Tradition/Customs

Old skin illustration

What is Ubaku? A detailed introduction to Yamagata's folk tales that were also broadcast in Manga Japanese Folklore.

Did you know that Yamagata has many folk tales, some of which are famous and have even been broadcast on Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi?

In this article, we will introduce one of these, "Ubakawa."

What is the story of Ubagawara in Yamagata

"Ubakawa" was originally recorded as one of the Muromachi period tales, and although the story content varies slightly, it is a folk tale that has been handed down throughout Japan

The story of "Ubakawa," which was introduced to Yamagata and aired on Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi on January 26, 1991, is as follows

The youngest of three sisters is about to be forced to marry a man who is the incarnation of a giant snake to help the villagers who are suffering from a drought. After killing the snake with a thousand gourds and needles, she is saved by a giant toad disguised as an old woman and is given an Ubakawa, a scarecrow that allows her to transform into the form of an old woman when worn to escape the disaster

At the recommendation of Ogama, the young woman begins working at the wealthy man's mansion, and when she takes off her old clothes, the young master falls in love with her, and the two eventually become husband and wife

Characteristics of "Ubakawa" in Yamagata

We will introduce three characteristics of "Ubakawa," a traditional craft from Yamagata

Similar to the Snake Marriage/Water Begging type

Like "Ubakawa," another folk tale that is widely handed down throughout the country is the story of "Snake Marriage."

Snake bride stories can be roughly divided into two types: the "Odamaki" type, in which a man follows a thread into the mountains, and the "Water-begging" type, in which a rice field that has dried up due to drought is filled with water. Ubakawa is said to be similar to the "Water-begging" type

The story of the snake bride/water beggar type is as follows

Once upon a time, a man with three daughters had a drought that caused the water in his rice field to dry up. In his dilemma, he said to himself that if someone could help him water the rice field, he would give one of his daughters as a bride

The next day, the rice field was filled with water, and a young samurai appeared and declared that he was the incarnation of a giant mountain snake, but that he would take the girl as promised

The youngest daughter says she is going to get married, and arrives at the lake where the giant snake lives with her dowry of 100 gourds and many needles.However, she tells the snake to sink the gourds, and when it gets tired and unable to sink them, she scatters the needles around it and escapes danger

When the daughter returns home, she is known for being filial and wise, and she marries into a good family and lives happily ever after

The story of the snake bride and the water beggar can be said to be a cut-out of the first half of the Yamagata tale of Ubakawa

Furthermore, because a non-human being is about to be forced to marry a human, the Snake Bridegroom/Water Begging type and the first half of the Ubakawa story can be classified as the same tale of interspecies marriage (iruikon intan)

Reference: Maekawa Yoshiyuki, "Transformation of the Heart as Seen in the Folktale 'The Snake Bride'"

When she wears the Ubakawa, she takes on the appearance of an old woman

In the tales of Ubakawa passed down in Yamagata, it is said that when you wear Ubakawa, you will take on the appearance of an old woman, but in stories passed down in Kunohe County, Iwate Prefecture, the person will turn into a stone, and in stories passed down in Tono City, they will turn into other things, such as a frog

What they have in common is that they become less noticeable to others and are less likely to be targeted for assassination

Reference: Rie Arakawa, "About the Yamauba's Skin: Taking Off and Putting On"

The benefits of wearing a turban are not clearly depicted

The tales of Ubakawa that are passed down in Yamagata do not clearly describe what benefits a girl gained from wearing Ubakawa

For example, in the story of Ubagawara, which is passed down in Niigata Prefecture, there is a benefit to girls who wear Ubagawara, as it protects them from being caught by demons

The benefit of shedding your old man's skin is that it will attract the attention of a young master, so it may seem like a stark contrast to wearing it

summary

The story of Ubakawa is a folk tale that has been passed down all over Japan, although the content of each story varies slightly.We learned that the story told in Yamagata is similar to the Snake Bridegroom and Water Begging versions, that when you wear Ubakawa, you turn into an old woman, and that the benefits of wearing Ubakawa are not clearly stated

If you are interested, please try comparing the reading of Ubaki from Yamagata and other regions

Articles that may be related to this article

Other articles