Traditions and customs

Uneme Legend

What is the "Uneeme Legend," a tragic love story? The shadow of the legend remains to this day [Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture]

appears in various aspects of daily life in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, such as "Uneme-dori," a main road that stretches east to west through the city center, and the "Uneme Festival," a summer tradition held every August."Uneme", a court lady who remains in this regionthe legend of Unemeoriginates from

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"?

An Uneme was a female court official who worked in the ancient Japanese imperial court. Their job was to serve the emperor and empress, taking care of their meals and personal needs. It's quite puzzling why a legend bearing the name Uneme survived in Fukushima, a region far removed 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 that prevented them from making tribute to the imperial court.
Because of this, Prince Katsuragi, an inspector from the capital of Nara, visited the village.
The villagers pleaded with him, explaining their plight and requesting an exemption from tribute. However, their plea was not granted.

That night, a banquet was held to entertain the prince, and he fell in love with Haruhime, the daughter of the village chief. Haruhime treated the prince with genuine hospitality, composing and presenting him with the following

shadow of Mount Asaka can be seen in the mountain well; though it appears shallow, my feelings for you are not so
deep as the mountain well's water. Why are you in such a bad mood? At the foot
of Mount Asaka lies the mountain well. The shadow of Mount Asaka is reflected in the water, making it seem like a shallow well, but in fact, it is very deep.
Similarly, our feelings of affection for you are very deep. Please, please cheer up.

" (From "Asaka Uneme and Her Era" by Masaaki Imaizumi)

.

The king was overjoyed and agreed to exempt Haruhime from paying tribute for three years on the condition that she be presented to the emperor as a lady-in-waiting. Haruhime had a fiancé, Jiro, who loved her dearly, and she parted ways with him with heavy hearts.

In the capital, Haruhime enjoyed the emperor's favor, but on the night of the mid-autumn full moon, longing for Jiro, she hung her robe on a willow tree by the Sarusawa pond, making it appear as if she had drowned, and headed for Asaka, where her beloved Jiro awaited her.

Upon arriving in the village, Haruhime learned of Jiro's death, and on a snowy night, she followed him, throwing herself into the same mountain spring where Jiro had. Soon, spring arrived in the village of Asaka in Michinoku, and a beautiful, delicate, nameless pale purple flower bloomed all around the mountain spring.
Without anyone saying it, people whispered that the eternal love of the two had been united underground and transformed into these flowers.

(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 aforementioned tale of the tragic love between Haruhime and Jiro, known as the "Uneme Legend," is a story 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 recorded in the Yamato Monogatari, written during 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 Koriyama City and Nara City establishing a sister city relationship in 1971, which became a catalyst for the two cities to deepen their friendship. A goodwill delegation from Nara CityUneme, a summer tradition in Koriyama City. Also, at Sarusawa Pond in Nara City, a grand festival is held on the day of the full moon in mid-autumn, the day when Uneme is said to have thrown herself into the pond, and a goodwill delegation from Koriyama City visits Nara City for the festival.

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

Katahira-cho is located in the western part of Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. It is an area with a rural landscape where fields and farms spread out leisurely at the foot of mountains rich in nature.Yamanoi Rural ParkYou can see traces of the legend in

Princess Haruhime is said to have drowned herself at the end of the story"Yama-no-i no Shimizu," the spring where. It is a small spring, but its clear surface gives it a somewhat mystical appearance. It has a presence that seems to have reflected the passage of time and the changing world over a long period of time.

Nearby is Uneme Shrine, which enshrines Haruhime

Furthermore,"Even the shadow of Asaka-ga-yama can be seen, the shallow heart of Yamanoi, I do not think of it"refers to the spring water of Yamanoi, and there is a monument inscribed with 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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