Ido no Kami well legends

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Ido no Kami 井戸の神 / Idogami 井戸神 Deity of the Well

Another name for the
. Mizu no Kami, Mizunokami 水の神 Deity of Water .

水神様 / スイジンサマ Suijin Sama

venerated in Katsuyama, Okayama

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furui no kami 井戸の神, furui kami, furuikami 古井神 Deity of the old well

source : ameblo.jp/takenichi...

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Shrine 御井神社 Mii Jinja "the honorable well"
2518 Hikawacho Naoe, Izumo, Shimane / 斐川町



- quote -
Okuninushi and the Rabbit
..... in Hikawa is Mii Shrine, which has three wells on its grounds
that are said to have been used by Yagami-hime when she gave birth to the child she had with Okuninushi.
- source : japanesemythology... -


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井戸の神聖化 - wikipedia

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. sarashi i, sarashi-i . 晒井 さらしい cleaning the well .
well-cleaning, i zarai 井浚（いざらい）
ido zarai 井戸浚, 井戸浚い（いどざらい）
ido gae 井戸替（いどがえ）"changeing the well"
- idohori shi　井戸堀師 digging a well or making a new well



idobata kaigi　井戸端会議　debates (gossip) at the well
Women used to come to the village wells and designated places along rivers to do the laundry and the mental laundry (gossip)。

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- - - The Kappa is often seen as Mizunokami, Suijin
. suijin 水神 河童 Kappa as a water deity .
and Kappa Jinja　河童神社 Kappa Shinto Shrines

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- Reference : 井戸の神


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

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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- - - - -　 H A I K U　 - - - - -

井戸神の遠くに見ゆる雑煮かな
Idogami no tooku ni miyuru zooni kana

斎藤夏風 Saito Kafu


雪明りして井戸神の鏡餅
yuki akari shite Idogami no kagami mochi

赤石明子 Akashi Akiko


source : fujiclean.co.jp/fujiclean/water...


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. kawaya no kami 厠の神 God of the Toilet .
厠神 Benjogami / Kookagami 後架神 Kokagami

The God of the Toilet is the Elder Sister,
The God of the Well, Shinzui san シンズイさん is the younger sister.
At the bottom of the Well fro Shinzui zanthere are three stones.
This deity does not like metal things. If something made of metal falls into the well and is not taken out very soon, people have to abandon this well and make a new one. If they do not, family members will get ganbyoo 眼病 eye disease.

. Legends about eye diseases .


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .




....................................................................... Aichi 愛知県 .....
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豊田市 Toyota city 岩倉町 Iwakura town

Idogami sama 井戸神様
In 1881, a family had a performance in the home and then put a cover on the well for everybody to walk over. But this caused a curse of Idogami sama 井戸神様.
The mother of the family got crazy and begun to perform all day long. Grandmother had a toxic disease and when Grandfather went to 観音様 Kannon Sama to pray for her health, she felt better.




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

. Suijin sama スイジンサマ, the Kappa Water Deity .
The Idogami 井戸神 God of the Well is also called Suijin Sama.




....................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫県 .....
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姫路市 Himeji city 飾磨郡 Shikama district

If someone places a knife on the kama 竈 hearth, Ido no Kamisama 井戸の神様 begins to cry.

. kama, kamado 竈 Legends about the kitchen hearth .




....................................................................... Ibaraki 茨城県 .....
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行方郡 Namegata district 麻生町 Aso town

. Setsubun - oni wa soto 鬼は外 "Demons, get out!"　.
On the day of Setsubun 節分 the Seasonal Divide people make special offerings, especially of hiiragi柊 a holly branch and put them on butsudan 仏壇 the Buddhist family altar, the kamidana 神棚 shelf of the Gods, for the 井戸の神 Ido no Kami and other places to make sure, the demons do not come in.
The offerings of iwashi イワシ are eaten by fuku no kami 福の神 the God of Good Luck.

. oni to hiiragi 鬼と柊 Demon and the Holly branch .

. fuku no kami 福の神 God of Good Luck .




....................................................................... Kagawa 香川県 .....
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三豊郡 Mitoyo district 詫間町 Takuma town

Before filling in an old well, there must be a purification ritual performed.
To make sure the Ido no Kami san 井戸の神さん can come back any time, there must be a bamboo pole in the ground. Ido no Kami can then slip through this pole and come and go as he pleases.




....................................................................... Kagoshima 鹿児島県 .....
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薩摩郡 Satsuma district 東郷町 Togo town

After a new well is made, there must be an offering of nasu 茄子 eggplants.
If this is not done, the Mizunokami will leave his tooth bite visible.



....................................................................... Kyoto 京都府 .....
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福知山市 Fukuchiyama city

If people stay too long near the well and talk and talk . . . the Ido no kami 井戸ノ神 gets angry and disappears.




....................................................................... Nagasaki 長崎県 .....
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西海市 Saikai city 西彼町 Seihi town

Ido no Kami is the same as 水神 Mizugami.
If someone in the family gets ill, Mizugami must be angry.
Making offerings of miki お神酒 ritual rice wine, shio 塩 salt and kome 米 rice grains will cure the person.





....................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県 .....
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有田郡 Arida district 金屋町 Kanaya town

Ido no Kamisama is Suijin san 水神さん.
Once an old woman became a strong headache. A healer told her that she had not been respectful to Suijin san 水神さん.
She began to say her prayers regularly and was soon healed.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
井戸神 / 井戸の神 / イドガミ / 井戸ノ神 - ok

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umi no kami sea legends

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. Yama no Kami 山の神 Yamanokami - Introduction .
. Ta no Kami 田の神 Tanokami - Introduction .
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Umi no Kami 海の神 God of the Sea
Watatsumi, Wadatsumi, Kaijin 海神

. The three deities of Wadatsumi 綿津見三神 .
The sea deity Ōwatatsumi no kami
Many legends related to dragons.

His messenger is the kujira 鯨 whale.

. kujira 鯨 whale, Walfisch .
- Introduction and haiku -

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海神神社 Kaijin Jinja
Nagasaki - 長崎県対馬市峰町木坂247 / 247 Minemachi Kisaka, Tsushima, Nagasaki
- reference source : shinto-jinja.jp... -


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- - - - - A legend known in many parts of Japan

. okoze 虎魚 / 鰧魚 / オコゼ stonefish .
Once 山の神と海の神 the Kami of the Mountain and the Kami of the Sea had a fight and because of Okoze,
Yamanokami, the Kami of the Mountain won.
Since that event, Yamanokami likes Okoze.


Okoze from Bizen Pottery


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.......................................................................　Kagawa 香川県　.....
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三豊郡 Mitoyo district 託間町 Takuma cho town

. ookami 狼 Okami, wolf legends .
At the Shrine 三崎神社 Misaki Jinja the wolf is venerated as the messenger of Uminokami. People are not supposed to look at this animal. His howling sounds like gooo-gooo.
A single wolf is the messenger of the deity, but if they come in a group, people have to take precautions.





.......................................................................　Kagoshima 鹿児島県　.....
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曽於郡 Soo district

Uminokami does not like umeboshi 梅干 dried salted plums, so fishermen should not throw the stones into the water.





.......................................................................　Kochi 高知県　.....

幡多郡 Hata district 大月町 Otsuki town

. Empress Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 - Legends .

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Once upon a time, a VERY LONG time,
whales lived on the mountains. When a whale moved its big body, the trees fell down and the plants were destroyed . . . the other animals on the mountain very much in distress. Yamanokami had observed this for some time and then called to Uminokami:
"Hey, God of the Sea, may I give the whale to you to take care of?"
"Sure, why not!" and thus the whale moved to the sea. ....
- reference source : minwa.fujipan.co.jp/area... -




.......................................................................　Kumamoto 熊本県　.....
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In Kumamoto, ウミノカミ Uminokami is the same as the water goblin Kappa.
When a woman is ready to give birth soon, first they cook 白飯 white rice and put it in a bowl as an offering, put in the rom next to the woman. This is an offering for Uminokami.
If the family does not make this offering, Uminokami might come and get the baby.

. 河童 Kappa legends from Kumamoto　熊本県 .




.......................................................................　Mie 三重県　.....
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熊野市 Kumano city

same 鮫 shark
The 14th day of the 6th lunar month is the festival day for Uminokami, also called oojiro sama オオジロ様 Ojiro sama. The festival is also called
Uminokami is also called 磯辺さん Isobe san.
People prepare 3 or 7 shark fish as an offering and nobody goes into the sea on this day.

. same　鮫 (さめ) shark .




.......................................................................　Oita 大分県 .....

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国東郡 Kunisaki district 姫島村 Himeshima mura village

ryuuguu sama 竜宮様 dragon palace deity, Uminokami
Fishermen should not throw water after washing rice into the sea. They should keep it in a barrel and throw it on the land when they come home.
To muddy the sea water in an affront toward Uminokami and should not be done.

. ryuuguu 竜宮と伝説 Ryugo Legends about the Dragon Palace .

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白杵市 Usuki city

kujira 鯨 whale
In the year 1886, fishermen had caught a whale, but when they pulled it on the boat, it was already dead.
Since the whale is the messenger of Uminokami, they put its bones and 一文銭 one coin as an offering and made a fine funeral for the fish.





.......................................................................　Okinawa 沖縄県 .....

. Uminokami is Mizunokami 水の神 .






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

. Uminokami and Yamanokami having a fight. .


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- reference source : nichibun yokai database -
96 海神 to collect

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. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.

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. Mizu no Kami, Mizunokami 水の神 Deity of Water - Legends .

. 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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kami no ashiato

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. kami　神　Shinto deities .
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kami no ashiato 神の足跡 / あしあと footprints of a Kami
kamisama no ashiato 神様の足あと

There are some boulders and rocks with this name.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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越前海岸の奇岩の伝説
Legend about a strange rock-formation on the Echizen coast
The footprint is about 5 m long and 2 m wide.
Once upon a time, farmers came here during a long period of drought and prayed for rain.
There was a voice promising "There will be water!" and from behind the cliff the footprints were visible.



- reference source : blogs.yahoo.co.jp/syoukousi4... -

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Legend says that 琵琶湖 Lake Biwako started as a footprint of the Kami.

日本の神話には、神様の足跡として琵琶湖は描かれている。
- reference source : www.2724.com/biwako... -


- reference source : sirokuronekotokuroneko...-


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There is a festival in the town of 塙町 Hanawa in Fukushima,
伊香おすわ様 Ika Osuwa Sama
It has a history of more than 200 years and was introduced to drive out illness like the plague.
About 10 young men 20 years of age get a purification ritual from the Shrine and then run around the village in the evening for about 4 hours. They wear white Tabi socks.
The young men prepare 餅つき Mochi rice cakes. When it gets dark they take 獅子頭 a lion's head and the rice cakes.
They enter each of the about 120 homes through the veranda of the living room and run out through the main door, leaving dirty footprints on the floor.

But since they are the messengers of the "Deity", this dirt may only be cleaned away until the next morning.
The family is sitting in the living room cheering when they come.
Mid-July.


- quote
神様の足あと ー 伊香おすわ様

福島県の南東部、茨城県との県境にある塙町の集落、伊香・古宿地区で、毎年 7 月中旬に行われる祭りです。
地区で流行した疫病の厄払いが起源とされ、200 年以上の歴史があるとも言われています。主役は二十歳前後の男たち。...
- source : twellv.co.jp/program

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青銅の神の足跡
谷川健一 Tanigawa Kenichi
古代鍛冶氏族の役割と足どりを詳細に追跡。徹底した実証と鋭い感性で銅鐸の謎に文化史の視線を当て、記紀成立以前の社会を大胆に復元し、日本文化の基底をなす金属神から農耕神への逆転を明示。
- at amazon com -


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.......................................................................　Niigata 新潟県 .....
古志郡 Koshi district

. Yamanokami Legends from Niigata 新潟県 .
Yamanokami is a woman with a rather wild character. She has only one eye and one leg.
There is a boulder with one footprint and one imprint of a walking stick,
Yamanokami no ashiato 山の神の足跡石.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .

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- #ashiato #footprints #kaminoashiato -
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Ubagami shrine

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ubagami 姥神 lit. "old woman deity" - "Grandmother Deity"

- - - - - The legends from Esashi in Hokkaido know this:

Orii baasan 折居婆さん / オリイバアサン grandmother Orii
Grandmother Orii lived in Esashi. She prayed to the deities every morning and could tell the villagers about the weather of the day. The villagers thought of her as a deity, because her weather forecast was always right.
Once there was a bad catch for herring. That night grandmother Orii saw murasaki no hi 紫の火 a divine purple light in the sky above the sea. As the deity had shown her, she went out to the sea, poured ritual water from a Tokkuri container in that spot and folded her hands in prayer. Now a huge group of herring came by and the villagers had enough to eat for a long time.
When the villagers went to the home of Grandmother Orii, she was gone and since then they prayed to her as
Ubagami 姥神 "the old woman deity".

This name is also read おりん婆（折居婆）Orin Ba.


source : nihon.syoukoukai.com...

Tokkuri iwa 江差のとっくり岩 Tokkuri rock in Esashi
They say the Tokkuri of Grandmother Orii turned upside down and became a rock.
Many herring are fished around this rock.

. nishin 鰊 / 鯡 / 青魚 / 黄魚 herring .


source : Esashi Town Homepage

- Another version of the legend:

Once there lived an old couple in 江差 Esashi which had not enough to eat.
A deity appeared in their dream and told them to explore a certain area of the sea. Next morning they went out and found a lot of herring. Now they could eat fish to their heart's content.
The Ubagami deity venerated in Esashi is seen as this old couple, they are the ancestors of the herring fishermen.

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Ubagami Daijinguu 姥神大神宮 Ubagami Daijingu
海道檜山郡江差町姥神町99 / Ubagamichō, Esashi, Hiyama district, Hokkaido



- quote
The Ubagami Daijingu Togyo Festival – held every year from August 9 to 11 – is what the residents of Esashi most look forward to every year. Approximately 50,000 people gather in the town – which has a population of only 8,000 – to watch portable shrines and 13 floats being paraded around the streets.
- A festival that has continued since the Edo Period
Since the Edo Period, Esashi prospered as a herring fishing community, and was greatly influenced by the culture and festivals of the Kansai and Hokuriku regions due to the Kitamae-bune ships that arrived via the Sea of Japan shipping route. The origins of the Ubagami Daijingu Togyo Festival date back 375 years, when it began with the people of Esashi thanking the gods for the plentiful herring catches.
- The chair of the Esashi Sightseeing & Convention Association, Saikaiya Nozomu is also a doll maker who creates the mannequins that ride on the floats, and from an early age he grew up with the shrine festivals. Each of the town’s neighborhood associations is responsible for the management and operation of one of the floats, which cost over 10 million yen to build and between 1.8 and 1.9 million yen per year to maintain. These costs are generously borne by the residents of the neighborhoods and people who were born in or have connections with the town. “People who come from the cities are motivated by Esashi residents’ enthusiasm and passion for the festival,” says Saikaiya. “Perhaps it’s because they sense the eagerness to preserve the local culture inherited from the Edo period.”
Saikaiya’s father was the doll maker who, under the name of Hokuryu, created five of the mannequins that ride on the thirteen floats mannequins. Nozomu is the second-generation Hokuryu. “Mannequins made by myself and my father adorn the festival,” says Saikaiya. “Such emotions cannot be experienced anywhere else.”
- Young people return home for the festival
The children of Esashi are raised on drum & flute lullabies. They are pulling floats as soon as they can walk, and are playing the flute and drums when they become elementary and junior high school pupils. They then take on the role of protecting the float from overhead cables, and when they become adults they are responsible for supervising the parade of floats, with the ultimate aim of becoming one of the people charged with overall responsibility for the float.
- Natsuhara Shigeki,
who works at an elementary school and is also the vice chair of the festival organizing committee tells of an episode that expresses Esashi residents’ feelings toward the festival. “At a job interview in a certain city, a high school student from Esashi asked if he could take a holiday on the same three festival days every year. He explained about the Ubagami Daijingu Togyo Festival and that without the younger generation, the floats would not be mobile and asked the boss for the time off. The boss of the company was surprised and impressed by the high school student’s enthusiasm for his hometown, something that is not so common, and decided to employ him straight away.”
Everyone gets involved in the festival – from young children to senior citizens. All homes prepare alcohol and food to welcome visitors. According to Natsuhara, “Esashi has created a culture in which all people are involved.” Saikaiya also adds “Each household serves local cuisine made with recipes handed down from the past, making it a festival in which food culture is also conveyed.”
- - - MORE
- source : kai-hokkaido.com/en/feature...


- - - - - Deities in residence - - - - -
天照皇大御神　Amaterasu Omikami
天児屋根神 Amanokoyane no Mikoto
住吉大神 Sumiyoshi Daijin

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shuin　朱印 stamp


- - - - - HP of the Shrine
- source : hokkaidojinjacho.jp... -

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Yearly Festivals　年中行事


- CLICK for more photos !

姥神大神宮渡御祭（うばがみだいじんぐうとぎょさい）Ubagami Daijingu Togyosai

- quote -
Ubagami Daijingu is the oldest shrine in Hokkaido, established in 1447. It is said to have been established as a place for herring-fishers to worship the image of the god they believed in. Once a year, the people of Esashi carry out the Togyosai, in which they offer their thanks for a bountiful catch of fish.
Thirteen richly decorated floats (called “yama” in Esashi) are paraded downtown and uptown in a dignified procession. This festival is clearly dear to the hearts of everyone in Esashi—during the Togyosai, the population of the town swells to five times its normal size because of the many people returning home. The Togyosai is truly a festival fit to represent Hokkaido.
– Reception period: August 1-7, 2017. The festival itself takes place from August 9-11.
- source : hokkaido-sightseeing.com/en... -


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天児屋根神 / 天児屋根命 / 天児屋命 Amanokoyane no Mikoto　/ Ama-no-Koyane-no-mikoto
Amenokoyanenomikoto／Amenokoyanomikoto / Ameno Koyane



He belongs to the deities of Shrine Kasuga Jinja, Nara.
He is considered to be an ancestor of the 中臣 Nakatomi clan and its most famous branch - the Fujiwara clan.

中臣連等の祖。天の石屋・天孫降臨段に登場。天の石屋段には天照大御神を天石屋戸から招き出すために布刀詔戸言を申した神。天孫降臨では五伴緒として番能邇々芸命に随行する。
- reference source : kojiki.kokugakuin.ac.jp... -


- quote -
Ameno Koyane
is known to have been one of the Gods of the Five Guilds. He was one of the many Gods present when Ninigi made his descent to Earth. This god and many others agreed after a decree by Amaterasu to serve and follow Ninigi.
Ameno Koyane was also given the extra task, alongside Ameno Futodama to aid and protect Ninigi.
This God is claimed as the ancestor of the Nakatomi Clan.
- The Five Guilds
The Gods of the Five Guilds are a group of Gods with the names Ameno Koyane, Ameno Futodama, Ameno Uzume, Ishikoridome and Tamaya.
Each of these Gods agreed to follow the royal decree of Amaterasu to follow and serve Ninigi after his decent to the Earth. Two of these Gods (Ameno Koyane and Ameno Futodama) were given special decrees to aid and protect Ninigi.
- source : historyofjapan.co.uk... -

Kogotomusubi no Kami 興台産霊神
The father of Amanokoyane, ancestral kami of the Fujiwara clan.
According to the "divine-age" records in Sendai kuji hongi, Kogotomusubi was identified as the mikogami (divine offspring) of Ichichimusuhi no mikoto, a kami in the lineage of another kami, Tsuhayamusuhi no mikoto. Based on the theory that the name Kogoto is formed from a plural prefix attached to the word koto meaning "word," the name has been interpreted to mean kotodama, namely a kami of speech and language.
- source : eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp... -

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- Reference : 姥神大神宮
- Reference : Ubagami Hokkaido




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

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


.......................................................................　Miyagi 宮城県 .....
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白井市 Shiroi city 斎川松沢 Saikawa Matsuzawa

chichigami 乳神 "breast deity"
At the root of an old pine tree there was a spring and in the nearby sanctuary there was a stone memorial for Ubagami.
The wife of 用明天皇 Yomei Tenno (518 - 587) gave birth here on a rock called Shitahimo no ishi 下紐の石, but she did not have enough milk to feed the baby. A diviner told her to use the water from the spring and when she drunk it, her milk begun to flow. A stone statue was erected in her honor.
Now many women come here to pray.
Sometimes they scratch a bit of the breast of the statue and drink the powder to make their own milk flow.
As a sign of greatfullness many women later bring a plush doll of a female breast.



. matsu 松と伝説 Legends about the pine tree / 松の木 .

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

daishimizu 大清水 "great clear water"
It is located on the Eastern side of the bridge Itsutsubachi 五ツ橋. It is one of the three "clear water" locations and sometimes called sato shimizu 里清水.
Since olden times there was a sanctuary for Ubagami.
The water could heal cough from children.
People make offerings of ema 絵馬 votive tablets of a rooster turned upside-down.




.......................................................................　Niigata 新潟県 .....
東蒲原郡 Higashi-Kanbara district 阿賀町 Aga town

Along the river bank the deity Ubagami sama 姥神様 is venerated.
She is also mamorigami 守り神 the protector deity at the entrance of the village.

. mamorigami 守り神と伝説 Legends about protector deities .





.......................................................................　Toyama 富山県 .....

. onbaba オンババ / 姥神 (Ubagami)　"Old Grandma Mountain God" .

. Tateyama Shinkō　立山信仰 Tateyama mountain worship .
... Temple Ashikura-Ji had around 30 subtemples, of which the 姥堂 Ubadō and the Enmadō were the most important.
... It was only at this one time in the year, on the middle day of the autumn equinox, that women were allowed to enter the precincts, normally forbidden them, as far as the Ubadō, from where, having received the protection of the deity Ubagami, they worshipped the sacred mountain and prayed for rebirth in paradise.
The rite was an enactment of death and rebirth.




- quote -
Tateyama no Onbasama 立山のおんばさま On-Ba Sama
Uba-Ishi 姥石 "Grandmother Rock"
- reference source : webheibon.jp/yamanba... -

- - - Ubagami is sometimes seen as the
. Yamanba, Yamauba 山姥 "old mountain woman", Yokai monster .




.......................................................................　Yamanashi 山梨県 .....
都留市 Tsuru city

. Chichigami san 乳神サン "breast deity" .



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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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山姥神社 Yamanba Jinja / Yamanba Shrine - Yamauba
高知県 Kochi - Shirakidani, Nankoku, Kochi
- HP of the Shrine
- reference source : yamauba.jp... -

. Yamanba, Yamauba 山姥 and 山姫 Yamahime .
Yamanba, Yamamba is the "old hag from the mountain".


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. Ishikoridome no kami 石凝姥神 （いしこりどめのかみ）(Ishi-kori-dome-no-kami) .
Nakayama Jinja 中山神社 / 岡山県津山市一宮695 Okayama, Tsuyama town


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Yamanokami Regional 33 Akita

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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 Akita 秋田県

. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.


source : forbesjapan.com/article...

. Namahage なまはげ / 生剥げ demons of Akita .
The servants of Yamanokami, the demons from the Oga peninsula, are allowed to come down to the local families on the 15th day of the first lunar month.


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田の神，山の神 Tanokami becomes Yamanokami
On the 16th day of the 10th lunar month,
Tanokami goes back and becomes Yamanokami. Pepopletake a rest and celebrate with offerings of konamochi 粉餅 rice cakes powdered with walnut powder.
On this day it is not allowed to go to the forest and work.
- - - - -
Inside a mine it is not allowed to whistle or clap your hands. If you do, Yamanokami, who supports the ceiling with his hands, becomes happy and pulls his hands away.
- - - - -
. Okojo, Okoze オコゼ a short-tailed weasel or ferret .
the messenger of Yamanokami.


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. matagi 又鬼 - マタギ と伝説 Legends about bear hunters .

In Akita there are many bear-hunter communities.
On the festival day of the female Yamanokami, who is very jealous, their womenfolk do not dare to go outside all day.




.......................................................................　秋田市 Akita city .....

kuri no ki 栗の木 sweet chestnut tree
Deep in the mountain forest is a huge sweet chestnut tree, where Yamanokami is venerated. Even if cut down it will soon be up again.
Once a man named 弥兵衛 Yahei tried to cut this tree down, but blood came sprouting from the tree and a boy of 5 years came out. The child had a strange figure and looked very angry, picking up Yahei and throwing him on the ground, telling him never to cut this tree again.

. kami no ki, kaminoki 　神の木、神ノ木 tree of the deity, tree of Yamanokami .




.......................................................................　平鹿郡 Hiraka district .....
山内村 Sannai mura village

. Hihi 狒々/ 狒狒 / 比々 Hihi Baboon Monster .
About 400 years ago a samurai named 大次郎 Daijiro moved to the village from 仙台 Sendai. His younger brother left his wife and child behind and said he would go hunting.
A monster baboon came and ate the daughter of his brother. The poor younger brother was very angry and with the consent of Daijiro went out to kill the baboon.
Later they burried the body of the baboon and all their old weapons in the ground of a local school. They started to venerate Yamanokami at that place.



.......................................................................　上小阿仁村 Kamikoani village .....
in 北秋田郡 Kita-Akita district

In the village of Kami-Koani there was one area where Yamanokami was seen as 男神 a male deity and one where she was 女神 a female deity.
After a wedding ceremony husband and wife were not allowed to go into the mountain forest for a few days, because Yamanokami was very jealous.
So young couples went to work in the fields, made tools from straw and performed other work inside the house.
- - - - -
A couple went to the mountain forest to make charcoal. The husband cut a tree from a dangerous place. His wife observed him from below and saw a woman supporting his hips. The wife thought he was being unfaithful and called out "Shame on you!" The figure of the supporting woman disappeared on the spot and the husband fell deep into the valley.
The female Yamanokami had been helping him.



.......................................................................　鹿角郡 Kazuno district .....

Nanzoboo 南祖坊 Priest Nanzobo and Hachitaroo, 八太郎 Hachitaro
The Lord of 十和田湖 lake Towadako was called 八太郎 Hachitaro.
One day a strange priest named Nanzobo came and told him to hand the lake over to him. Both begun to fight and Hachitaro lost.
So he begun to block the river 米代川 Yoneshirogawa and built a new lake.
Now Yamanokami came and threw stones at him, so Hachitaro had to flee again.
He run very far away and became the Lord of 八郎潟 Hachirogata.


- CLICK for more photos of the Hachirogata area !

- quote -
Hachirōgata (八郎潟 Hachirō-gata) is a lake in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan.
Its formal name is Lake Hachirō (八郎湖 Hachirō-ko), but it is also called Hachirōgata Regulating Pond (八郎潟調整池 Hachirō-gata chōseichi). At 4 meters below sea level, Hachirōgata is the lowest point in Japan. . . .
According to a legend,
a man called Hachirō was transformed into a dragon and chose the lake for his home after wandering a long time. Thus, the lake was named Hachirō-gata (-gata means "lagoon").
Later, he was attracted to a woman who owned Lake Tazawako, another lake in Akita Prefecture, and moved to be with her. After that, Hachirōgata became increasingly shallower.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


...... Iwate 岩手県　 .....
imori 井守 (いもり) newt, eft, kind of salamander
In the area of 九戸郡 Kunohe there are legends about 八郎太郎 Hachirotaro, Hachiro-Taro. He once attacked the guardian dragon of Lake Towada.
A young man from 大川目村荒津平 Okawame village drank water from a spring and swallowed a newt by accident.
When the boy became older, be grew up to be quite a giant and never lost a fight.
Later he became the Lord of Hachirōgata.
. Legends about eels and newts .

14 legends to explore




.......................................................................　北秋田郡 Kita-Akita district .....
荒瀬村 Arasemura village

Once on a snowing night Yamanokami took the form of a pregnant woman and asked for shelter at the hut of seven woodcutters, but she was turned away.
At the next hut of six woodcutters she was taken in cordally. So Yamanokami gave them four 大熊 great bears as a present.
Then Yamanokami turned the group of seven into 小鼠 small mice with no special color.




.......................................................................　仙北市 Senboku city, Semboku .....

. takezaiku 竹細工 legends about craft from bamboo .
If a child is born, Yamanokami spends the whole night at the Shrine to decide the fate of the baby.
.......................................................................
Once a wife took some lunch to her father working in the mountain. But the female Yamanokami became jealous and when the father cut a tree, he fell below it and died.
- - - - -
Yamanokami becomes Tanokami in spring and is seen as female. The deity likes
. okoji オコジ（虎魚）and Yamanokami .
Yamanokami is usually helping with a birth . . . . .


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Senboku 西木町 Nishiki town

大石岳 Mount Oishidake (1,059 m)
On the 10th day of the second lunar month, it was not allowed to go to the mountain.
Yamanokami was sewing seeds for trees on this day.
Others say they should not go to the mountain and should not bring Natto fermented beans as food, lest Yamanokami would let them slip and fall.
They also should not wash their dishes in the river because Yamanokami might want to swim down the river on that day.

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Senboku 西仙北町 Nishi-Senboku town

bakko sugi バッコ杉 Bakko cedar
On the 9th day of the second lunar month, on the day of Yamanokami, a man went to the forest to make charcoal, although it was forbidden.
On his way home he saw his bakko バッコ（末娘） youngest daughter, who was supposed to be home. He called her but she did not turn around, so he started running after her, but could not catch up. When he came to
kugikake no oo-sugi 鉤掛けの大杉 the big cedar tree further down the valley, he lost sight of her. When he came home, his daughter had been home all the time, waiting for him. Since then the name of the tree changed to
Bakko Sugi, cedar of the youngest daughter.


about 38 m high, 7,4 m circumference, about 300 years old
source : hitozato-kyoboku.com/bakko-sugi...



.......................................................................　山本郡 Yamamoto district .....
二ツ井町 Futatsui machi town

Around 1940, there was a huge fire in the village. In front of 山神神社 the Shrine for Yamanokami there stood a beautiful young woman.
This must have been Yamanokami, taking refuge from the fire.


Yama Shrine, Haraikawa-59 Futatsuimachi Kogake, Noshiro

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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 Regional 32 Yamanashi

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. 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 山梨県 Yamanashi

. Legends about Yamanokami 山の神と伝説　.

. Yamanokami Senbonzakura 山の神千本桜 "Senbonzakura Park” .
Otorii, Chuo, Yamanashi // 中央市大鳥居1619-1



Yamanokami Shrine 山之神社 near たいら山 Mount Tairayama (934 m)
- reference and more photos :　city.chuo.yamanashi.jp/soshiki... -


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. Yamanokami and Tengu 天狗 the Mountain Goblin .

The 17th day of the third lunar month is the Spring Festival for the local Tengu.
On this day Yamanokami comes down to cut setchigi セチギ（節木）a tree for the festival and people are not allowed to go to the mountain forest to work.
- - - - -
. somabito 杣人 forest workers and shakuhachi 尺八 bamboo flute .
the 天狗 Tengu, who is the 山の神 "Deity of the Mountain", liked to hear Shakuhachi.
- - - - -

. toriigi トリイギ（鳥居木）sacred Torii tree .
In Yamanashi this tree is used by the Deity of the Mountain or a Tengu.
People are not allowed to cut it, if they do not want to be cursed by Yamanokami and the local Tengu.
To pray people cut small branches and stick them in the ground to show respect.

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北巨摩郡 Kita-Koma district 須玉町 Sutama cho town

Women are not allowed to climb 金峰山 Mount Kinpusan (2599 m)
If a boy has long hair and comes to climb, Yamanokami will blow him back.
There are frightening sounds, as if a Tengu was falling from a rock and rain is falling.

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甲府市 Kofu city 中道町 Nakamichi machi town

. Tengu to matsu 天狗と松 Legends about the Tengu pine .
The pine tree of Yamanokami is also called
o-tengo matsu オテンゴマツ pine of the Tengu.
The Tengu who lives there is also abducting humans.

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Yatsushiro district 八代郡 / 芦川村 Ashigawa village

. tengudaoshi 天狗倒し "Tengu knocking down trees" .
In the hamlet of 中芦川部落 Naka-Ashigawa
a man once stayed over night in the mountain hut. He heard the loud noise of trees being cut down.
They say this is the work of Yamanokami.

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Yatsushiro district 八代郡 / 上九一色村 Kamikuishiki village　豊富村 Toyotomi village

Yamanokami has the features of a Tengu with very sharp eyes.
The real identity of this Tengu is a powerful deity named 山野の神 Sanno no Kami.
It is also called アマツキツネ Amatsukitsune. At night it might jump in the sky and fly around.

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Yamanokamisha 山神社 / 山之神社 Yamanokami Shrine
山梨県中央市大鳥居 Chuo city, Otorii



The people living here call it
「お山の神さん」 O-Yama no Kami San.
Along the access road are 1000 cherry trees, see above 山の神千本桜 "Senbonzakura Park".

The shrine was founded in 1715, according to a stone memorial in the compound.
The deity is venerated to protect farmers and craftsmen and good business.
People come from far away, not only Yamanashi, to pray here.

The main festivals are on the 17th day of April and October.
例祭は4月と10月の17日

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Yamanokamibashi 山の神橋 Yamanokami bridge
山梨県甲府市 右左口町 Kofu, Ubaguchichō


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. Mikaribaba, Mikari Basan 蓑借り婆さん / ミカリバアサン "old hag Mikari" .
And her companion, me hitotsu kozo 目一つ小僧 (Hitotsume Kozo) the boy with one eye.



.......................................................................　Fujiyoshida city 富士吉田市　.....

The 17th day of the first lunar month is sacred to Yamanokami and people are now allowed to go to the mountain forest.
Yamanokami is shooting arrows and people might get hurt.
Once the ancestor of 舟久保富雄 Funakubo Tomio went to the mountain on this day and tried to swing up his 斧 ax, but he could not move it down after that.
He became a follower of Yamanokami and prayed to it.
- - - - -
. Yamanokami no tenbatsu 山の神の天罰 heavenly punishment of Yamanokami .
and his messenger, the inoshishi 猪 wild boar .
- - - - -
hime 姫 a princess
Once a upon a time,
a farmer went to draw water from a pond, but however early he went, there had already been someone else before him.
He thought that strange and followed the water drops on the ground. He lost sight of deep down in the mountain. He waited all night and saw a beautiful princess drawing water and then disappearing deep into the mountain forest.
After that the water dried up and only the slope down to the pond remains, now called
O-Hime Saka 御姫坂 Slope of the Princess.

Now the road おひめ坂通り O-Himezaka-dori



蛇の化身と「乙女池」- お姫坂
富士吉田市の市道新町通り線（通称・おひめ坂通り）
The princess had been a serpent !
- reference source : y-shinpou.co.jp/timei-minwa... -



- map of Ohimezaka-dori.



.......................................................................　Hokuto city 北杜市　.....
白州町 （はくしゅうまち） Hakushu machi town

On the 17th day of the first and 8th lunar month, Yamanokami is shooting arrows and nobody is allowed to go into the mountain.
People might get hit and hurt.
Once a man forgot that and went hunting for yamadori 山鳥 pheasants.
That night his home shook heavily for three times.

. kiji, yamadori 雉と伝説 Legends about pheasants - Fasan .



.......................................................................　Kitatsuru district 北都留郡　.....

yamadori no tatari 山鳥の祟り the curse of the pheasant
Once upon a time
a farmer saw a pheasant in his field and took a gun to shoot it. When he looked closer, two animals were dead, they must have been Yamanokami as husband and wife.
When the farmer came home, he soon became very ill. This happened on the 21st day of the first lunar month, and since then people are not allowed to go to the mountain on this day.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yamanokami no tatari 山の神のたたり the curse of Yamanokami
The 17th day of the 10th lunar month is sacred to Yamanokami.
The 21st day of the first lunar month is also sacred to Yamanokami.
The hunters and charcoal makers from Nagasaku bring offerings of ritual Sake to 鶴峠 the pass Tsurutoge
If something very unpleasant happens to man they say it is the curse of Yamanokami.
- - - - -
Yamanokami no ikari 山の神の怒り the anger of Yamanokami
The 21st day of the first lunar month is sacred to Yamanokami.
- - - - -
In the hamlet 橋立 Hashitate
they have Ebesu ko エベス講 a yearly ritual for the Ebisu followers, where they knock down poles.
This is done because on the 21st day of the first lunar month Yamanokami is shooting arrows and the poles might be hit.
In Kanazawa they celebrate from the 17th to the 21stt day of the first lunar month. On these days nobody goes to the forest. If someone goes to the forest, he will be hit by an arrow or wounded by an ax. So forest workers sty in a home and eat and drink.

. Ebisu えびす /　恵比寿　/ エベス .

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Kitatsuru 小菅村 Kosuge village

On the second day of the first lunar month, workers take a rest and go to the mountain.
They bring offerings of sake 酒 rice wine in bamboo tubes and place sasa ササの葉 bamboo grass leaves in it. They pour these offerings over the leaves of a tree.
This tree will then become a sacred tree for Yamanokami.
- - - - -
The 17th day of each month is sacred to Yamanokami.
In the first lunar month it is the Spring day for Yamanokami, in the tenth lunar month it is the Autumn day for Yamanokami.
Forest workers take a rest and celebrate. They bring special dumplings as offerings to a tree and Yamanokami might think this is his special tree.
On festival days people are not allowed to cut trees in the forest. Yamanokami is out there shooting arrows and might hit them.
- - - - -
オオヤマツミノミコト Oyamatsumi no Mikoto
Ōyama-tsumi - This is another name for Yamanokami.
He is an old man with a white beard and a long robe, carrying a walking stick. He is full of poser and when he gets angry, his face becomes red.
He protects the forest workers.


. Ooyamatsuminomikoto 大山祇神, 大山積神, 大山津見神 Oyama Tsumi no Mikoto .
- Ōyama-tsumi, Oyama-Tsumi / オオヤマツミノミコト

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Kitatsuru 上野原町 Uenohara town

Yamanokami no tatari 山の神のたたり the curse of Yamanokami
People think that Yamanokami lives right there in the mountain.
If they work in the mountain forest and have an accident and get hurt, they feel it is the curse of Yamanokami.
Before cutting a tree they perform special purification rituals to appease the deity.




.......................................................................　Minamikoma district 南巨摩郡　.....
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早川町 Hayakawa town

On the 17th day of each month Yamanokami shoots arrows and people are not allowed to go to the mountain.
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Yamanokami no shirase 山の神様の知らせ advise from Yamanokami
On the other side of the hamlet Murohata オウマ谷は室草里 there is a place where the wood cutters take a rest and have lunch.
One day there seemed to be a typhoon and a man in white robed came and told them:
"This is going to be dangerous, better run fast and take shelter!"
Those who followed his advise were safe, but the others who had stayed up there were caught in a landslide and fell deep down into the valley.




.......................................................................　Minamitsuru district 南都留郡　.....
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Minamitsuru 道志村 Doshi mura village

kitsune no koe 狐の声 the voice of a fox
Yamanokami makes the sound of ofui-ofui オフイオフイ, but this is really the voice of a fox.

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Minamitsuru 忍野村 Oshino mura village

o koto no kami オコトの神 honorable Deity
On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, O-Koto no Kami walks around from home to home.
He brings illness and harm to families, then called 疫神 Yakujin (Yakubyogami, see below Uenohara.
People also say Hitotsume Kozo is coming.
He is also called oyookasama お八日様 O-Yoka sama, who comes to count eyes.
People put up a mekago basket with many eyes to catch him.

. mekago 目籠 basket to ward off evil .

. Yooka sama Yōka 八日様 Yoka Sama, the Honorable Day Eight .




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Minamitsuru, 山中湖村 Yamanakako village

. 六部 A Rokubu pilgrim and 白馬 a white horse .






.......................................................................　Tsuru city 都留市　.....
saru さる/ サル monkey
Once upon a time
a man went into the mountain forest and said a lot of bad things about saru 「さる」the monkeys.
A lot of stones came falling down on his head and he died.
Since then people do not use the word SARU in the mountain.
This is a curse of Yamanokami.

. さるはちぼんのう Saruhachi Bonno Monkey deity .
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Chichigami san 乳神サン "breast deity"
This deity is venerated in 堀ノ内川久保 Kawakubo, Horinouchi.
A priest of the temple used to pray for mothers who did not have enough milk and when her milk was flowing, they erected a stone memorial to thank the deity.

. chichigami 乳神 "breast deity" .

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On the 17th day of the first lunar month, (some say the 16th day or the 17th day of the fourth lunar month)
) Yamanokami goes to the mountain ユミイリ to shoot arrows.
Sometimes he looses his kanmuri 冠 crown and comes to pick it up later.
オカンムリヒロイ picking up the crown may also be on the 21st day.
If people go to the mountain on these days they will get hurt.



.......................................................................　Uenohara city 上野原市　.....

yakubyoogami 厄病神 deity of diseases
In the hamlet of 用竹 Yotake the deity of diseases comes on the 16th day of the first lunar month to see if there are any ill people.
Sometimes this job is handed over to Yamanokami, who then comes and makes noise and burns straw at the door, so that Yakubyogami can not go into the house.

. Yakubyoogami 疫病神 / 厄病神 Yakubyogami, Deity of Diseases .


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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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