This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
Setting aside the debate of whether Namahage are demons or gods, the Oga Peninsula is teeming with legends of demons. The origin of these legends is the story of five bats that accompanied Emperor Wu of Han and transformed into demons.[Oga Peninsula and Demon Legends (1)]You can find more details about this story in
"Demon's Hiding Path) is a famous spot in the Oga Onsenkyo hot spring area that is associated with demons. The cut-through path that passes through the sheer cliffs in the forest near the hot spring town has the atmosphere of being part of a path that demons used to hide as they descended into the mountain village, hence the name "Oni no Kakuremichi" (Demon's Hiding Path).
In fact, this area was the site of open-cut limestone mining from the Meiji to Taisho eras, and the cliffs on both sides are made of limestone. Currently, the only remaining trace of the quarry is this "Oni no Kakuremichi" section. This narrow road was a trolley road used to transport mined stone to a collection point, and the cliff section is the remains of the open-cut mine
The limestone that makes up the cliffs is made up of many thin layers of rock stacked together like a giant mille-feuille, and its components are contained in the hot springs of Oga Onsen as travertine (sintered travertine)
Oni no Kakuremichi (The Demon's Hiding Path) <Information>
Facility name: Oni no Kakuremichi
Location: Kusakihara, Kitaura Yumoto, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
Narrowing through the rugged, black rocks along the coastline, there is a single path made of reddish-brown stones. It is said to have been built by demons to carry heavy loads such as rice bales from their ships that arrived on the shore back to their homes, and thus itOni no Tawara Korogashi" (Demon's Rice Balecame to be called
"Oni no Tawara Korogashi" is a formation formed when brown lava (basalt/dolerite) that flowed about 21 million years ago entered a crack in the granite that was erupted in a volcanic eruption about 90 million years ago and solidified there. Nearby, black volcanic rock called volcanic conglomerate, which is about 7,000 years old, can be seen, making it a valuable landscape from an academic perspective
Oni no Tawara Rolling ＜Information＞
Facility name: Oni no Tawara Rolling
Location: Nyudozaki, Kitaura, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
Phone number: 0185-24-2100 (Oga City Tourism Association)
"Demon's Washing Rocks"Akita's Uyuni Salt Flats,a popular spot known asUnosaki Coastwhere rocks are neatly arranged like a washboard. The image of a fierce demon diligently washing clothes here evokes a truly heartwarming scene.
a "washboard, do you know what
It consists of a thin wooden board with 15 to 20 small circular grooves, and soapy laundry is rubbed against the grooves to remove dirt. Since the 1950s, with the spread of electric washing machines and the emergence of laundromats, washboards have all but disappeared. However, they are said to have started selling again around 2000. Originally measuring around 50cm long and 20cm wide, one manufacturer released a smaller washboard for use on business trips, which became an unexpected hit, and to date, total sales have reached an astonishing 1 billion yen
I've digressed, but "Oni no Sentaku Iwa" is a landscape that was created when the soft rocks were worn away by the erosive action of waves, leaving behind the hard layers of rock
which rises at the base of the Oga PeninsulaMount, is a low mountain with an elevation of approximately 355m. A revolving observation deck is installed near the summit, which is covered with grasslands, offering a 360-degree panoramic view from the Oga Peninsula to the Sea of Japan and Lake Hachiro (formerly Lake Hachirogata). It is a popular tourist spot on the Oga Peninsula.
Mt. Kanpu was originally a volcano that was active from about 30,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago, but is currently inactive and not registered as an active volcano. There is a record of the last eruption in 1810 during the Edo period, but the actual nature of the eruption and the extent of the damage are unknown, and the accepted theory today is that this eruption report was fabricated within the Akita domain in an attempt to report to the shogunate that there had been damage, even though there had not been an eruption
There are three crater remains on Mt. Kanpu, but at the southwest end of the first crater, there is a place in the Kusagen area where large rocks have suddenly piled up like a pyramid. Because there is a space of about 3 tatami mats inside, it is said to have been the "Hidden Village of Demons" (or "Stone Storehouse"), where demons hid and lived
Geologically speaking, "Oni no Kakurezato" was formed when lava was pushed out from the ground during an ancient eruption, forming a mountain that could not withstand the weight and collapsed
Demon's Hidden Village/Kanpuzan <Information>
Facility name: Demon's Hidden Village/Kanpuzan
Address: 62-1 Kanpuzan, Wakimoto Tominaga, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
the three mountains of Oga, the northernmostShinzan(elevation 567m). The three mountains of Oga—Shinzan,Honzan(715m), andKenashizan(677m)—were revered as mountains of Shugendo, a mountain religion that began in the Asuka period and flourished most during the Heian period, in which practitioners secluded themselves in the mountains and underwent rigorous ascetic training.
Shinzan Shrinehave been founded in the early Nara period andEnnin (a high-ranking priestrebuilt during the Heian period by Jikaku DaishiTemple, and after the Meiji Restoration, it became Shinzan Shrine.
From the Heian period through the Edo period, it is said to have flourished immensely as a sacred place of Shugendo, receiving patronage from the powerful clans that ruled Oga and the Satake clan of the Kubota domain
Mayama Shrine is known as one of the shrines where demon legends remain. The Namahage Museum and Oga Mayama Folklore Museum have been opened within the shrine grounds, where visitors can see various Namahage events that are passed down on the Oga Peninsula, as well as exhibits of 150 Namahage masks, and even experience wearing Namahage. The Namahage Sedo Festival is held within the shrine grounds every year on the second Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of February, attracting many tourists
Shinzan Shrine <Information>
Facility name:Mayama Shrine
Location: Kitaura Mayama Mizukuisawa, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
Public transportation: Approximately 40 minutes by Oga Peninsula Ainori Taxi "Namahage Shuttle" from Oga Station on the JR Oga Line
By car: Approximately 40 minutes from Showa Oga Peninsula IC on the Akita Expressway
Facility name:Namahage Museum
Admission fee: Adults 660 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 330 yen, combined ticket for both museums: Adults 1100 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 660 yen
Opening hours: 8:30-17:00
Closed: Open all year round
Facility name:Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum
Admission fee: Adults 770 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 550 yen. Combined ticket for both museums: Adults 1100 yen, elementary and junior high school students 660 yen
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
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