Alcohol

Danburi Choja

What is "Danburi Choja"? A detailed explanation of the old story that inspired the name of the sweet potato shochu [Akita Prefecture]

In May 2021, Danburi Choja , won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC) 2021, a distilled spirits tasting event

We will explain in detail what kind of folktale "Danburi Choja" , which is so familiar that it is the name of a sweet potato shochu and is also included in the Akita Hometown Quiz as basic knowledge about Akita

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Summary of Danburi Choja

The Danburi Choja story, told in Akita, is about how a "danburi," which means dragonfly

Summary of Danburi Choja

Once upon a time, in Tokko, Hinai (present-day Odate City), there was a girl who was grieving the death of her parents. One day, a white-haired old man appeared in the girl's dream and told her to "go upstream and marry a young man you meet there."

The two meet in Azusawa
The two meet in Azusawa

As predicted, the daughter married a young man she met in Azusawa (present-day Kazuno City), but no matter how hard she worked, they remained poor and their life did not improve. They were in such a difficult situation that they could not even buy sake to offer to the gods at New Year's

Then, a white-haired old man, an incarnation of the god Dainichi, appeared in the couple's dream and told them, "If you move upstream and live, you will become wealthy." So the couple opened up fields in a village called Hiramata, further inland from Tayama (now Tayama, Ashiro Town, Iwate Prefecture)

One day, while her husband was sleeping between farm work, a dragonfly flew over and repeatedly touched its tail to her husband's lips, which puzzled her

The Danburi Millionaire and his wife discover a spring of sake
The Danburi Millionaire and his wife discover a spring of sake

When the husband woke up, he felt as if he had drunk some very delicious sake in his dream, so he went in the direction the bowl had flown and found a spring from which sake gushed forth

The liquor had the power to cure any illness and even prolong life, so the couple quickly became the richest people in the country

Many people gathered at the large mansion, and rice was cooked continuously to entertain them, and the water from the rice rinse flowed into the river, turning the water cloudy and white. From then on, people began to call the river Komeshiro (Yoneshiro) River

However, the couple was still unable to have children even after they turned 40, so they prayed to Dainichi-no-kami and were finally blessed with a beautiful baby girl

A short time later, the couple went to the capital with their daughter to ask for the Emperor's permission to call themselves Choja. The daughter caught the eye of Emperor Keitai and was appointed to serve in the Imperial Court. She married the Emperor and took the name Kisshohime

Soon after, the wealthy couple passed away in their hometown, and the sake fountain turned into water

Princess Kissho mourns the Danburi Millionaire and his wife
Princess Kissho mourns the Danburi Millionaire and his wife

When Princess Kissho heard of the deaths of the wealthy couple in the capital, she was saddened and requested to build a shrine in her hometown, which was granted, and she paid a respectful tribute to the couple

This shrine is the Ohirume Muchi Shrine located in what is now Azusawa, and is said to have been built in 523 (the 17th year of Emperor Keitai's reign), so it is possible that the "Danburi Choja" actually existed around that time

Dainichiryouki Shrine
Dainichiryouki Shrine in Hachimantai, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture

When Princess Kissho passed away, she was buried next to Dainichiryouki Shrine according to her will, so a ginkgo tree was planted there and a temple called Kisshoin was built

Masumi Sugae and "Danburi Millionaire"

The folktale of Danburi Choja was originally told in the Edo period as Oku Joruri, a form of Japanese folklore told in the Oshu region, and a story similar to this one is included in Sugae Masumi's book "Kenno Sebanono" as "The Tale of Danburi Choja."

Masumi Sugae
Masumi Sugae

In "The Tale of the Danbiru Millionaire," it is written that what flew to the husband was an akitsu mushi (dragonfly), and that the people of the village called it danbi, so the couple was called Danbiru Millionaire. This is one difference from the old tales that are handed down in Akita today

Another major difference is that after the couple's death, a temple called Yorosan Kitoku-ji Temple was built by imperial order, rather than Dainichireiki Shrine

"Kefu no Seba Nono" is included in the second special collection of the Akita Collection, so if you're interested, be sure to read them both and compare them

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