Is there a statue of a sumo wrestler crying at night? A legend passed down at Senshoji Temple, the family temple of Mogami Yoshiaki's daughter [Yamagata Prefecture]

Mysterious legends exist all over the country, and one such story also exists here at Senshoji Temple

This time we will the "Legend of the Crying Sumo Wrestler Statue" .

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Senshoji Temple, the family temple of Princess Koma, the second daughter of Mogami Yoshiaki

Senshoji Temple is a Jodo Shinshu Otani sect temple located in Midori-cho, Yamagata City. It was originally located in Tendo City, north of Yamagata City, but was relocated to Yamagata City following an incident that occurred in 1595.

Princess Koma the second daughter of Mogami Yoshiaki, the feudal lord of Dewa Province at the time, was known for her beauty, and in 1595 she was summoned to Jurakudai in Kyoto as a maid regent Toyotomi Hidetsugu

However, in July of the same year, Hidetsugu Toyotomi Hideyoshi and committed seppuku at Mount Koya. His children, wives, and concubines, including Princess Koma, were also implicated and executed at Sanjogawara in Kyoto.

At this time, Princess Koma was only 15 years old

relocated Senshoji Temple in Tendo to Yamagata because Princess Koma's birth mother was a follower of the Jodo Shinshu sect In 1598, he donated the temple's land and relocated it to its current location. He built a magnificent agar-e-chapel and mourned Princess Koma.

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The legend of the sumo wrestler who cries at night and sneaks out to wrestle?

The current main hall of Senshoji Temple was built in 1703 and is the largest wooden building from the mid-Edo period in the Tohoku region.

the main hall, there are four statues of sumo wrestlers, as if they are supporting the roof.

This sumo wrestler statue, said to have been made by Hidari Jingoro, a legendary sculptor from the Edo period, is crafted that it is believed to have a soul , and the following legend has been passed down about it.

Legend 1: The statue of a sumo wrestler cries at night because it can no longer bear the weight of the roof

The four wrestlers supporting the roof have a will of their own as they are inhabited by souls. During the day, they somehow manage to bear the weight of the roof, but at night they begin to cry and complain, "It's heavy...it's heavy..."

One day, unable to bear the nightly crying any longer, the head priest asked a hunter to fire a gun near the sumo wrestler's feet to scare him away. After this, the nightly crying ceased.

Legend 2: A statue of a sumo wrestler who sneaks out in the middle of the night to wrestle and buy alcohol

Another passage says that the head priest was upset that would jump out from under the eaves every night to play sumo or go out to buy alcohol, had the statues' feet nailed down , and the statues, no longer able to roam freely, began to cry at night.

In this story, the crying at night finally stopped after the baby was shot

By the way, the sumo wrestler statue on the northeast side is on the grounds of an adjacent kindergarten and is off-limits to the public! Therefore, the wrestler there has not been identified. There is also a photo of the sumo wrestler statue on the official Senshoji Temple website.

• Link: Senshoji Temple Official Website

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summary

When I first heard this story, my first thought was, "The head priest must be strict!" lol

As long as there's no real harm, like a tilted roof, I think it's okay to let them go out to wrestle or buy alcohol. If they had a nail driven into their foot, they'd probably cry at night

Senshoji Temple <Information>

• Name: Special temple
• Address: 3-7-67 Midoricho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, 990-0041
• Phone number: 023-622-5981
• Official URL: https://www.senshojigakuen.jp/temple/

Google maps

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