Tradition/Customs

The Legend of the Wool

What is the tragic love story, "The Legend of the Saijo"? The shadow of legend that remains in modern times [Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture]

"Uneme" appears in many aspects of life in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, such as Uneme Street, a main road that runs east-west through the city, and the Uneme Festival, a summer tradition held every August. It originates from the Uneme legend that remains in this area

This time, we will introduce the legend of Uneme, which is passed down in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture

What kind of story is the "Uneme Legend"?

Uneme were ladies-in-waiting who worked at the ancient imperial court . Their job was to serve the emperor and empress, taking care of their meals and personal needs. It's a mystery why a legend with the name Uneme has survived in Fukushima, a place in the Tohoku region far from the capital.

The storyline is something like this

Approximately 1,300 years ago, the village of Asaka in Mutsu Province (present-day Koriyama City) suffered from a prolonged cold spell, making it impossible to send tribute to the Imperial Court.
This prompted the visit of the inspector, Prince Katsuragi, from the capital of Nara.
The villagers appealed to the king for their plight and asked for an exemption from paying tribute. However, their request was rejected.

That night, a banquet was held to entertain the king, and he fell in love with the village chief's daughter, Haruhime. Haruhime warmly welcomed the king, saying, "

I cannot help but think of the shallowness of this mountain well, from which you can even see the shadow of Mount Asaka
. Why are you in a bad mood?" At the foot of Mount Asaka lies the pure spring of the mountain well.
The shadow of Mount Asaka is reflected on its surface, making it appear shallow, but it is in fact, incredibly deep.
In the same way, our feelings of affection for the king are very deep. Please help him to feel better."



He presented this poem

, taken from "Asaka Uneme and Her Times" (by Imaizumi Masaaki) The king was overjoyed and agreed to exempt Haruhime from paying tribute for three years, on the condition that she present Haruhime as a court lady to the emperor. Haruhime was engaged to be married to Jiro, with whom she was in love, and she endured her grief

when they parted ways. In the capital, Haruhime was the emperor's favorite, but on the day of the harvest moon in the middle of autumn, she longed for

was waiting. When Haruhime arrived in her village, she learned of Jiro's death, and on a snowy night, she followed him, throwing herself into the same pure spring water as Jiro. Soon, spring arrived in the village of Asaka in Michinoku, and beautiful, delicate, nameless pale purple flowers bloomed all around the pure spring water of the mountain well.
Rumors spread that the eternal love between the two of them had been united underground, and that these flowers had become them.

(Source: Koriyama Uneme Festival Executive Committee website )

Haruhime, who fell in love with the king, tearfully parted ways with her fiancé Jiro to become a court lady in order to protect her village. However, unable to forget Jiro, Haruhime made a false pretense of drowning herself in Sarusawa Pond and finally returned to her hometown. There, she learned of Jiro's death, and in her grief, she threw herself into the spring waters. This is the story

This is a story of the tragic love between two people, but in fact, this story also leaves another face in the faraway capital of Nara City

The Uneme legend also exists in Nara City

The Uneme Monogatari, which tells the tragic love story of Haruhime and Jiro, is a story that has been passed down in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. However , a similar story called the "Uneme Legend" also exists in Nara City, the site of the ancient capital. It is written in the Yamato Monogatari, which was written in the Heian period.

The legend of the Saijo of Nara tells of a Saijo who was favored by the Emperor, but lamented the Emperor's change of heart, so she draped her clothes over a willow tree on the bank of Sarusawa Pond and threw herself off

As if to symbolize this story, on the banks of Sarusawa Pond in Nara stands Uneme Shrine, which is said to have been built to comfort Uneme. Uneme Shrine in Nara is unusual compared to ordinary shrines, as it is built facing backwards, with its back to the torii gate. Legend has it that Uneme's spirit could not bear to look at the pond where she had thrown herself, so overnight she turned the shrine building the other way

The legends of Uneme are preserved in two far-away places, Koriyama and Nara. Although not all of them match, it is interesting to note that they share many commonalities

These legends of Uneme led to the signing of a sister city agreement between Koriyama and Nara in 1971, which became an opportunity for the two cities to deepen their friendship. A goodwill delegation from Nara visits Koriyama for the Uneme Festival, a summer tradition in Koriyama . In addition, at Sarusawa Pond in Nara, an annual festival is held on the day of the harvest moon, the day Uneme is said to have jumped into the water, and a goodwill delegation from Koriyama visits Nara.

Yamanoi Rural Park (Uneme Park), the birthplace of the Uneme legend

Katahira Town is located in the western part of Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. This area is blessed with a bucolic landscape, with fields spreading out at the foot of mountains rich in nature. You can see the shadows of the legend at Yamanoi Rural Park

Yamanoi no Shimizu, where Princess Haru is said to have drowned at the end of the story . Though it is a small spring, its clear waters give it a mysterious appearance. It has the appearance of having reflected the changes of the world over a long period of time.

Nearby is Uneme Shrine, which enshrines Haruhime

Additionally, there is a theory that the poem in the Manyoshu "Even the shadow of Mount Asaka is visible, and I cannot help thinking of the shallowness of the mountain well," refers to the pure waters of Yamanoi, and there is a monument commemorating this poem in the park.

There is also a walking course in the park that goes around a large pond. There are no major roads, so it is very quiet and you can enjoy seasonal flowers such as wisteria and lotus, so we recommend taking a leisurely stroll

Uneme Park <Information>

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summary

This time we introduced the legend of Uneme, a legend from Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture

The Uneme legend passed down in Koriyama City is the tragic love story of Haruhime and Jiro. However, it is interesting to note that a story bearing the same name also exists in the faraway capital of Nara City

At the birthplace of the Uneme legend, there are still spots related to the legend that remain. Why not visit and pray that the love between the two characters will come to fruition?

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