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In the first part, we introduced the main story of the Legend of the Three Lakes and some thoughts on the systematization of the story, but in the second part, we will introduce various side stories that deviate slightly from the main story
Hachirotaro traveled all over the country in search of new lands and to meet Tatsuko
The side story of the Legend of the Three Lakes mainly consists of a detour tale depicting the journey from defeat by Nansobo to arriving at Lake Hachirogata, and then to Lake Tazawa to meet Tatsuko
Hachirotaro and the 43 guardian deities of Shikano
After being defeated by Nansobo and chased away from Lake Towada, Hachirotaro arrives in Kazuno Village (Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture)
Looking down at the village, he thought that if he could dam up the confluence of the Kosaka River, the Oyu River, and the Yoneshiro River, he could turn the Kazuno Basin into a large lake and make it his home. So Hachirotaro tied a rope to a nearby mountain, carried it on his back, and set out to dam up the confluence of the rivers
Hachirotaro and the 43 gods of antlers
Seeing this, the 43 guardian deities of Shikano became alarmed. They gathered at Oyu Shrine to discuss how to drive Hachirotaro out. They then had a blacksmith make hammers and other tools, which they carried by oxen, and used to destroy the dam that Hachirotaro had built
Thus, faced with the counterattack from the gods and losing his home, Hachirotaro once again went down along the Yoneshiro River
Hachirotaro and the Seven Tenjin Shrines
After being chased out of Shikano, Hachirotaro travels down the Yoneshiro River and arrives near Mount Shichiza (Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture)
He then tries to dam the meandering Yoneshiro River to create a lake to use as a place to live, but the eight gods who live on Mount Shichiza interfere. The gods discuss the matter and propose that Hachirotaro have a strength contest with the cleverest of them all, the Shichiza Tenjin
Hachirotaro and the Seven Tenjin Shrines
The two men decided to have a stone-throwing contest, taking turns throwing large stones. Hachirotaro's stone fell into the middle of the Yoneshiro River, but Shichiza Tenjin easily threw a stone bigger than Hachirotaro's, which flew far over the river
After losing the challenge, Hachirotaro hears from Shichiza Tenjin that there is a larger place near the Amanose River, and he accepts to leave the area
Then Shichiza Tenjin summoned his messenger, the white mouse, to make a hole in the bank. With the force of the water rushing out, Hachirotaro was carried further downstream
Hachirotaro and the elderly couple from Amasegawa
After descending the Yoneshiro River, Hachirotaro arrived at the Amase River (Mitsutane Town, Yamamoto County, Akita Prefecture) that he had heard about from Shichiza Tenjin Shrine, and wandered around looking for a place to stay for the night. He met a kind-hearted elderly couple and was kindly given a place to stay and a meal
Hachirotaro disguised as a traveling monk and the elderly couple from Lagoon
Hachirotaro then thanked them, revealed his true identity as a dragon, and announced that the next morning, as soon as the rooster crowed, the earth would split open, causing a flood and turning the land into a lake
Although the elderly couple was shocked, they believed Hachirotaro's story and packed their bags to evacuate
The next morning, when the roosters crow, just as Hachirotaro had said, the water begins to overflow with a roaring sound. The elderly couple begins to evacuate, but as she is fleeing, the grandmother realizes that she has left something behind and rushes back to get it, only to be swept away by the water and drown
Hachirotaro, who had transformed into a dragon and noticed this, tried to save the old woman by flicking her tail, but he made a mistake and sent her flying to the opposite shore from the old man.Thus, the old couple's lives were saved, but they were forced to live apart
The lake that was created at this time was Lake Hachirogata, and it is said that Hachirotaro became the lord of this land
Hachirotaro and the Goddess of Ichinomegata
Hachirotaro became the lord of Lake Hachirogata, but he hated the lake freezing over in the winter, so he went around visiting people and heard that there was a lake called Ichinomegata (Oga City, Akita Prefecture) in the Kitaura area of Oga that did not freeze over even in the winter, and he decided to make it his winter home
Hachirotaro and the Goddess of Ichinomegata
The goddess of Ichinomegata, in a dilemma, turned to the archer Takeuchi Yagoro Masayasu for help. Masayasu asked the goddess where to aim to drive away Hachirotaro, and the goddess replied that Hachirotaro would appear on a black cloud from the top of Mount Kanpu, so he should aim his arrow at that
Taking his ancestral bow and arrows, Masayasu hid behind the Mikasa Pine trees on the banks of Lake Ichinomegata, waiting for Hachirotaro to appear, and when black clouds appeared, he fired an arrow
The arrow hits its target perfectly, but Hachirotaro says, "I will make sure this grudge is borne by seven generations of descendants, one of whom will be left with one eye," and throws the arrow back at Masayasu
The arrow hit Masayasu's left eye, and just as Hachirotaro said, his descendants continued to have problems with their left eye for seven generations
On his journey to meet Tatsuko, Hachirotaro searches for lodgings in various places
Upon hearing rumors of Tatsuko at Lake Tazawa, Hachirotaro disguised himself as a monk and set out to find her. On his journey, he is said to have cleaned himself up at the foot-washing well in Katagami, and sought lodging in Oga, Kamiyodogawa, Saimyoji, Nakagawa, Jinguji, Tsuchikawa, and Akita before heading to Lake Tazawa
Hachirotaro disguised as a traveling monk grooming himself at the foot washing well
While there are some good stories about the inn, such as one in which the innkeeper gave the innkeeper the recipe for medicine as a thank you for letting them stay, it is said that someone broke the taboo of "don't look" and peeked at Hachirotaro as he slept, and the inn later fell into disuse and was destroyed
There's more! The legend of Hachirotaro
There are many other legends in which Hachirotaro appears. Below are some of them
He attempted to dam the Shimotakigawa River on Mt. Sannohe and turn Sannohe County in Aomori Prefecture into a lake, but was attacked by Hase Kannon and Suwa Myojin and gave up
Hachirotaro came to the area near Kosui-ji Temple on the Kitakami River (Shiwa Town, Iwate Prefecture) in search of a new place to live, but was stopped by a monk and moved to Hanawa (Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture)
The place where Hachirotaro carried soil on a mokko in the Shimamori Basin, upstream of the Arida River in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, remains in the place names Ichimokko (Shimamori Ichimotomukae, Nango-oaza, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture) and Nimokko (unknown)
There is a legend that Hamana was named after the place where a man tried to pull Mt. Hashikami (Hashikami-cho, Sannohe-gun, Aomori Prefecture) to make a home and it flipped over
He carried the mountain of Sannohe between Akaishizawa and the Dragon's Mouth on the Mabuchi River (in Nanbu Town, Sannohe County, Aomori Prefecture), but was stopped by the god of Suwa
Hanaremori Forest in Kuraishi Village, Sannohe County, is said to be the remains of the mountain where Hachirotaro carried a pile of straw on his back when he was on his way to Lake Towada, trying to dam the waters of the Gonohe River and turn it into a swamp
These are mainly legends that say that after his defeat by Nansobo, Hachirotaro did not go west along the Yoneshiro River, but instead went east from Lake Towada. It is interesting to note that some of the legends are from Shiwa Town, Iwate Prefecture, where he went quite far south
summary
I thought that traditional legends, sayings, and folk tales could normally be read quickly in five minutes, but I discovered that the Legend of the Three Lakes is an extraordinary and grandiose piece of folklore
Considering that it is a story that continues to evolve, it may become even richer and deeper in the future. I will continue to watch the evolution of the Three Lakes Legend!
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs.
