[Miyagi Prefecture] The story of the “reverse” Cinderella story of the Heian period, “Touta Sumiyaki”, passed down in Kanari, Kurihara City

NEFT Editorial Department
2021.11.04
Last updated: 2024.08.22

table of contents

1 What is Kurihara City Kananari District?
2 A success story of a poor charcoal burner?
3 summary
- 3.1 Tomb of Taniyaki Tota and his wife＜Information＞

There is a place named "Kanari" in Kurihara City, located in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture, on the border with Iwate Prefecture. It is said that gold dust was found in the Natsu River that flows through this area, and the legend of `` Sumiyaki Touta' ', which is named after the place Kananari, is famous.

In Kannari, the ``Tomb of the Taniyaki Tota Couple'' remains as a historical site. In this article, we will introduce the tradition of charcoal-grilled rattan that has been passed down in Miyagi Prefecture.

What is Kurihara City Kananari District?

Former Kananari-cho, Kurihara-gun (present-day Kananari-cho, Kurihara City) has a long history, and there is Hakusan Shrine, where Sakanoue no Tamuramaro is said to have camped here during his eastern expedition to Toi and prayed for victory. There is also a legend that when he hunted down the clan, he prayed for victory at this Hakusan Shrine.

In the early modern period, it developed as a post town on the Oshu Kaido road, and the building used for the main shrine still exists in the Arikabe area, as well as Kananari Elementary School (designated tangible cultural property by Miyagi Prefecture) and Kananari Christian Orthodox Church (formerly There are many historic buildings remaining, such as Kananari-cho designated tangible cultural properties.

A success story of a poor charcoal burner?

The history dates back to the Heian period, when the Fujiwara clan flourished in Hiraizumi. A heartwarming story that depicts how a young man named Tota, a poor charcoal burner, became a millionaire.

So, what is the story?

The daughter of a nobleman suddenly appeared! I came all the way from Kyoto to see you.

There was a man named Fujita who made a living as a charcoal burner. He is serious and hardworking, but he is still young and single.

One day, while Tota was grilling charcoal, his face black with soot, a young woman's voice suddenly asked him, ``Are you Tota-san?''

When I looked up, I saw a woman standing weakly in elegant clothes that reminded me of a nobleman from Kyoto. Surprised, Tota was unable to speak as he was overwhelmed by the appearance of a noble woman.

Then, perhaps exhausted from the journey, the woman collapses into Tota's chest and falls asleep.

The sun had just set, and Tota laid the woman down in the charcoal hut, where she slept soundly until the next morning, looking relieved.

Tota was so upset that all he could do was walk around the hut, and the morning arrived without getting any sleep.

Is Kannon's prophecy proof of destiny?

The woman wakes up as the morning light shines into the hut. The woman, who had completely regained her strength, settled down on the dirt floor and, after apologizing for the sudden visit, began to tell the story of her affair.

The woman's name is Okoya. She is the daughter of the Minister of the Right in the capital, but her position is said to be in jeopardy in the capital, where conflict continues. Furthermore, she said that because she was not very good-looking, she could not find a husband for her husband, and as she continued to pray at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, she prayed that she would be able to get married.

While doing so, one moonlit night, I received a message from Kannon of Shimizu that said, ``There is a man named Tota in a place called Kananari in Michinoku. Go to him and become husband and wife.'' And finally, after my journey to find Tota, I was able to meet him.

Okoya spoke matter-of-factly, and even though they had met for the first time, it seemed that she had already completely believed in Tota as her husband.

As for Tota, he was unable to resist Okoya's metropolitan atmosphere and unwavering attitude, and was unable to accept the fact that he had become a wife so suddenly, but in the end, the two of them... will live together as a married couple.

I ran out of rice to eat

Fujita, who worked as a charcoal burner, was poor. About a month after the two started living together, Okoya confided in Tota with a serious look on his face.

"I've run out of rice to eat, and I've run out of thread to mend my work clothes. Do I have money to buy some?"

Tota answered. "Maybe you should take the charcoal and exchange it for rice."

When Okoya hears this and tries to take out the charcoal from the kiln, he is stopped by Tota, who tells him that it will take three days until the charcoal is ready. Okoya asks Touta if he can go without eating or drinking for three days, but Touta insists that he has no choice but to endure.

For Okoya, who had lived a wealthy life in the capital, it was the first time he had ever experienced being unable to buy food due to lack of money. Okoya took out from between his obi a bag containing gold dust, which he had carefully stored away as travel expenses, and handed it to Fujita, saying, ``Please use this to buy some rice.''

Perhaps embarrassed by the argument, Tota hurriedly left the house.

Tota didn't know what gold dust was.

After a while, Tota came back with a duck in his hand.

``This will last me for three days,'' Tota said happily. Okoya was stunned when he saw this.

``In the capital, you have enough money to live on for three months! Why is it only for one duck?'' When I asked him, he told me that he threw the bag of gold dust that Okoya had entrusted to him and hit the duck, killing it. Okoya sat down in shock, and Tota said, ``Can you buy that many things in that place?''

"If it's the same as that, there's plenty of it lying around in the back mountain."

When Okoya heard that, the color of his eyes changed. When he goes to the back mountain with Tota as a guide, he wonders why he didn't notice it before. The cracks in the grassy rocks sparkled everywhere.

summary

Legend has it that after this, the Tota couple became very rich through gold mining and lived happily ever after.

Several historical sources, including the Tale of Heiji and the Chronicles of Yoshitsune, mention a man named Kichitsugu Kaneuri, who was involved in the gold business in the capital, and is said to have helped Minamoto no Yoshitsune move down to Hiraizumi.

It is said that Kichitsugu Kanauri refers to Touta, or Touta's eldest son, Yoshitsugu, but legends similar to those of Charcoal-grilled Touta remain in Zao Town, Miyagi Prefecture, and other parts of the Tohoku region. It seems that.

When we think of the Heian period, images of the glamorous court culture conveyed in books such as The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book come to mind.

In this story, Okoya, who came from the capital, and Tota, who made a living by bartering, are in contrast, and the story clearly conveys the greedless and simple nature of people in the Tohoku region at the time. Somewhere in Tohoku, that kind of warm simplicity remains.