Japan - Shrines and Temples

20/08/2017

Yama no Kami 09 Regional Gifu Gunma

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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 岐阜県 Gifu to 群馬県 Gunma

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.......................................................................　Gifu 岐阜県 .....

. guhin kuhin gubin 狗賓 / 狗嬪 / グヒン Guhin Tengu Yokai .
Guhin mochi 狗賓餅 rice cakes for the Guhin - later gohei mochi 五平餅.

. Sarugami 猿神 Monkey Deity .
- the local Yamanokami.

. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .
tengu-daoshi 天狗倒し

. Yamanokami and 飛騨の匠 a master carpenter from Hida .

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a bus stop named 山の神 Yamanokami
岐阜県揖斐郡揖斐川町春日川合
Kasugakawai, Ibigawa, Ibi District, Gifu or Yamanokami Iinuma, Nakatsugawa-shi, Gifu

and at the park さざれ石公園 Sazareishi Koen park there is a lodging
山の神さざれ荘 Yamanokami Sazaresoo

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Yamanokami is related to fuji no tsuru 藤の蔓 / 藤のツル the of the vine branches of wisteria.
In a novel called Yamanokami satsujin 山の神殺人 the Yamanokami murder case
by 坂口安吾.
両手を首にまき両足を腰にからみつけて藤のツルのようにシッカリしがみついている

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郡上郡 Gujo district, Gujō

There are at least 2 or three people who died because they went to do forest work on a day when it was not allowed out of respect for Yamanokami.

- - - - - strange things happening to Saito san
葉の落ちる音 sound of leaves falling，円柱状の大きな光 a huge pillar of light，壁をドーンと叩く音 loud sound of DOOON on the wall
The head of the Saito family, 斎藤誉逸, from 大洞 Obora, had been harrassed by Yamanokami around 1904.
When he was on his way home from a carpenter job, after some drinks in the evening, he passed the sanctuary of 秋葉様 Akiba sama he heard the sound of leaves falling, although there were not left on the trees.
He tried to keep his calm and then saw a huge pillar of light above the graveyard. When he finally reached his home, he heard the stange sound of someone hitting his wall.
Next morning he asked a diviner. He was told that Yamanokami had tried to challenge his courage (or rather lack thereof).

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揖斐郡 Ibi district 揖斐川町 Ibigawa

The messenger of Yamanokami is a shiro usagi 白ウサギ white rabbit.
If someone happens to see it, he will be cursed.

usagi at 熊野神社 Kumano Jinja

. Legends about the White Rabbit 白兎 hakuto .

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武儀郡 Mugi district 板取村 Itadori

Some people say Yamanokami is a kitsune 狐 fox!

Yamanokami is a deity to protect children, maybe even a child himself.
If a child gets ill parents have to put up a lantern and say prayers for its recovery.

On the day of the tiger in the second lunar month and on the 7th day of the 11th lunar month it is time for the Yamanokami prayer group. If people do not keep this day, there might be landslides. Yamanokami is female, and if women eat the left-overs from the prayer meeting they will become all wild.
. hatsu tora 初寅 "first day of the tiger" .

Yamanokami likes the following trees
-- madogi マドギ "window tree" - trees with two stems
-- hookigi ホウキギ broom tree / Kochia scoparia
-- kamoeda カモエダ
These trees are not to be cut down.

Yamanokami is a plain woman and women coming to worship her must keep the necessary taboos.

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高山市 Takayama

. The deity Yamabiko 山彦（山の神） Yamanokami .
Legends about Master Carver Enku　円空と伝説　

On the 20th day of the first lunar month people should not go to the mountain. If they do they will feel the curse of Yamanokami and maybe die under a tree that falls on them.
If a lumberjack forgets his nata 鉈 hatchet in the forest, he has to swing his dan 男根 penis to show him the right direction to find it.

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高山市 Takayama 上宝町 Kamitakara

uma 馬 horse

At the waterfall 鼠餅の大滝 Nezumochi Otaki / 鼠餅瀧
Yamanokami comes often riding a horse and lets the horse walk around.
During that time people can hear the sound of the horse.

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吉城郡 Yoshiki district 坂下村 Sakashimo mura

The 9th day of the second lunar month is the 山の講 prayer day for Yamanokami. On this day Yamanokami goes out to plant seeds.
On the 9th day of the 10th lunar month he comes to count the trees.
On both of these days people are not allowed to cut any trees until 10 in the morning.
All the menfolk of the village gather at the 祠 sancturay for Yamanokami and make offerings of ritual Sake and ゴヘイモチ Goheimochi rice cakes.

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

赤城山 Mount Akagiyama / Akagisan (Red Castle) is 1,828 m high.
The 赤城山の神 deity of Akagisan is a mukade ムカデ centipede.
Mount Akagi, along with Mount Myōgi and Mount Haruna, is one of the "Three Mountains of Jōmō" (上毛三山),
It comes with legends of its own, to be explored later.

. Akagisan, Akagiyama 赤城山と伝説 Legends about Mount Akagi .

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【怖い話】群馬県みなかみ町山の神の足音
The footsteps of Yamanokami
- a scary story told on YouTube.

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A town called
群馬県太田市山之神町 Yamanokamicho, Ota, Gunma

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In most parts of Gunma, the 8th day of January is the Day of Yamanokami and people are not allowed to do work in the mountain forests.

. Okojo オコジョ hort-tailed weasel, stoat or ferret. .
- messenger of Yamanokomi
碓氷郡 Usui district 松井田町 Matsuida // 利根郡 Tone district 片品町 Katashina

. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .
Yamanokami is seen as a Tengu in most regions of Gunma.
倉渕村 Kurabuchi / 南牧村 Nanmoku / 東町 Azumacho / 上野村 Uenomura / 片品村 Katashina / 松井田町 Matsuida

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甘楽郡 Kanra district 南牧村 Nanmoku

Yamanokami is seen as male and venerated together with
. jigami, jishin, chigami, chijin 地神 Kami of the Earth / the Land .

There is a shrine
Kaijo no Yamanokami Jinja 会場の山の神神社 Yamanokami of Kaijo
on the top of the pass from 秋畑 Akihata to 上日野 Kamihino.
Kaijo is the name of this place.

source : sukima.com/32_tomioka08...

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沼田市 Numata 利根町 Tone village

numa no nushi no tatari 沼の主の祟り curse of the lord of the pond
People younger than 16 years are not allowed to climb 赤城山 Mount Akagiyama.
If they do they will be cursed by Yamanokami and the lord of the pond, there will be a very strong rain and mist to make them loose their way, and they will not be able to find their way back.

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多野郡 Tano district 上野村 Ueno village

Yama no Kamisama no ki 山の神様の木 tree of Yamanokami
A woodcutter tried to cut a sacred tree, but was hit as it fell down and he died.
Another died while he tried to transport the tree down into the valley.

モロバンギ Morobashigi is another of the sacred trees of Yamanokami and not to be cut down.
If someone uses it as a pillar for a house, there will be death and illness every year without end.

Yamanokami was once venerated in a sanctuary close to the village at the foot of the mountain, but many got ill and it was brought back to the top of the mountain.

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利根郡 Tone district 片品村 Katashina

. Yamanokami and jūni sama 十二様 12 Juni Sama .
On the 12th day of each month Juni Sama is venerated.

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碓氷郡 Usui district 松井田町 Matsuida

Some say Yamanokami is a man, others say it is a woman. And others say they just do not know.
On his day each month on the 17th people are not allowed to cut trees in the forest.

yumihari ki ユミハリ木 -- madoki マド木 trees of Yamanokami
There are special trees with two trunks interwoven, they are sacred to Yamanokami.
He comes there to rest and they are not allowed to be cut down.
ユミハリ木やマド木(2本の立木の幹と幹とが交差しているのをいう)を、「山の神の遊び木だから伐るな」という。

Once a child got a coin stuck in its throat and they could not get it out!
"Let's pray to Yamanokami for help!" They went to the sanctuary of Yamanokami to pray. And oh wonder, from a far-away mountain, where a lumberjack had cut a sugi 杉 cedar tree, there came the spit flowing through the air, hitting the throat of the child and with this hit, the coin fell out and the child was saved.
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. umeboshi 梅干と伝説 Legends about dried pickled plums .
Yamanokami does not like Umeboshi, so people should not bring them to the mountain forest.

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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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- - - - - . Join the Updates of Facebook ! . - - - - -

. 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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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #yamanokami #godofthemountains #tanokami -
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Ta no Kami 01 Regional

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Ta no Kami 田の神 - Introduction .
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Ta no Kami, Tanokami 田の神 God of the Fields
and Legends from Aichi to Yamanashi

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.

. tookanya 十日夜 (とおかんや) night of the tenth 　
the tenth day of the tenth lunar month, the day of the young wild boar 亥の子 Inoko
A harvest thanksgiving celebration for the God of the Fields, especially in Eastern Japan.

. inoko 亥の子 / イノコ the "young wild boar" .
Tanokami is also called inokami, i no kami 亥の神 God of the Boar.
Rituals on inohi, i no hi 亥の日 the day of the boar on the 10th lunar month, especially in Western Japan.

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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.......................................................................　Aichi 愛知県 .....
豊田市 Toyota

Ta no Kami, Yama no Kami
Yamanokami lives in the stump of an old oak tree. It is a female deity, gets angry easily and is stingy.

.......................................................................　Akita 秋田県 .....
仙北郡 Senboku district

山の神様 Yama no Kamisama
This female deity likes オコジ Okoji （虎魚, okoze, stone fish).
This deity also helps with giving birth and if a birth is difficult, people have to go to the mountain to call her down for help. But she dislikes 産火 fire used during birth. Family members where a birth has occurred are not allowed to go into the mountain for one week.

11 legends with オコゼ, ヲコゼ，山の神

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

02 to explore

.......................................................................　Fukui 福井県 .....

09 to explore

.......................................................................　Fukushima 福島県 .....

04 to explore

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

大仁田の神々

.......................................................................　Hiroshima 広島県 .....

田の神，サンバイサマ

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

06 to explore

.......................................................................　Ishikawa 石川県 .....

02 to explore

.......................................................................　Iwate 岩手県 .....

While planting rice, people walk bare-feet, because Tanokami does not like 不浄 uncleanness.

.......................................................................　Kagawa 香川県 .....
三豊郡詫間町

地神は田の神である。秋に帰ってきてオカエビスさんになり、春にどこかへ出て行くといわれている。

.......................................................................　Kagoshima 鹿児島県 .....

03 to explore

.......................................................................　Kumamoto 熊本県 .....
宇土市 Uto Town 綱引町 Abiki

During the time when the Ta no Kami is around, the ガワッパ Gawappa (Kappa) can do no harm to the children.

. ガワッパ　gawappa　カワッパ　 kawappa, - river child - Kappa .
- Garappa ガラッパ Garappa Don ガラッパドン of Kyushu

. Aso Shrine Festivals 阿蘇神社
hiburi matsuri 火振り祭 "fire-swinging festival"
Aso Shrine, Kumamoto
The origin of this ritual goes back to welcoming the god of the fields back in spring, to greet his wife (goze mukae 御前迎え(ごぜむかえ) .

.......................................................................　Kyoto 京都府 .....
亀岡市 Kameoka

オツト石
大昔、金毘羅様が大きな岩を転がすと、岩は谷を越え山を越え愛宕山に突き当たり、またはね返って転がってきた。とおりかかった請田の神様が持っていた扇でオットと言って受け止めた。岩はそこに止まり、扇の形がついた。

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

田の神祭り
田植えの数日前にお田の神祭りをする、稲株で鳥の形を作って苗代に供えると虫除けになる、牛馬を購入したときは、その家の味噌と米を釜のふたに載せて食べさせる、雨乞いはいまだに行われ、とくに旱魃であった昭和33年には各地で行われた（栗原市鶯沢地方）など。

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

koto no kami 事の神 / コトノカミ Koto no Kami
田の神は一般に「事の神」と呼称されている。2月8日（または9日）の事始めの日に事の神様は稲の種子を持って、天から下りられるとされ、農家はボタ餅あるいは小豆団子を作って供えた。12月8日（または9日）の事納めの日には、事の神様が天上に帰られるといって、事始めと同様にボタ餅などを調えて供えた。
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事の神送り in other regions of Japan

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白根市 Shirone town

On the 16th day of the second and tenth lunar month a 田の神まつり festival for Tanokami is held at the farm houses.
In the tenth lunar month, to see the deity off, farmers prepare wappadango ワッパダンゴ ritual rice balls and offer them placed on a bale of newly harvested rice. The Yama no Kami is seated on a zabuton 座布団 cushion on the honored seat of the irori 囲炉裏 fire place. The deity is also offered green tea.
Then the head of the house says he is going to give the tea to the gaki 餓鬼 Hungry Demons and spills it at the veranda of the room. The food offerings are now eaten by the head of the household.

. gaki 餓鬼 hungry demons .
51 to explore !

.......................................................................　Okayama 岡山県 .....
総社市 Soja town

. inoko 亥の子 / イノコ the "young wild boar" .

.......................................................................　Shiga 滋賀県 .....
栗東市

田の神，サナブリ
サナブリとは田植えが終了して田の神が天にお帰りになることを言う。今は田植えじまい、５月じまいとしてボタモチをつくって神棚に供え、近所に配る。

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

サンバイさん，ツユジンさん
03 to explore

.......................................................................　Shizuoka 静岡県 .....
榛原町 Haibara

yamida 病田 - 田の神の祭り方
昔、万法師という人がいて、自分の田の見回りを楽しみにしていた。死んでも田の見えるところにいたいという遺言で、田の西に面した丘に埋められた。それよりこの田を万法田というようになった。この田を作る人に病人が出るといい、迷信を信じない人の手に渡り続けている。現在はそこに小さい祠が立ち信心する人もいる。

.......................................................................　Tochigi 栃木県 .....
那須郡大山田村

田の神，蛙
旧暦10月10日、餅をついて田の神様にあげると、その餅をもって蛙をおともにしてもとの社へ帰る。

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

山の神
３月３日の翌日をシカのアク日といい、仕事を休みにする。３日に遊山をして山の神を迎え、４日には家に籠もって山の神を田の神として迎え入れて神に奉仕するのだという。

.......................................................................　Tottori 鳥取県 .....
東伯郡 Tohaku district 琴浦町 Kotoura

. inoko 亥の子 / イノコ the "young wild boar" .

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

山の神様，田の神様
06 to explore

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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- - - - - . Join the Updates of Facebook ! . - - - - -

. Ta no Kami 田の神 - Table of Contents - .

. Yama no Kami 山の神 - Table of Contents - .

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

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 - .

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

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #tanokami #godofthefields #yamanokami -
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Ta no Kami Legends

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. 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 .

- - - - -
. 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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- #tanokami #yamanokami -
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Yama no Kami 08 Regional

. yama-inu, yamainu　山犬、豺 "mountain dog" wolf legends Fukushima .

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Akagi Myojin 赤城明神 Kami from Mount Akagisan
赤城大明神　Akagi Daimyojin　
4 legends of its own

. 赤城と日光の戦い The fight of Akagi and Nikko .
the huge centipede from Akagi and the snake of Nikko.

. Akagi 赤城山の鬼と榛名山の鬼 Mount Akagi and mount Haruna Demon legends .
(tba)

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Bandai Myojin 磐梯明神 Kami from Mount Bandaisan

- source : Fukushima Furusato -
磐梯明神 Bandai Myojin shrine at the top of the mountain

. Tenaga Ashinaga 手長足長 "long arms, long legs" - monsters .
Once upon a time, there lived Tenaga and Ashinaga on Mount Bandaisan 磐梯山.

- quote -
Mount Bandai (磐梯山 Bandai-san) is a stratovolcano located in Inawashiro-town, Bandai-town, and Kitashiobara village, in Yama-Gun, Fukushima prefecture. It is an active stratovolcano located to the north of Lake Inawashiro. Mount Bandai, including the Bandai heights, belongs to the Bandai-Asahi National Park.
... Sacred Mountains
The Enichi Temple, located on the south-western foot of the Bandai Mountain, is surrounded by mountains where people come to worship; Mt. Bandai (north east to the temple), Mt. Mayadake (north to the temple), and Mt. Azuma (north to Mt. Bandai).
The temple has served a central role in mountain worship because of its location. The Enichi Temple was founded in 807 A.D., one year after Mt. Bandai erupted. Some people[who?] think that there is a connection between the eruption and the foundation of the Enichi Temple. Several routes for visiting Azumayama Shrine have been established, all originating from the main temple of the Enichi shrine.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Enichiji 慧日寺 / 恵日寺 Enichi-Ji .
磐梯町大字磐梯字本寺上4950
and priest Priest Tokuitsu 得一徳溢

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. Kawakami Onsen 川上温泉 legend .
磐梯町 Bandai Town / 磐梯村 Baidaimura

. Bandai Atami no hariko 磐梯熱海の張り子 papermachee dolls .

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Oyamazumi Jinja 大山祇神社
Okuboko-1445-2 Nozawa, 西会津町 Nishiaizu-machi, Yama-gun, Fukushima

大山神社 Oyama Jinja
Once a farmer was late on his way back from Oyama Jinja and it begun to become dark. He almost lost his way. As he said prayers for divine help, it became all light in front of his eyes and an old man with a white beard showed him the way.
When he followed the path as the old man had told him, he found his way back home!

- Homepage of the Shrine Oyamazumi Jinja
- reference source : ooyamazumi.net ... -

Behind the shrine is a sacred cave. If a couple goes in there, Yamanokami becomes jealous and very angry.

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The 17th day of every month is a day to honor Yamanokami and people are now allowed to go into the mountain forests.
Yamanokami counts the trees and gets angry if disturbed.

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A tree with two or three very large branches is sacred to Yamanokami and may not be cut down.
If someone tries to cut it, he will find divine punishment.
If they need to be cut down, wood cutters have to make an offering of shinshu 神酒 ritual sake rice wine and ask Yamanokami permission to cut this tree.

- More legends about the
. shinboku 神木, shinju　神樹　sacred tree, divine tree .

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If a woman has difficulties giving birth, someone has to lead a horse to the mountain to invite Yamanokami for help. If the horse stops on the way up to the mountain, this means the female Yamanokami has climbed on the horse and is now ready to go down to help.
On the way back if the first person they meet is a man, the baby will be a boy.

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Once a hunter met a woman deep in the mountain forest.
The hunter sensed that this was Yamanokami, who wanted him to stop killing.
So he stopped killing the forest animals and all other animals.

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At the sanctuary for Yamanokami at 四倉浜志津 pregnant women can borrow a special
morokoshi-booki もろこしぼうき maize broom to help with an easy birth (to wipe the child out of her body).
After giving birth, she has to bring it back with special offerings.

. Brooms originated in Shinto Rituals .
Many legends and tales about the broom are related to giving birth.

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会津郡 Aizu district

Yamanokami is called
yoru no hime sama ヨルヒメサマ "princess of the night"

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福島市 Fukushima city

Yamanokami 山の神
An old man living in 屶振 Nataburi forgot to bring an offering to Yamanokami on the 17th day of the 10th lunar month. Next time when he wanted to go to the top of the mountain there came a wolf jumping at him and preventing him from going on. So he went down to a boulder in the valley and made his offering there, begging Yamanokami for forgiveness. This stone is there to our day.

Offering aburage アブラゲ fried tofu to Yamanokami makes him happy and the food is gone by next morning.

If someone experiences a calamity in the mountains, it is said to be the punishment of Yamanokami.

If there is a boulder having fallen down and making a road impassable, a prayer to Yamanokami will help to move the stone.

On the first day of the New Year and the 17th day of the second and tenth lunar month people are not allowed to go into the mountain forest. These are the days when the female Yamanokami comes down to the village. The 17th day of the second lunar month is the date for 山の神の祭日 the Yamanokami festival.

- - - - -

. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin legends .

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福島市 Fukushima city 飯坂町 Iizaka

While walking and working in the mountain forest, it is not allowed to sing or recite サンサしぐれ / さんさ時雨 the Sansa Shigure, a folk song from Miyagi, dating back to 1589 and the warlord 伊達政宗 Date Masamune.
One must also try not to cough.

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Yamanokami no tomari ki 山の神の止まり木
A tree with three trunks at the top of the mountain is sacred to Yamanokami and is never cut down. Yamanokami likes to sit and rest on this tree.
Once a man from 南郷村 Nango village tried to cut such a tree, but died as the tree fell heavily on him.

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石川郡 Ishikawa district 平田村 Hirata

Once a man wanted to make charcoal, but his ax fell down every time he tried to cut a tree. This was the doing of Yamanokami.
Another man begun to sing while making charcoal, but was told by Yamanokami to stop because he had made an error.
Yamanokami if fond of folk songs, so people should not sing while working in the forest.

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いわき市 Iwaki town

On the first day of the 10th lunar month, all the Kami take off to 出雲 Izumo to have a rest and celebrate. This is called
kantachibi カンタチビ in the local dialect.
In the Iwaki region however, Kamadogami 竈神 the Kami of the kitchen hearth and Ebisu 恵比寿神 stay back where they always are.

. kannazuki, kaminazuki 神無月かんなづき "gods-absent month" .

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石城郡 Iwaki district / いわき市 / 田人村 / 田人町 Tabito village

If Yamanokami rides a horse, the poor animal will sweat very very much.

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nihon tsuno no aru hebi 二本角のある蛇 serpent with two horns
Just a few years ago, from under a rock in the shrine for Yamanokami there came a serpent with two horns.
This must be the messenger of Yamanokami! It was placed in alcohol and can be seen to our day.

ツノクサリヘビ / 角鎖蛇 Tsuno kusari hebi

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郡山市 Koriyama 湖南町 Konanmachi

Takaiharayama no kamisama 高井原山の神様
Once there was a war. The Kami from Takaiharayama came flying to help. But he bumped into the rock エボシ石 Eboshi Ishi and cut his habaki はばき leg protection and thus could not go.
So the villagers built the shrine 高井神社 Takai Jinja and made offerings to these leg protections.

Mount Takaiharayama / Takaibarayama, 981 (969) m high.

高井神社 Takai Jinja
Kōriyama-shi, Konanmachi Miyo, Teranomae / 福島県郡山市湖南町三代寺ノ前

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南会津郡 Minami-Aizu district

. juuniyamagami 十二山神 Juni Yamagami .
Juni Yamagami is seen as husband and wife.

In Hinoemata village, hunters have to make ablutions with cold water and say prayers to the 十二様 Juni-Sama deities every morning before leaving their mountain huts.

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南会津郡 Minami-Aizu district 檜枝岐村 Hinoemata

Yamanokami koo 山の神講 prayer group for Yamanokami
All the menfolk from 18 to about 30 years take part in this group. Twice a year in Spring and Autumn, they gather at the home of the village head, bring food offerings, hang a scroll of Yamanokami and burn lights until the next morning. They eat rice cakes and drink a lot of sake 酒 rice wine.

If there has been a misfortune in the village, they have to start all the rituals again
matsuri naoshi まつりなおし .
The hunterns and tree cutters have to go down to the village to take part in the new rituals. Sometimes they bring a head or breast bones of a bear as offerings. In that case the heart of the bear is shared as a special food treat with Yamanokami at his festival, matsuri no sakana 祭りの肴.
Sometimes the liver is also eaten as an offering.
The kidneys and breast meat is put on sticks, grilled and eaten. This is called
Yamanokami no shishi 山の神のしし.

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kijiya 木地屋 wood workers making tools and toya are called やまうど（山人）yamaudo, yama-udo "mountain people". They celebrate in their prayer group on the first day of the New Year and the tenth month, each time in a different home of the members. They also have a feast. In former times women were not allowed to join the groups, but recently they may come and help with the cooking and kitchen work.
Before going to work, day pray to Yamanokami, まつりたて Matsuritate.
They also make mochi 餅 rice cakes and grill them on sticks, putting miso paste on them to eat.

At the kariba 狩場 hunting place, hunters have to venerate Yamanokami on three days:
first day はつこば　hatsu koba
third day みっかのさび mikka no sabi
seventh day 七日さび nanoka sabi

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ooshida no ki おおしだの木 huge Shida fern tree
Branches of this tree are cut and used as ritual wands for the festival of Yamanokami at the hunter's place.

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oo-oni 大鬼 huge Oni Demon
At a flat place named 五十人小屋場 "a hut for 50 people" in the mountain forest, hunters erected a hut. At night a strange monster with three nails begun to scratch at the hut. The leader of the hunters made ablutions in water and prayed to Yamanokami. Thus the monster left.
The next morning at the well there was a huge monster with a very large head, as huge as a large cooking pot.
The leader felt he had not enough power to cope with this, renounced to be leader and left for the valley. The others also voted to go down with him.
On the way down they met a mother with her child, trying to climb up. They asked her to stay away from the mountian, but she refused and went up, never to be seen again.

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サルマ Saruma and アラバ Araba
Once the ancestors of two hunter families, サルマ Saruma and アラバ Araba were in the mountains hunting bears when they witnessed the female Yamanokami giving birth.
The Araba hunters left the place soon and did not help.
The Saruma hunters made a ritual wand with the Sakaki tree branch to purify the place.
The Araba later ate the meat of the bear, but all died.

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. okoze 虎魚 / オコゼ stonefish offerings for Yamanokami .

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南会津郡 Minami-Aizu district 南郷村 Nango village

Yamanokami is seen as female.
.
Once a mother went to a diviner, because her young son was very ill.
The shaman told her she should pray to the Yamanokami of mount 大宮鉱山 Omiya Kozan, which had been a mine, closed about 40 years ago.
The mother did as told and her son got well, could graduate from school and find a job.

- reference source : ja7fyg.sakura.ne.jp/kouzan... -

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相馬市 Soma town

. Hayama Jinja 葉山神社 Hayama Shrine .
shintaku 神託 oracles, divination / 黒沼神社 Kuronuma Jinja, Matsukawa, Kanezawa

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oonyuudoo 大入道 Onyudo monster
Oncxe an Onyudo monster sat high in an old Japanese oak acorn tree (nara 楢),
A farmer shot at it with a gun. At the first shot he had no hit. After a few more shots he also did not have the feeling of a hit.
He asked a hooin 法印 Buddhist priest for advise. He told him the Onyudo was maybe attracted by Yamanokami.

. Oonyuudoo 大入道 O-Nyudo Monster - Introduction .

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耶麻郡 Yama district 高郷村 Takasato mura

miko ミコ shrine maiden
Once in a family in 西羽賀 Nishi-Haga their child fell from the river bank and died.
They asked a shrine maiden for an oracle to find the reason why this happened.
Part of their farm land was a place where Yamanokami used to be venerated. Since they had not gone there to pray, this was his punishment.
Since then every year on the 19th day of the 9th lunar month, they go praying at this place.

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A hoo no ki 朴の木 Magnolia hypoleuca tree with three trunks is sacred to Yamanokami and is not to be cut down.
Other large Magnolia trees of this kind are also sacred to him, If they need to be cut down, wood cutters have to make an offering of shinshu 神酒 ritual rice wine and ask Yamanokami permission to cut this tree.

. shinboku 神木, shinju　神樹　sacred tree, divine tree .

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- reference source : nichibun yokai database -

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. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.

from Gifu 岐阜県 to 山梨県 Yamanashi - will be updated.

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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 #fukushima #bandaisan #hayama -
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Yama no Kami 07 Regional

- quote -
n the past, the Kuniyama no Shinji Ceremony was held on four nights: February 3rd, 4th, and 6th at a layperson’s home and February 7th at the Hachioji Shrine for the main ceremony. However, today it is only held on January 3rd every 4 years at the shrine. (To be held next in 2021)
The ritual of Kuniyama no Shinji was previously called naruwai ナルワイ and tagayashi タガヤシ. At the beginning of the year, partakers would simulate the farm work carried out throughout the year and pray for an abundant harvest for that year. The ritual is a reenactment broken down into 3 parts.
The first is a reenactment of the beginning of farm work until the planting of seedlings.
The second is the taking of seedlings from the seedling bed and planting them,
and the third is the harvest.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, tree branches that have been hung from the shrine ceiling in advance are all pulled down at once. It is said that the branches piled on the floor will bring about a rich harvest of rice crop.
国山を説明する「しやうの言ひ立の事」、「籾種をつける事」、田を耕す「鍬打ち」、「麦の草を取る事」、奥州へ牛を買い下る事」、「草刈に参る事」、「東西に種をまく事」、「蚕のはか」、「苗をほめる事」、「田主の言立の事」、「東西の棒振り」、「是より大苗のはか」の場面が順次演じられる。
- 福井市国山町
- source : fukuisan.jp/en/lis... -

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敦賀市 Tsuruga
天筒山山の神神社 Yamanokami Jinja
野坂岳 - 山の神神社

金ヶ崎天筒山山の神ルート

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Once upon a time
the head of the Nakanishi family, 中西佐平 Nakanishi Sahei, went out fishing. But he only got a stones caught in his net. He threw the stones back into the sea each time.
That night he had a dream vision:
"I am just a stone, but not just any stone. I am Yamanokami. I came rolling here after a great flooding. I want to go back to the land. Next time you catch a stone, bring it back to the mountains and pray to me."
Next time he was fishing, indeed he caught a stone, brought it to the mountain and venerated it.

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The 9th day of the 12th lunar month is the festival for Yamanokami.
. Yama no Kami matsuri 山の神祭り Yamanokami festivals .

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. yama no kami no yadorigi 山の神の止り木 / 山の神の宿り木 sacred trees .
山の神のケヤキの木 Keyaki zelkova tree of Yamanokami
三方郡 Mikata district 美浜町 Mihama // 遠敷郡 Onyu district 名田庄村 Natasho

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大飯郡 Oi district 高浜町 Takahama

On the 28th day of the 9th lunar month, the Deities are seen off (to the great meeting in Izumo 出雲). They come back on the 28th day of the 10th lunar month.
But Yamanokami is seen of on the 8th day of the 10th lunar month and comes back on the 8th day of the 11th lunar month.

The tenth lunar month (now November), after the harvest when the Japanese gods had done their duty, they left their local shrines for a bit of a vacation. They would all go for an audience and to celebrate at the great shrine of Izumo, so the rest of Japan was "without gods".
. kami okuri 神送り sending off the gods .

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足羽郡 Asuwa district 遠敷郡 Onyu district 吉田市 Yoshida town 大野市 Ono town

In many villages of these district Yamanokami and Tanokami are venerated in their respective season.

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南條郡 Nanjo

tatari たたり the curse
On the sacred day of Yamanokami, one old hag went to the mountain forest to get some zenmai ぜんまい / 薇 Japanese royal fern, a favorite food.
Something strange with hair touched her hand and when she looked, her own had begun to grow a lot of hair. Afraid she hurried home, but there she fell down dead.
This is the curse of Yamanokami.

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武生市 Takefu 坂口村 Sakaguchi

They say Yamanokami is a Tengu.
. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .

白馬 white horse
. Yamanokami brings the first snow .

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敦賀市 Tsuruga

yoru no mamono 夜の魔もの monster of the night
yama no kami koo 山の神講 prayer group for the god of the mountain / kanko (かんこ)
This prayer group has special rituals for its members.
For example if someone has built a new home the children have to gather in the 大日堂 Dainichi-Do Hall. Their leader has a shimenawa しめ縄 sacred rope around the hips which he lays down at the big matsu no ki マツの木 pine tree.

The other children also have to lay down their tsuto ツト / 苞 ropes.
Now they can all go inside. They have all brought a special offering, シトキ shitoki, a kind of dough made from rice drained in water, squashed and kneaded with sake 酒 rice wine.
They smear this dough on their body to get all white and then go to back to the home of the prayer group leader.

Smearing shitoki on their body symbolizes they have become お地蔵さん Jizo Bosatsu.
Since Yamanokami is seen as a monster, this will protect them from his evil.

300年以上も赤崎地区 A custom at Akasaki district for more than 300 years.
- reference source : athome.tsuruga.fukui.jp/nuclear... -

. Jizō - Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 - ABC List .

.......................................................................　Fukuoka 福岡県 .....

A bus stop named Yamanokami !

山の神：福岡県糟屋郡久山町久原 | バス停
Kubara, Hisayama, Kasuya District, Fukuoka

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八女郡 Yame district 星野村 Hoshino

池の山の神 Yamanokami from the Pond
About 600 years ago, there was a long drought and famine.
This was the curse of Yamanokami from the Pond, as a Shaman told them.
The villagers had to make a human sacrifice to the Lord of the Pond, a Dragon, every year and this time a young man named ハンニャ Hannya was selected.
On the 18th day of the 9th lunar month he was placed into a 駕籠 palanquin. Before he entered, he danced
Hannya no mai ハンニャの舞 the Hanya dance.
"If the dragon of the pond can dance like this, he will not eat me. From now on I will come here and dance every year."
This was the beginning of a dance ritual in the village.

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On the 16th day of the first and 12th lunar month, Yamanokami walks around the mountain forest to inspect the trees.
On this day humans are not allowed to go there and cut trees.

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Sometimes when walking in the mountain, people feel a sudden dizziness, chill, or headache.
This is a vision of Yamanokami who might have caught a cold himself.

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- reference source : nichibun yokai database -

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. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.

from Fukushima 福島県 to 山梨県 Yamanashi - will be updated.

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