Christian? Monster? God? What is the mysterious gravestone "Poppo-sama" that remains in the Motoyoshi district? [Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture]

In the Motoyoshi district of Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, there remains a place known as " Po-Po's Tomb ."

The legend surrounding this tomb involves an unidentified figure known as "Po-Po-sama." This story, passed down in the Motoyoshi region, begins on a snowy night and continues to be recounted as the memory of a person who saved people suffering from an epidemic.

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A man who cannot speak the language appears on a snowy night

The following legend has been passed down about an incident that occurred on a snowstorm night long ago in the Motoyoshi area of ​​present-day Kesennuma City

One night, a man came to the village seeking lodging for the night. However, the man was ill, and fearing infection, no one would welcome him into their home. Only the villagers of a place called "Hayashi no Sawa" accepted him and nursed him back to health. The man could not speak Japanese, and his origins and history were unknown, but the villagers did not reject him for that reason. It is said that a few days later, the man recovered completely.

Excerpt from Motoyoshi Town Chronicle II

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The words "Paw paw, paw paw" that healed illness

After recovering, perhaps out of gratitude to the villagers, the man began to visit each house where someone was suffering from illness

The treatment was extremely simple

• Gently rub the area that hurts
• Blow on the area
• Then chant "Paw paw, paw paw"

It is said that just doing this miraculously cured the illness

The villagers began to respectfully refer to this man as "Lord Po-Po."

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Lord Popo was not a "name"

What is distinctive about this legend is that very little personal information about Lord Pawpaw,his real name, birthplace, age, or appearance, is mentioned.

The story that has been passed down is,

• The act of healing
• The words repeated at that time

Only

In other words , the name " Po-Po-sama " is not a proper name, but rather a nickname that originated from words uttered during the healing process .

In the world of folklore, it is not uncommon for a person's actions or experiences to be remembered more strongly than their personal history

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Pawpaw as a cross-cultural healer

The " Motoyoshi Town History II ," which I used as a reference this time , also touches upon the legend of Po-Po-sama, as well as examples of healers from other cultures found in other regions.

In some regions, people who do not speak Japanese and heal the sick by chanting incomprehensible words are interpreted as Christian missionaries

However, in the Motoyoshi area,

• Historical documents directly showing the existence of Christians
• Records of Missionary Activity

None of these have been confirmed

Therefore, it is not possible to definitively identify Mr. Pawpaw as a person of a specific religion, and it is more appropriate to understand him as an example of a healer from a different culture being accepted by the public

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Why the "pow pow" sound remains

Regarding the word "po-po," it has been suggested that it may be a sound derived from repeatedly chanting the Latin word " pater ," meaning "father."

However, this is merely one possible interpretation based on the similarity of the sounds, and there is no definitive historical evidence

What's important isn't the meaning of the word itself, but the fact that the sound was remembered along with the experience of being cured of an illness

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The fact that a "grave" is said to exist

In Motoyoshi, there is a place that is said to be " the tomb of Lord Popo ."

This suggests that Lord Popo may have been mourned as a human being , rather than as a god or a supernatural entity

The fact that only the tomb and legends have been passed down, while the shrine and festivals have not survived, indicates that this person was remembered as a benefactor who lived in the land

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How memories of saving people remain

The legend of Lord Popo is not a tale of horror or supernatural powers

It is a folk record, preserved along with the word "Po-po," of " the memory of a stranger and villagers who took in a sick stranger on a snowy night and repaid his kindness . "

The story of this man, whose name and background are unknown, is still passed down quietly in Motoyoshi

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Google Maps (The Grave of the Legendary Po-Po)

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