Fudo Legends Miyagi

[ . BACK to Daruma Museum TOP . ]
. Legends about Fudo - Part 02 .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Legends about Fudo お不動さま　
Miyagi prefecture　宮城県　　

for Tanishi Fudo, see below
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

玉造郡 Tamazukuri district 鳴子町 Narugo / Naruko

鬼首村 Onikobe village (Demon Head Village)　
in the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park, is famous for its two geysers, “Benten” and “Unryu”
Onikoobe onsen　鬼首温泉　Onikobe Hot Spring



oni 鬼 the Demon
Once upon a time
a demon wanted to enter the village of Onikobe, but Fudo killed him and burned the body.
From the ashes arose many many many mosquitoes which to our day suck the blood of the people.



- 鬼の橋 Oni Demon Bridge to the village

. Onikobe Kaido 鬼首街道
Onikobe Highway - "Demon Head Highway" .

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

伊具郡　Igu Gun

tatsubu 田ツブ Tanishi mud snail
The 田ツブ tatsubu  is seen as a sacred animal of Fudo Myo-O.
Therefore people in the villages around Igu who believe in Fudo Myo-O do not eat them and also do not eat dogs.
ツブや犬を食べない。

. tanishi 田螺 / たにし mud snails .
Cipango paludina. Teichschnecke

Tanishi-ko, Snail Prince, was an early haigo for the poet 山頭火　Santōka.

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

- More about O-Fudo sama and the Tanishi

Tanishi Fudo タニシ 不動 ・たにし不動 Mud-Snail Fudo
"Wasserschnecken-Fudo"

- - - - - Niigata 新潟県
新発田市 Shibata town
People in this town who believe in Fudo think of the rooster as his messenger. So they do not eat chicken meat and also they to not eat tanishi 田螺 mud snails.

Mitarase no Taki waterfall





- source and more photos : 郁丸 fumimaru


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

Sugaya, Sugatani 菅谷

菅谷不動尊のお不動さま Sugatani Fudo and the Tanishi
temple 菅谷寺(かんこくじ) Kankoku-Ji

The temple has been founded in the Kamakura period. In 1189 when the uncle of Minamoto no Yoritomo, Minamoto no Mamoru源護念 had to flee from Mount Hieizan in Kyoto, he took the head of a Fudo Statue from temple Mudooji 無動寺 Mudo-Ji and brought it to Niigata. The statue is said to heal eye diseases 眼病. It is shown every seventh year, in the year of the hare / rabbit 卯年 and the rooster 酉年.

The temple is very old and has a lot of beautiful woodcarvings.
Here is the Dragon.



In the pond below the Mitarase waterfall are many tanishi mud snails. People bring them here and pray for eye diseases to be healed.
Some use the water to rinse their eyes to seek healing.



- source : masugatasou.jp


Sugatani Fudo Son on facebook
- source : www.facebook.com/sugatanifudouson

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

お不動さまとタニシ O-Fudo sama to tanishi
- source : www.youtube.com

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


The mountain priests of temple Shinko-Ji carried a wooden box with the head of a Nyorai Buddha on their mountain wanderings. The hairdo with many whirls is similar to the mud snail.



- quote -
Die Berg-Asketen des Shinko-Ji, Tokyo, trugen in einem hölzernen Schrein nur den Kopf eines Fudo mit auf ihren Bergwanderungen. Dieser Kopf hatte die Frisur eines Nyorai, mit vielen Wirbeln, daher auch "Wasserschnecken-Fudoo" (Tanishi Fudo) genannt.

. Fudo Myo-O - Deutsch .



source :　hamatravel.com/shinakoji

"tanishi hairstyle"


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


. Fukushima - Iwashiro province 岩代国.
Nishiniidono, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima

Once upon a time
in the hamlet of Mokusho-uchi 杢少内 (Mukkyoji in local dialect ムッキョジ) in 西新殿 Nishiniidono there was a wooden statue of Fudo Myo-O お不動様 in the Fudo Hall on the hill.
The villagers had great faith in the statue and came to pray and worship here every day with all kinds of wishes.
"Dear Fudo Sama, please let us have a bountiful rice harvest this year!"
"Please let my father get well soon!"
"Please let me become pregnant with a healthy baby!"

In the villge lived a man called Gohei 五兵衛.
He went to his fields every day to work hard.
And then one morning, when he came to his rice field he found a mud snail lying beside the path.
Gohei, who was a gentle man, began to talk to the mud snail:
"A very good morning to you, dear Mister Mudsnail たにしどん !"
The mud snail looked at him and replied
"Good morning to you too, Gohei san!"

On this day Gohei worked as usual till the evening and then went home.
Next morning he found two mud snails lying beside the path.

"Well, what do we have here! You found a friend, dear Mister Mudsnail! Good morning to you both!"
And this day too Gohei worked all day long in the fields.

And from this day on when he came to the field, he saw one more and one more and one more mud snail and greeted them all with a friendly "Good Morning".

Then after a few days he realized that the many mud snails begun to move on toward the hill.
"Oh well, what do we have now? All of you Mudsnails going to move on! What a surprise!"
And as he looked they almost reached the hill and were gone.

Now it was midnight. The village had become quiet and all had gone to sleep.
Suddenly there was a sound: jaan, jaaaan 「ジャーン、ジャーン」

The noisy sound from a temple bell was heard - oh dear - there was a fire!
The farmers woke up and run out of their homes to have a look.
"Over there, on the hill, at the Fudo Hall!"
Great flames lightened the sky above the Fudo Hall.
"Hurry up, get some water . . . hurry hurry!"

They all run up the hill and begun to carry water from the river way below it. They all worked in a frenzy . . . but it could not be helped, the Fudo Hall was almost burned down.
"How terrible, our dear Fudo sama, your hall is all burned down!"
"Our dear Fudo is made of wood . . . he has burned down now, how sad!"
They all stood by the burning remains and wept loudly, folding their hands in prayer.



Then came the next morning and it became light again.
"Look, hey look at that!"
Gohei raised his voice and pointed at the statue of Fudo Myo-O. It was all black now but still it was their beloved Fudo!
Gohei walked closer to have a good look.
All around the statue were the mud snails, protecting him and got burned themselves.
With little plops and plumps the finally fell down from the statue - quite dead.

But the statue had remained in its full splendor, thanks to the mud snails!

The surprised villagers all run up to the statue of Fudo.
"What a miracle! It seems the mud snails knew there would be a fire and had all moved up the hill and protected him! What a miracle indeed! Thanks to our dear Fudo Sama!"
They all wept in gratitude.
Later they had a new Fudo Hall built and by that time - as you might guess -
the statue was called

Tanishi Fudo たにし不動 Fudo of the Mud Snails

- source : Iwashiro Tourist Association

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

白井市　Shiroi town 下戸沢

Tobifudoo, Tobi-Fudo 飛び不動 Flying Fudo
The statue is said to be carved by Kobo Daishi Kukai 弘法大師
with respect to Itto Sanrai..
Once the Fudo Hall was all in flames, so the statue flew for a secure place in a rock cave. This is the reason why the halo of the statue has scratches - from the rock cave. So this statue does not have a halo any more.
In 1731 during the Great Earthquake on the 7th day of the 9th lunar month a huge boulder came down from the mountain behind the hall, but only one pillar of the small hall was crashed and like a miracle again the statue was not hurt.


. . . CLICK here for Photos !

宮城県白石市小原字江志山6−1

. ittoo sanrai 一刀三礼 itto sanrai
carving one stroke with the blade and praying three times .

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

- - - - - reference

yokai database 妖怪データベース
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp

- source : www.google.co.jp

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


. Legends - 昔ばなし mukashibanashi about Fudo . 　
- Part 01 -

. Legends about Fudo - Part 02 .

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



. - Join Fudo Myo-O on facebook - Fudō Myō-ō .

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

. Pilgrimages to Fudo Temples 不動明王巡礼
Fudo Myo-O Junrei - Fudo Pilgrims .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
- - #fudomiyagi #miyagilegends #onikobe - -
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::