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Scary stories and slightly sad tales... Many stories remain on the Michinoku Fairy Tale Road (Shiroishi City and Shichikashuku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
Scary stories and slightly sad tales... Many stories remain on the Michinoku Fairy Tale Road (Shiroishi City and Shichikashuku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
The "Michinoku Otogi Kaido"is a nostalgic road (National Route 113) that connects Shiroishi City and Shichikashuku Town in Miyagi Prefecture with Nanyo City and Takahata Town in Yamagata Prefecture, where folk tales and old stories remain.
Here we will introduce the stories passed down in Shiroishi City and Shichikashuku Town in Miyagi Prefecture, as well as the tourist attractions of both cities and towns
The inspiration for the popular anime?! A tale of revenge by sisters Miyagino and Shinobu from Shiroishi City
The story passed down in Shiroishi City is a tale of "sisters taking revenge on their enemy," which is a little different from the "Fairy Tale Highway" tale
"In the 13th year of the Kan'ei era (1636), farmer Yotaro and his two daughters were weeding the fields of Hachimaida in this area when mud got on the hakama of a passing ronin, Shiga Danshichi, a kendo instructor from Shiroishi Castle. Enraged, the ronin slashed Yotaro to death, ignoring the heartfelt apologies of Yotaro and his daughters. The two daughters fled home, but their mother died from the grief. The two sisters were heartbroken, but had a goal in mind, so they went to Tokyo and visited Yui Shosetsu, a renowned martial artist, and explained the details of what had happened. He sympathized with them and they trained in martial arts, and in February of the 17th year of the Kan'ei era (1636), at Ropponmatsu Riverbed on the west side of Shiroishi Castle, the older sister wielded a kusarigama and the younger one wielded a naginata. They fought Shiga, slaying their enemies and achieving their goal."
Quote: From "Shiraishi Woman's Revenge" by the Shiraishi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (original text)
This is a story that is said to have actually happened
The first incident occurredHachimaida, a rice paddy located about 300 meters southeast of Shiroishi-Zao Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line. Rice cultivation is still carried out there by members of a preservation society. Nearby is the Kōshidō, a shrine built during the Taisho era, where the father and sisters are enshrined.
Yamai/Koshido <Information>
Facility name: The birthplace of Oshu Shiraishi Hayashi, Yamai-da/Koshido
Address: Otakazawa, Misawa, Yashimaida, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture
Phone number: 0224-22-1321 (Shiroishi City Tourism Association)
GOOGLE MAP
"The Tale of Shiraishi's Vengeance" was adapted into Joruri and Kabuki plays and became popular in Edo
"Shiraishi Story: Revenge of a Filial Daughter," published in the Meiji era. Edited by Ito Kurazo, "Shiraishi Story: Revenge of a Filial Daughter," Kinseido, published in 1888. Owned by the National Diet Library
The story of these sisters' revenge"Shiraishi Onna Katakiuchi" (Shiraishi Women's Revenge in Oshu), and in 1780, a joruri (a theatrical performance in which a story is told accompanied by a shamisen) called "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi" was performed, based on this story, which was presented as the tale of Yui Shosetsu, a military strategist who was taught by the sisters and was known to have attempted to overthrow the Edo shogunate.
Later, it was adapted into Kabuki and Bunraku plays, and"Shiraishi-banashi" and "Miyagino Shinobu,"and became very popular among the people of Edo.
Scene of revenge from "Shiraishi Banashi: Filial Lady's Revenge" Collection: National Diet Library
"Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi" is still performed in Kabuki and Bunraku today. Because it is a long story, it is rare to perform the entire story in its entirety, but in September 2022, for the first time in 51 years, a full Bunraku performance was held (September 3-20, 2022, at the National Theater)
As many of you may already know, this story is rumored to be the subject of an episode of a hugely popular anime that features a character named Shinobu
Shiroishi City was the territory of the Date clan throughout the Edo period
"Shiroishi Onna Katakiuchi,"What kind of history does Shiroishi City, the setting for the story
Many ruins from the Jomon and Yayoi periods have been found in the area around Shiroishi City, and people have lived there since ancient times. During the Nara period, the area came under the control of the Yamato Imperial Court as Shibata County of Rikuzen Province, and later became an independent area as Katta County
In the late Heian period, the area was the site of a battle between Minamoto no Yoritomo and the Oshu Fujiwara clan, with Yoritomo's forces winning and providing a foothold for Yoritomo to control Oshu
It is said that Shiroishi Castle (also known as Masuoka Castle or Masuoka Castle) was built by the Karita clan during the Kamakura period. During the Muromachi period and subsequent years of warring factions, the castle changed hands several times, and during the time of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it came under the control of the Gamō clan, and then the Uesugi clan
Just before the Battle of Sekigahara (October 21, 1600), Date Masamune captured Shiroishi Castle in July of the same year. After this battle, Shiroishi Castle became the residence of the Katakura clan, vassals of the Date clan, and the Shiroishi region remained under Date rule until the Meiji Restoration
Shiroishi Castle was demolished in 1874 (Meiji 7), but the castle tower and several other buildings were restored in 1995 (Heisei 7), and the Shiroishi Castle History Museum was opened in Masuoka Park, where the castle tower is located
"Ohara's Timber Rock"is located upstream of the Shiraishi River, east of the Shichikashuku Dam. It is a spectacular natural formation where a rock face resembling a row of giant timbers (columnar jointing) stretches for approximately 100 meters. Reaching a height of about 65 meters, it is designated as a national natural monument.
The area around Zaimokuiwa Rock in Ohara"Zaimokuiwa Park, a park where water and stones converse,"and at the farm restaurant, you can enjoy handmade soba noodles and other dishes while overlooking "Ohara's Zaimokuiwa Rock." In addition, the "Former Kamitozawa Kendan Yashiki Kimura Residence," which was the residence of a kendan (a person in charge of security, police, and judicial duties) at Kamitozawa-shuku, a posttown on the old Shichikashuku Highway (Ushu Highway) that passed near Zaimokuiwa Rock during the Edo period,has been relocated and restored within the park.
Shichikashuku Town, a town along the old Ushu Kaido road that had seven post towns
The Michinoku Fairy Tale Road (National Route 113) heads west from the center of Shiroishi City, and near the Obara Zaimokuiwa rock, it merges with the old Ushu Kaido, which comes up north from Koori Town in Fukushima Prefecture, enters Shichikashuku Town, and heads towards Takahata Town in Yamagata Prefecture
During the Edo period, the Ushu Kaido was a road that branched off from the Oshu Kaido at Koori and headed towards Aomori Prefecture via Yamagata and Akita. It is said that the road was bustling with lords and peddlers from Dewa Province (Yamagata and Akita prefectures) who traveled between Edo and the capital on their alternate attendance tours
Shichikashuku was the collective name for seven post towns located before the Futaishuku Pass, which leads into Yamagata Prefecture. The Ushu Kaido road was also"Shichikashuku Kaido." The current town of Shichikashuku is named after the seven post towns (Kamitozawa, Shimotozawa, Watase, Seki, Nametsu, Togeta, and Yuhara) that merged into one town.
Shichikashuku Town, where the legend of "Furisode Jizo" is passed down
In Shichikashuku town,the "Furisode Jizo" (Kimono-Wearing Jizo). Why is this Jizo statue called the "Furisode Jizo"? The answer lies in a folk tale passed down from the Edo period.
"Long ago, while on his way to Edo for his alternate attendance, the lord of the Akita domain fell in love with a beautiful girl here. The lord could not forget her, and upon his return to Japan, he tried to have her be his maid, but she had already died of illness. It is said that the lord was deeply grieved and erected a Jizo statue as a memorial for his daughter. This Jizo statue was erected in 1735 (the 20th year of the Kyoho era), is about 2 meters tall, and is beautiful. It is said that the sleeves of its robes are carved to resemble his daughter's. In addition, there is a seated Jizo statue on the western outskirts of Sekijuku facing west (Nametsu), and it stands facing the furisode Jizo. It is said that the two Jizo statues are in love, and that even if they change direction, they will return to their original position before you know it."
Shichikashuku Town Board of Education (original text)
The Furisode Jizo is located near the scenic Nametsu Falls in Nametsu, a former post town in Shichikashuku Town, and stands facing east. Its eyes are said to be pointing toward the Seki Jizo, located in Seki, a former post town that is now the center of Shichikashuku Town, about 4km away
"Nametsu Great Falls"is a waterfall located on the Shiraishi River, which runs through Shichikashuku Town. It is about 10 meters high and 30 meters wide. The water cascades down in two stages, filling the entire width of the river, and is also known as the "Two-Tiered Falls." It shows a completely different face in each of the four seasons, but the autumn foliage season is especially recommended, as the illuminated scenery along with the surrounding trees is exceptional.
The Michinoku Fairy Tale Road runs upstream along the Shiroishi River, crossing the Niijuku Pass (Niijuku Tunnel) and entering Yamagata Prefecture. We will introduce the fairy tales of Takahata Town and Nanyo City in Yamagata Prefecture another time
Michinoku Fairy Tale Road <Information>
National Route 113 (Two Cities and Two Towns) Tourism Promotion Council
My love of travel led me to work for a travel magazine some time ago, and now I work as a travel writer for an online publication. I have visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, focusing on the Tohoku region, and I enjoy soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture, including old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts
![PXL_20220922_044645946](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/PXL_20220922_044645946-150x150.jpg.webp "We tried weaving in the Okitama region of Yamagata Prefecture, known as the "town of textiles"!")
