Darumapedia Library .

- source : japanesemythology.wordpress.com/ta-no-kami-god-of-the-rice-paddy -

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. Daikoku Ten 大黒天 .

A statue of Daikoku with Ta no Kami from Kagoshima in his back !


source : twitter.com/ikkaisai/status/

At 浜松市, 北区の光明寺 Komyo-Ji in Hamamatsu.

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- Reference : 田の神
- Reference : ta no kami japan


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

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .


. . . . . fukidawara 蕗俵（ふきだわら）"butterbur barrels" as an offering to the God of the Fields

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. Yama no Kami, Yama-no-Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain .

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Takayama Inari Tsugaru

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. Shinto Shrines (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
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Takayama Inari Jinja 高山稲荷神社 Takayama Inari Shrine, Aomori


青森県つがる市牛潟町鷲野沢147-1 / Washinosawa-147-2 Ushigatacho, Tsugaru, Aomori

- quote
Takayama Inari Shrine is famous throughout northern Japan and is revered as a very efficacious shrine for prayers dealing with maritime safety, bountiful harvests, and business prosperity.
Its seemingly innumerable line of red torii gates is spectacular with the gates’ curves and twists being likened to those of a dragon.
The shrine is dedicated to the god Inari, a popular deity among Japanese shrines, the most famous being the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto.
Every year, the shrine attracts many visitors during its Grand Spring Festival and during the New Year’s holidays.
- source : city.tsugaru.aomori.jp...


高山稲荷神社【つがる市】
屏風山のちょうど真ん中に位置しています。神社のすぐ裏は七里長浜となっています。伏見稲荷神社と同じ稲荷大神が祭られており、五穀豊穣・海上安全・商売繁盛の神様として、青森随一の霊験あらたかな神社で、千本鳥居は、圧巻です。
- reference source : t-ate.com/archives... -


. Inari Matsuri 稲荷祭 Fox Shrine Festivals .




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shuin　朱印 stamp





引退した祠がずらりと並ぶ - 小神祠公園


Inari fox statues from all over Tohoku are "retired" here in a special park.


Old small shrines from all over Tohoku are "retired" here in a special park.

- - - - -  HP of the Shrine
- source : bqspot.com/tohoku/aomori -


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- Reference : 高山稲荷神社
- Reference : English


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

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .


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- #takayamainari #tsugarutakayama -
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- Backup Shrines in Edo Tokyo

. Pilgrimages in Edo - Tokyo .

Backup Marlch  2017


















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Tokyo Shitamachi Pilgrimage

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Pilgrimages in Edo - Tokyo - Introduction .
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東京下町八社巡り Pilgrimage to 8 Shrines in Shitamachi

This pilgrimage has started in 1981.
There is a deity in each Shinto Shrine for a special purpose and wish.




- quote -
Shitamachi Tokyo old town
Shitamachi literally means "downtown" and is the place to experience a taste of the old town Tokyo atmosphere that existed before the economic miracle of the 1970's and 80's really took hold. The most famous district of Shitamachi is Asakusa. At its heart you find Senso-ji Temple, best known for the giant red lantern situated at the entrance. This is a great place to start any exploration of Tokyo.
- source : insidejapantours.com/experience-japan -




The pilgrimage is also called
Shitamachi Hachi Fukujin 下町八福神 Eight Shinto Deities of Good Luck in Shitamachi Shrines


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amulets for all purposes at the Tori no Ichi Market.

. 酉の市 Tori no Ichi Markets in Edo .


shoobai hanjoo 商売繁盛 Good business

Ootori Jinja 鷲神社 Otori Jinja
台東区千束3-18-7 -- 3 Chome-18-7 Senzoku, Taitō ward

----- Deities in residence :
天日鷲命 Amenohiwashi no Mikoto, Ame no Hiwashi
日本武尊 Yamato Takeru no Mikoto



kakkome　かっこめ Kakkome rake
kakkome is a pun with un o kakikomu 運をかき込む, to rake in good fortune
It contains the rake for farmers, a written amulet and an ear of rice, with the wish for a good harvest in the coming year. It is also good for business and a happy family.

- reference : hachifukujin829/ootori1 -


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縁結び Finding a partner

. 今戸神社 Imado Jinja .
台東区今戸1-5-22 -- 1 Chome-5-22 Imado, Taitō ward

----- Deities in residence :
伊弉諾尊 Izanagi no Mikoto // 伊弉冉尊 Izanami no Mikoto
應神天皇 Oojin Tenno

Famous for the story of the manekineko　招き猫 "Beckoning Cat"



- reference : hachifukujin829/imado1 -

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健康長寿 Long and healthy life

第六天榊神社 Dairokuten Sakaki Jinja
台東区蔵前1-4-3 -- 1 Chome-4-3 Kuramae, Taitō wear

----- Deities in residence :
天神第六代坐榊皇大御神
Amatsukami Mutsu no Miyo ni ataritamau Sakaki no Sume Oomikami
面足尊 Omodaru no Mikoto
惶根尊 Kashikone no Mikoto

- reference : hachifukujin829/sakaki1 -



The temple used to be called 第六天神宮 Dairokuten Jingu, and was renamed in 1873 to 榊神社 Sakaki Jinja.

. Dairokuten Ma-O 第六天魔王 .


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円満和合 Happy couple

下谷神社 Shitaya Jinja
台東区東上野3-29-8 -- 3 Chome-29-8 Higashiueno, Taitō ward

----- Deities in residence :
大年神 Ootoshi no Kami
日本武尊 Yamato Takeru no Mikoto


- reference : hachifukujin829/sitaya1 -

The Deity of Fertility in enshrined here. The Shrine was founded in 730 in Ueno park, and moved to another place in 1672. The final location to Higashi Ueno was done in 1703. The main event is the Grand Annual Festival, Reitaisai.



- further reference -

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学問芸能 Learning and progress in the arts

. Onoterusaki jinja 小野照崎神社 .
台東区下谷2-13-14 -- 2 Chome-13-14 Shitaya, Taitō ward

----- Deities in residence :
小野篁命 Ono no Takamura
菅原道真命 Sugawara Michizane



- reference : hachifukujin829/onoteru1 -

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安産子授け Getting pregnant and easy birth

. Suitengu 水天宮 Shrine for the Water God .
中央区日本橋蛎殻町2-4-1 -- 2 Chome-4-1 Nihonbashi Kakigarachō, Chūō ward

----- Deities in residence :
天御中主大神 Ame no Minakanushi no Ookami
安徳天皇 Antoku Tenno and his mother, 建礼門院 Kenreimon-In
二位ノ尼 Nii no Ama - Taira no Tokiko (1126 - 1185)



- reference : hachifukujin829/suitengu1 -

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強運厄除け Avoiding disaster

小網神社 Koami Jinja
中央区日本橋小網町16-23 -- 16-23 Nihonbashi Koamichō, Chūō ward

----- Deities in residence :
倉稲魂命 Ukanomitama no Mikoto (Uganomitama) / 稲荷大神 Inari Ookami
市杵島姫命 Ichikishima Hime no Mikoto / 辨財天 Benzaiten



- reference : hachifukujin829/koami1 -

- quote -
- History -
A long time ago, the monk 恵心僧都 源信 Eshin Sozu Genshin Eshin Sōzu Genshin lived here in a hermitage, worshipping the Buddhist goddesses Kannon and Benzaiten. It is not known, when exactly the hermitage was built, but it is assumed that the monk lived here about 1000 years ago.
As a plague spread here in 1466, an old net-weaver came here and brought rice-ears that entangled in one of his nets as offering and decided to stay for a few days. Then, one night, Eshin Sōzu appeared to the abbot of temple in a dream and told him, that this old man in fact was the god Inari and that the plague could be taken away if they worshipped him adequately.
The next day, the old man was gone. However, the abbot remembered the advice and prayed to the god – which he now called Koami Inari Daimyōjin (Inari of the small net) – day and night. After a little while the plague was gone and the people could live in peace again. The overlord the region, Ōta no Dōkan, also heard of this miracle and donated a part of his fiefdom to shrine. At the end of the 16th Century then, the area around the shrine was also named Koami and the shrine itself was beginning to be worshipped as a tutelary god.
In the Meiji-period (1868-1912) the state pursued a separation of Shinto and Buddhism, which both had moulded into a syncretic belief during the prior one-thousand years, and so the Koami Inari Shrine was officially registered as a shinto village shrine. The building as we can see it today was built in the 1920ies under the direction of Naitō Komasaburō, who also assisted the building of the Meiji-Shrine. Spared from the destruction of World War II, the shrine nowadays is the only wooden building made out of cypress wood in Nihonbashi. The wooden carvings of two dragons (one ascending, the other one descending) on the porch roof of the main hall symbolize luck and the shrine – now simply called Koami Shrine – stays an important cultural heritage, as which it is registered in the Chūō-district.
- The goddess of luck -
Having been spared from destruction and continuously being linked to health and safety the goddess of the shrine is seen as a god of luck. For instance, all the sons of the families who lived in the shrine, returned home safely from World War II. The shrine also survived the numerous bombings of Tokyo in 1945 and did not – like so many others did unfortunately – burn down completely. However, the building was destroyed once during the Great Kantō Earthquake in 1923, although the abbot of the shrine was able to secure most parts of the sanctuary by bringing them to Shin-ohashi. It is also said, that those people who sought shelter there, have survived the aftermath of the earthquake.
Today a memorial stone reminds us of this episode with an inscription saying:
„Praying to the sanctuary of the Koami Shrine, we seek the goddesses’ protection!“
- The History of the goddess Benzaiten -
At First the goddess Benzaiten was honoured in the Manpukuji temple. Then, as the Meiji-government sought to separate Buddhism from Shintoism and installed the latter as a state religion, the Buddhist temple was destroyed and the goddess Benzaiten was transferred to this shrine in 1869. The image here shows the goddess Benzaiten sitting in a boat.
Every year on October 28th a festivity is celebrated in honour of the goddess, where the sacrificial offerings, which are piled up in front of the altar, later on are raffled to the visitors.
Besides that, there is also a small well (named Zeni-arai-no-i), whose water is said to have the power to multiply the money that is washed with its water.
- Important annual festivities and rituals -
- Doburoku Festival -
- Mimizuku-Charms -


- Pilgrimages -
Every year there are pilgrimages to the eight surrounding shrines in Tokyo-Shitamachi and
the temples and shrines of the seven gods of luck in Nihonbashi from January 1th to 7th.
In our shrine we worship the gods Fukurokuju and Benzaiten, which are said to ward of the evil and shape our fate positively. On this occasion we sell popular images of the gods of luck, as well as charms in the form of miniature ships.
- source and photos : koamijinja.or.jp/international -

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交通安全 Traffic safety

住吉神社 Sumiyoshi Jinja
中央区佃1-1-14 -- 1 Chome-1-14 Tsukuda, Chūō ward

----- Deities in residence :
底筒之男命 Sokozutsu no O no Mikoto
中筒之男命 Nakazutsu no O no Mikoto
表筒之男命 Uwazutsu no O no Mikoto
息長足姫命 Okinagatarashi Hime no Mikoto .
徳川家康 Tokugawa Ieyasu

- reference : hachifukujin829/sumiyosi1 -



. Sumiyoshi Shrines of Japan 住吉神社 .
Sumiyoshi Sanjin 住吉三神 Three Deities of Sumiyoshi


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At the end of the pilgrimage, you get a board with eight stamps.





- HP of the Pilgrimage
下町八社会公式ホームページ
- reference source : geocities.jp/hachifukujin829 -


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. Shichifukujin 七福神 Seven Gods of Good Luck .
- venerated in Buddhist Temples
Benten　弁天
Bishamonten　毘沙門天
Daikoku 大黒
Ebisu 恵比寿
Fukurokujuu 福禄寿
Hotei 布袋
Juroojin　寿老人


. - - - - - . kami　神　Shinto deities - LIST . - - - - - .

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. Join the MINGEI group on facebook ! .  



. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .

. Japan - Shrines and Temples .


. Tohoku after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011

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- - - #tokyoshitamachipilgrimage #tokyoshitamachi #shitamachipilgrims #shishifukujin - - - - -
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Tamawakasu Mikoto Shrine Shimane

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
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Tamawakasumikoto Jinja 玉若酢命神社 Tamawakasu Mikoto Shrine, Shimane
若酢大明神 Wakasu Daimyojin. 総社明神


島根県隠岐郡隠岐の島町下西701 / 701 Shimonishi, Okinoshima-chō, Oki-gun, Shimane

- quote -
Tamawakasu-no-mikoto Shrine
This shrine is the main general shrine of Oki, and was constructed in the Oki architectural style. Every year on 5 June an important festival called 御霊会　Gorei-furyū takes place in which eight sacred horses carrying the gods from eight different areas around the island gallop up to the shrine entrance.



Next door to the shrine is the Oki-ke Family Residence, where the head priest of the Tamawakasu-mikoto Shrine has lived for many, many generations. Inside is a small museum of important historical artifacts that were passed on through the generations, including the eki-rei station bells that originated in 646 and are the only ones remaining in Japan.
These treasures, the residence and the shrine are Important Cultural Property of Japan.

- - - - - Also introduced on this page are
Amasashihikono-mikoto Shrine　あまさしひこみことじんじゃ - 隠岐神社
Kuniga Shrine　国賀神社
Mizuwakasu Shrine 水若酢神社
Yurahime Shrine 　由良比女神社
- source : kankou-shimane.com -

. Takuhi Jinja 焼火神社 Takuhi Shrine .
Shooka Gongen 焼火権現 Shoka Gongen，Ooyama Gongen 大山権現 Oyama Gongen

Mizuwakasu Shrine 水若酢神社
The daughter of the head priest of the 祇官忌部家 Inbei family and becomes the bride of the 龍蛇 Ryuja Dragon-Serpent which resides in the pond.

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CLICK for more photos of the festival !
玉若酢命神社御霊会 （ごれえ）

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- quote
The biggest island in the Oki region is Dogo and on this island is located Tamawakasumikoto-jinja Shrine which enshrines numerous gods. The main shrine is a historic building with a thatched roof and is actually the Oki region’s oldest shrine building. The shrine has been constructed in a unique Oki architectural style and in 1992 it was designated as national important cultural property.
The highlight of the shrine grounds is a 30m tall cedar with 20m roots that is more than 2000 years old, commonly called "Yaosugi".
The tree’s name of Yaosugi comes from the legend of Yao Bikuni, which involves an immortal woman named
Yao Bikuni who is said to have planted this tree and then come back 800 years later to see how the tree was doing. The tree itself is designated as a natural national treasure.
Every year on June 5 the Gorei Furyu festival is held. This festival involves 8 horses carrying the 8 gods of the island to the shrine where they gather.
- source : japanhoppers.com/chugoku

- - - - - Deities in residence - - - - -
玉若酢命 Tamawakasu no Mikoto
大己貴命 Okuninushi
須佐之男命 Susanoo
稲田姫命 Kushinadahime
事代主命 Kotoshironushi
須世理姫命 Suserihime

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shuin　朱印 stamp

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umajiya no suzu, umasha no suzu 駅鈴（うまじやのすず）horse station bells
ekirei, eki-rei 駅鈴(えきれい)
post road bells (ekiro no suzu 駅路（えきろ）のすず) or
stable bells (umaya no suzu うまやのすず)　/ うま舎 - 馬舎（うまや）
. Shimane Folk Art - 島根県 .




- reference : eonet.ne.jp/~i-kimoto/Furusato -

In memory of Emperor Kotoku (孝徳天皇, 596?-654) Kōtoku around 646, who had horses for messengers stationed here and in many other parts of Japan.
駅馬 - horses for the messengers of the Emperor
伝馬 - packhorses for luggage
Emperor Kotoku choose the era name Taika (“Great Change”) for the first half of his reign.

- - - - - HP of the Shrine
- source : wikipedia -


- quote -
Station bell
Under the Japanese ritsuryō system, station bells or post bells (駅鈴 ekirei) were bells of red copper issued by the central government or by local provincial government offices to travelling officials or messengers known as ekishi (駅使). Functioning as a proof of identity, they allowed them to procure horses and labour at post stations. These post stations were located every 30 ri (16 kilometers) each providing between five and twenty messenger horses depending on the grade of the road.
Depending on the rank of the emissary, the bells were marked with a number of notches regulating the number of horses that could be requested. A prince of royal blood of first rank would receive ten horses. On urgent dispatches the ekishi would ride with the bells ringing in order to be able to change horses at any time of day or night without delay. These bells were also known as
post road bells (ekiro no suzu 駅路（えきろ）のすず) or stable bells (umaya no suzu うまやのすず).
The system was established in the Taihō Code from 701 and was in use until the end of the 12th century or the end of the Heian period when it fell in disuse together with the demise of the centralized state.

A set of two station bells located on Dōgo island in Okinoshima, Shimane Prefecture and known as
Ekirei of Oki Province (隠岐国駅鈴 oki no kuni ekirei) has been designated as Important Cultural Property of Japan.
Attached to the nomination is a six-legged Chinese style chest bestowed by Emperor Kōkaku. The bells have been handed down in the Oki family whose members were associated with the
Tamawakasu no Mikoto Shrine (玉若酢命神社 tamawakasu no mikoto jinja) and the regional administrators of Oki Province. They are currently located in the Oki family treasure hall (億岐家宝物館 Oki-ke　Hōmotsu-kan) in Okinoshima.
The two bells are of flat octagonal shape and made of cast copper. On one side of the trunk the character "駅" (station) is carved, and on the opposite side, the character "鈴" (bell). At the bottom of the bells three and four legs are attached respectively. They weigh in at 700 g (25 oz) and 770 g (27 oz) respectively. Before World War II, the bells had been designated as National Treasure of Japan on April 30, 1935, but lost this status in the reorganisation of cultural property protection after the war when all previously designated National Treasures were demoted to Important Cultural Properties in 1950.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- quote -
Taika Reform 大化の改新
The Reform Edicts severely curtailed the independence of regional officials, creating an effective, centralized imperial government, and constituted the imperial court as a place where the people could bring their appeals and complaints.
..... Barriers and outposts shall be erected, and guards and post horses for transportation and communication purposes shall be provided. Furthermore bell-tokens shall be made and mountains and rivers shall be regulated. .....
..... A separate household tax (kocho) shall also be levied, under which each household shall pay one rod and two feet of cloth, and a surtax consisting of salt and offerings. The latter may vary in accordance with what is produced in the locality. With regard to horses for public service, one horse of medium quality shall be contributed by every one hundred households, or one horse of superior quality by every two hundred households. If the horses have to be purchased, each household shall contribute one rod and two feet of cloth toward the purchase price.
- source : newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Taika_Reforms -


- quote -
The Taika Reforms 大化の改新 Taika no Kaishin
were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 Kōtoku-tennō) in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku, and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 Soga no uji), uniting Japan. The reforms also artistically marked the end of the Asuka period and the beginning of the Hakuhō period.[1][2] Crown Prince Naka no Ōe (who would later reign as Emperor Tenji), Nakatomi no Kamatari, and Emperor Kōtoku jointly embarked on the details of the Reforms. Emperor Kōtoku then took the name "Taika" (大化), or "Great Reform".

The Reform began with land reform, based on Confucian ideas and philosophies from China, but the true aim of the reforms was to bring about greater centralization and to enhance the power of the imperial court, which was also based on the governmental structure of China. Envoys and students were dispatched to China to learn seemingly everything from the Chinese writing system, literature, religion, and architecture, to even dietary habits at this time. Even today, the impact of the reforms can still be seen in Japanese cultural life.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !



source : 幸麿の研究所

- quote -
Emperor Kōtoku 孝徳天皇 Kōtoku-tennō
(596 – November 24, 654) was the 36th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654.
He enacted the Taika Reform Edicts.
..... The years of Kōtoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.
Taika 大化 (645–650)
Hakuchi 白雉 (650–655)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


- quote -
Taika 大化
a Japanese era name (年号, nengō,, lit. "year name") during the reign of Kōtoku.
The Taika era immediately preceded the Hakuchi era. This period spanned the years from August 645 through February 650.
..... Events of the Taika era
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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- Reference : 玉若酢命神社
- Reference : English


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

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

- #tamawakasumikoto #okinoshimashimane #ekirei-
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temizu hand purification

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temizu, choozu 手水 ritual purification of hands
mitarashi 御手洗

. Shinto purification misogi 禊 and rituals .
temizu 手水 (purification of hands and mouth) performed by a Shinto priest.

At all Shinto shrines, worshippers and casual visitors are asked to purify themselves (Harai 祓い) of impurity before praying to the Shinto deities. The act of cleansing is called Misogi 禊 or Misogi Harai 禊祓い, and the actual washing of hands and mouth with water is called Temizu 手水.
... Misogi Shūhō 禊修法 means to conduct one's own purification ritual by bathing in the sea, the river,
or by standing underneath a waterfall cascading at freezing temperatures.
- source : Mark Schumacher


. torii kuguri 鳥居潜り walking through a Shinto torii gate .
Walk toward the hand-washing basin (手水 choozu) and cleanse hand, mouth and mind.


. Shinto Shrine Composition .

the temizuya 手水舎　purification font, purification trough
hand-washing basin
where worshippers purify heart and body with pure water;　
temizusha てみずしゃ / 手水舎


- source and more photos : wikipedia -

The sprout is often in the form of a dragon, but other animals, venerated in a shrine, can also be found.




. Water Sprouting Dragon Head 龍の口から水の出る手水鉢 .
shizenseki chouzubachi 自然石手水鉢 lit. natural stone water basin
and
more shapes of natural stone hand-wash basins

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- quote -
mitarashi　御手洗
A place to one side of the approach to a Shinto shrine where visitors perform purification rites, including rinsing the mouth and washing the hands. Often a large rectangular basin or cistern is used to hold the water. A pipe supplies the water with a continual stream at one end. The pipe is sometimes concealed by a dragon's or snake's head.
The mitarashi has a roof but the sides are open.



Varying styles and degrees of elaborateness characterize this type of shelter. If a stream or river flows nearby, as at Ise Jinguu 伊勢神宮, it is used as the place for purification and is called mitarashigawa 御手洗川 (a river for purification rites).
- source : JAANUS -

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. Naiku Inner shrine complex of Ise 伊勢神宮内宮 .



The Isuzu River and the Mitarashi 五十鈴川と御手洗場(みたらし) ,
the place for ritual ablutions before entering the Shrine compound

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Water-spouting statue of cormorant in Temizuya
(手水舎, purification trough) at Uwase Jinja (宇波西神社).

. Shrine Uwase Jinja 宇波西神社 .

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. komainu 狛犬 / 高麗犬 / 胡麻犬 "Korean Dog" .


source : Maruoka on facebook
櫛原天満宮(久留米市東櫛原町) Kushihara Tenmangu, Kurume

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尾道・向島・厳島神社の手水鉢 Onomichi, Mukojima Itsukushima Jinja
source : 郷土愛好


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- quote -
Japanese Shrine Etiquette, How to do a Temizu
When entering inside a Shinto shrine, the visitor should perform a symbolic cleansing called temizu (from te “hand” and mizu “water” - water to purify the hands). This purification is considered indispensable before visiting the sacred area and it signifies the removal of evil and pollution. For the ritual, every shrine provides an ablution pavilion - chōzuya or temizuya - usually a stone basin filled with clear water, with wooden ladles.



How to properly perform temizu:
Take the ladle with your right hand, fill it with water and pour some water to rinse your left hand. Then, move the ladle to your left hand and pour water over the right hand.
Now, you take again the ladle into your right hand, cup the left hand, pour some water into it and use it to rinse your mouth.
Finally, repeat the rinsing of the left hand and place the ladle back.
- source : muza-chan.net/japan -

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- Reference : 御手洗

- Reference : temizu


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

- #temizuya #chozubachi #handwashing #mitarashi -
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- - - - -　 H A I K U　 - - - - -


Mitarashi area at Shimogamo Shrine, Kyoto

. mitarashi dango 御手洗団子 rice dumplings after hand-washing .
- - kigo for late summer - -

These dumplings are eaten at the Mitarashi festival (Mitarashi-E 御手洗会) of
Shrine Shimogamo Jinja in Kyoto 京都の下鴨神社.

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There are quite a lot of haiku about the ritual ablutions before visiting a Shrine.


source :　my garden webry

冬ざれや貴船の宮の手水鉢
fuyuzare ya Kifune no miya no choozubachi

withering in winter -
the hand-wash basin
at Kifune Shrine

洛山人 Rakusanjin


. Kifune Shrine 貴船神社 Kibune Jinja .
Kurama, Kyoto

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Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 has quite a lot during all seasons

choozubachi 手水鉢 basin to wash hands
Often also in a the compound of a tea ceramony house.



手水鉢横にころけて苔の花
choozubachi yoko no korogete koke no hana

beside the hand-wash basin
moss blossoms
in abundance


手水鉢八手の花に位置をとる
手洗へば蚯蚓鳴きやむ手水鉢

うくひすや落花粉々たり手水鉢
二三枚木葉しづみぬ手水鉢
二三枚落葉沈みぬ手水鉢
五月雨や蟹の這ひ出る手水鉢
人に迫る沈丁の香や手水鉢
元日の雀鳴くなり手水鉢
初雪や雀よろこぶ手水鉢
雪ながら竹垂れかゝる手水鉢
古庭の柳散りけり手水鉢
寒椿落て氷るや手水鉢
孑孑や松葉の沈む手水鉢
孑孑や須磨の宿屋の手水鉢

団栗や屋根をころげて手水鉢
春もはや蛙鳴くなり手水鉢
曙や一葉浮いたる手水鉢
真白に李散りけり手水鉢
紫陽花や一ふさ垂るゝ手水鉢
紫陽花や一輪たるゝ手水鉢
蕃椒手水盥の水赤し 唐辛子
銭亀や水ぬるみたる手水鉢
露こぼす秋海棠や手水鉢
鶯や我かげうつす手水鉢


. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 .

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Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子

傾きて太し梅雨の手水鉢
元朝の氷すてたり手水鉢

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kawatemizu, kawachoozu 川手水 "river to wash the hands"

涼しさや椽の際なる川手水
涼しさや縁の際なる川手水 / 涼しさや縁からすぐに川手水

this coolness -
right by the veranda
a river to wash hands

Issa had spent the night in Suzaka (Nagano) at the rich merchant Tanaka family 田中本家 in 1823 and felt quite refreshed.
The garden with a large pond ant the mountain in the background had been designed by a gardener from Kyoto.



Now there is also a Museum 田中本家博物館.
source :　urawa328/tanakake.html


. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 - cultural keywords .

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短夜や同心衆の川手水
mijikayo ya dooshi shuu no kawatemizu / kawachoozu ( かはちょうず kahachoozu)

this short night -
Edo policemen wash their hands
in the river

. Yosa Buson 蕪村 and the Edo policemen .

「手水（ちょうず）」は、「テミズ」の音便.


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参道の脇の流れを初手水 長沼三津夫
おぞましの毛虫こそ居れ手水鉢 島田青峰
お岩木の手水の真清水手に痛し 高澤良一
ゆふだちや洗つて酒を手水鉢 泉鏡花
今朝冬の日当りそめし手水鉢 富安風生
仙蓼(千両)や蛙鳴き出す手水鉢 風斤

其儘に萎びし菊や手水鉢 寺田寅彦
冬ざれや貴船の宮の手水鉢 洛山人
囀りの一羽は下りて手水鉢 比叡 野村泊月
夏影や松の下なる手水鉢 清原枴童 枴童句集
懐手水かきありと言つてみよ 平井照敏

手水おつる下にあつまり嵐の蟹 川島彷徨子 榛の木
手水にも温泉ひきあり紅葉宿 大橋櫻坡子 雨月
手水水涼しかりしを金火鉢 曲言 選集「板東太郎」
手水湯や流しそこなふ雪の上 膳所-弩鳥
手水舎に青竹柄杓年用意 平井 梢
手水鉢に蝸牛落ちぬ何とせし 尾崎迷堂 孤輪
手水鉢の氷砕きゐる遠忌かな 銀漢 吉岡禅寺洞
手水鉢底から開き小鳥来る 平井さち子
手水鉢氷らぬ日なし実南天 草村

春の夜のぬつと使はぬ手水鉢 川崎展宏
春の夜や手水のための片戸さし 小杉余子
朝寒や寒水石の手水鉢 寺田寅彦
涅槃会の毬藻沈めて手水鉢 青木重行
病葉や朝ごと替ふる手水鉢 大橋櫻坡子
白露や草の中なる手水鉢 西山泊雲
秋の水湛へて溢る手水鉢 吉屋信子
筧より受ける手水の淑気かな 村井杜子
練行の手水手水と僧走り 阿波野青畝
腹立てて水呑む蜂や手水鉢 太祇
臨済の手水孑孑おのづから 飴山實
芭蕉風吹いて塵浮く手水鉢 西島麥南 金剛纂

花の夜の手水に立ちて湯醒気味 石塚友二
花八つ手水を貰ひに研師来る 森藤千鶴
花八つ手水張つてある四斗樽 池田順子
花泛けて遅々と日めぐる手水鉢 清原枴童

若餅や手水とばしる美濃の滝 言水
蕣に今朝も手水をわすれたり 酔滴
薄氷や山茶花散り込む手水鉢 寺田寅彦
虫の夜の柄杓探りぬ手水鉢 尾崎迷堂 孤輪
逃げ易き手水の草履大石忌 山田弘子 懐
通夜のあしたの手水の水がざぶざぶ溢れ
風寒き流れの音や手水鉢 広瀬惟然
風花や読経の響く手水鉢 中村照子
風邪に臥すや枕に近き手水鉢 雑草 長谷川零餘子
養老の滝壺くめやはつ手水 鳳朗
鶏頭や釘に掛けたる手水樽 尾崎紅葉
source :　HAIKUreikuDB

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

一心寺の観音堂の前にある手水鉢は、潮の干満と対応して湿ったり乾いたりする。

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toori akuma 通り悪魔
自宅庭の手水鉢近くに茂る葉蘭から焔が３尺ほど燃え上がっていたとき、眼光尋常でない大男が隣家より塀を飛び越えて来て、槍を振り回した。目を閉じて１時間ほどすると、焔も大男もいなくなっていた。この正体は邪気とそれに破られて乱心した隣家の主人であった。これが俗にいう通り悪魔であろう。

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愛知県 Aichi

iwabune 岩船
岩船と呼ばれる、石造の長1丈ほどの船があり、ある人が手水鉢にしようと人夫を使い取り寄せようとしたが、途中で三つに割れた。それでは役に立たないと、元の場所へ返したが、その人は禍にあった。

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Hyogo 神戸市 Kobe

Yakushi Shinko 薬水信仰 Belief in Yakushi Nyorai
まや山天上寺にある句碑の上に穴があいて水が溜まっていた。昔から石神や石仏地蔵碑などにあけた穴に溜まった水を目に付けたり、洗ったりすると目の病が治るという。この様な穴は石仏などの前にある水入れや手水鉢など御手洗などの薬水信仰の延長であろう。

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香川県 Kagawa Sanuki

ama no naki-ishi 尼の泣き石
女人禁制の大川山に登りたいという女が尼となって苦行を重ねた後、山に登りはじめたが、社の近くになって足が動かなくなり、持参の手水鉢も動かず、尼は石にしがみついて泣いた。そこは以後尼の泣き石と呼ばれた。


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ryuu tengu 竜，天狗
讃岐国の万能池にすむ竜が小蛇の形になっていた時、比良山の天狗が鵄の形となって持ち帰って洞内に閉じこめた。そこには一滴の水もなかったので竜はどうすることもできず死にかけていた。しかし天狗がまた一人の僧を拉致してきたが、その僧は手水をつかうところで水瓶を持ちながら洞内に入れられたので、竜がその水一滴を得て天上し、僧を元の房に帰したという。

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0-Daishi san お大師さん Kobo Daishi
昔、女の人が機を織っているとお大師さんが来て、お手水てぬぐいにするからくれと言うので、切って分けた。お大師さんは毎日やって来て、女は１機分２丈８尺の布を７日間で全てあげてしまった。お大師さんが望みを聞くと、このまま仏になりたいと言った。女はそのまま端切れのむらさきちりめんに黒しゅすの着物を着たまま仏さんになってしまった。


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Kochi 幡多郡 Hata district

koku son no kami n tatari 黒尊の神の祟り
黒尊様は肉が嫌いだという話がある。愛媛の宇和島から魚の行商にやって来ていた加賀城庫治郎という人が、牛肉を運んできたところ転落した。黒尊の神の祟りと思って昭和7年に手水鉢を奉納した。


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奈良県 Nara

komori gyooja 子守行者
夜中に用足しに起きて、手水を使おうとすると、手水鉢の辺を火玉がフワフワ浮き、水をかけると他所の方へ行ったという。

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月ヶ瀬村 Tsukigase

Tenjin and Kaminari 天神，雷
幕末の頃、代官が天神様の手水鉢の水を馬に飲ませた。やめてくれと言った人は鞭で叩かれた。代官が500メーターくらい行くと、黒い雲が出てきた。急いで急な坂を駆け下りかけたとき、代官に雷が落ちて馬と一緒に谷下に落ちて死んでしまった。その坂は代官坂と呼ばれるようになった。


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大阪府 Osaka

四天王寺の七不思議 The Seven Wonders of temple Shitenno-Ji
umegae no choozubachi 梅ケ枝の手水鉢

. Shitenno-Ji - 四天王寺 Osaka .


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Shizuoka 阿津町 賀茂郡 Kamo district

fuka 鱶 shark
海上で大鱶が舵に噛み付き、船が動かなくなる。客の番頭を食べたがっているので、服を身代わりにして逃れる。その夜、番頭が宿に入ると大鱶が描かれた手水鉢がある。かっとなって殴りつけ、手を怪我する。その傷口から腕が腫れだし、番頭は死んでしまう。

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Tokushima 宍喰町 Shiikui

御手水の神様は盲目なので、何も言わずに入ると驚く。「ごめんなさい」とか「お願いします」と言って入ると、下の病気をしないという。

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東京都 Tokyo

増上寺にある手水鉢は名石で、数年経ても水は朽ちなかった。干ばつや梅雨の時にも水は増減しなかったという。

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Wakayama 那賀郡 Nachi

If you pour water from the hand basin over your self, you will make a good career.

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仏様に供えたご飯を食べると手が振るう。彼岸の中日に墓参りをすると墓が壊れる。３人で写真を撮るとそのうちの１人は死ぬ。竈の側で喧しく言うと気違いになる。薬を竈の方に置くと病気が長引く。刃物を竈の肩に置くと手が切れる。大根の鬚をとらずに漬けると難船する。箒で打たれたり、朝埃がかかったり、手水をかけられたり、鏡を仰向けに置いたり、切った爪を畳の上に捨てておくと出世できない。


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Yamanashi 上野原町 Uenohara

gundari san グンダリサン
軍刀利神社の祭神、グンダリサンが顔や刀を洗った、中が窪んだ石があり、グンダリサンの手水鉢と呼ばれる。日照り続きで水に困ると、そこまで登って、中の水をかき回して濁らせて雨乞いをした。すると必ず雨が降った。
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軍刀利神社の祭神、グンダリサンが顔や刀を洗った、中が窪んだ石があり、グンダリサンの手水鉢と呼ばれる。この中の水をグンダリサンの手洗い水と呼び、これを疣につけると、疣がなおる。

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- source : nichibun yokai database -



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