[Yamagata Prefecture] The place of fierce battles between dogs and raccoon dogs in Tendo City! Myoken Shrine, where the legend of Benbeko Taro remains

In Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture, the `` Benbeko Taro Legend,'' which can be said to be ' , has been passed down.

To summarize, the story is about a brave dog defeating a monster that annoys the villagers by demanding sacrifices Benbeko Taro's grave actually exists at Myoken Shrine in Tendo City.

The legend of Benbeko Taro passed down in Tendo

Once upon a time, a traveling monk visited this place.

There is no lodging in the village, so the monk decides to stay at a villager's house.

After dinner, the family member would sometimes look sad, so the monk asked why, and was told that there was a monster in the mountain behind the village shrine, and that there was a rule that a young girl had to be sacrificed once every three years. You will be told the story. The family's daughter was also selected for human sacrifice two years ago, and she sometimes feels sad when she remembers it.

When the monk heard this, he hid in the shrine in the middle of the night to find out what was going on. After a while, a warm breeze suddenly blew, and I thought I smelled a fishy smell, and then a lot of giant raccoons gathered around and started having a drinking party.

After a while, a drunken raccoon

He begins to sing, ``Don't let Benbeko Taro in Shinano Country hear about this or that.''

When the monk heard this, he promised the villagers, ``As a thank you for taking care of me, I will definitely take revenge on my daughter,'' and departed again.

A year later, the monk returns to Shinano Province with a large dog named Benbeko Taro

From the shrine, I could hear the barking of dogs, the growling of raccoons, and the sounds of animals fighting, which continued throughout the night.

When the villagers went to the shrine in the morning, they found many carcasses of raccoon dogs lying around, and Benbeko Taro, who had fought bravely, was wounded and weak, and after a while he died from exhaustion.

The villagers expressed their gratitude to Benbeko Taro and built a grave for him.

Is it related to the Hayataro legend (Shippei Taro legend)?

The legend of Hayataro (Shippei Taro Legend) is told at Kozenji Temple (Nagano Prefecture), which is famous nationwide . a large monkey lives in a shrine and does evil things by demanding sacrifices .

The general outline of the story is very similar, and after successfully defeating the giant monkey, Sotaro returns to Kozenji Temple, where he dies.

the legend of Hayataro is passed at Kozenji Temple in Nagano Prefecture Shippei Taro is passed down at in Shizuoka Prefecture

• Link: Kozenji Temple - Legend of the sacred dog Hayataro
• Link: Mitsuke Tenjin/Spirit Dog Shippei Taro Legend

As an aside, a story very similar to this one also exists at Inu no Miya, The content is very similar, ``A dog brought from afar to exterminate a mischievous raccoon dog,''

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

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Myoken Shrine, where Benbeko Taro's grave is located

Benbeko Taro's grave is located at Myoken Shrine in Tendo City .

There seem to be two theories: one is that the shrine was built along with Benbeko Taro's grave, and the other is that the raccoon was having a drinking party on the grounds of Myoken Shrine.

Myoken Shrine is located on a small hill. The entire hill appears to be the site of a shrine.

The stone pillar of Myoken Shrine stands after passing through the torii gate.

There are many shrines within the grounds of the shrine.

Although it is not a large shrine by any means, it is well maintained and you can tell that it is cherished by the locals.

I couldn't find it, so I turned back along the approach and saw an interesting shrine in the back. It is located on top of a mountain overlooking the surrounding area.

discovered. The names are clearly written for easy understanding. Perhaps there was a wish that the village would be watched over for a long time from its position overlooking the surrounding area from the mountain.

Myoken Shrine＜Information＞

• Name: Myoken Shrine
• Address: Yamaguchi, Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture, 994-0101

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