[Yamagata Prefecture] What is Ubapi? Introducing Yamagata's folk tales in detail, which were broadcast on Manga Nippon Folk Tales.

Did you know that Yamagata has many folktales, and some of them are famous and have even been broadcast in the manga Nihon Mukashibanashi?

In this article, we will introduce ``Ubagi'' among them.

What is the story of Ubapi in Yamagata

``Ubagi'' was originally recorded as one of the Muromachi period tales, and although the content of the story varies slightly, it is a folk tale that has been passed down throughout Japan.

The story of ``Ubagi'', which was transmitted to Yamagata and broadcast on January 26, 1991 in the manga Nihon Mukashibanashi, is as follows.

The youngest of the three sisters, who was about to be forced to marry a man who was the embodiment of a giant snake to help the villagers who were suffering from drought, killed the giant snake with a thousand gourds and a needle. In order to escape from danger, she is given a mask that transforms her into an old woman.

The girl, who was encouraged by Ogama to work at Ojin's mansion, is first seen by the young man without her mask, and the two eventually become husband and wife.

Characteristics of “Ubagi” handed down in Yamagata

We would like to introduce three characteristics of "Ubagi" that has been passed down in Yamagata.

Similar to Snake Grooming/Water Begging Type

Like ``Ubapi,'' one of the folk tales that is widely passed down throughout the country is the story of ``A snake bride's marriage.''

The story of the snake groom is roughly divided into two types: ``Odamaki type'' where the story follows a thread and heads deep into the mountains, and ``Mizubegashi type'' where the story involves filling a rice field that has dried up due to the drought with water. However, Ubapi is said to be similar to this ``Water Beggar'' story.

The story of the snake son-in-law and water begging type is as follows.

Once upon a time, when a man with three daughters ran out of water in his rice field due to drought, he said to himself that if someone would water the rice field, he would marry one of his three daughters.

The next day, the rice fields were filled with water, and a young samurai came and declared that he was the embodiment of the mountain serpent and that he would receive a daughter as promised.

My youngest daughter announced that she was going to marry me, and she arrived at the lake where the serpent lives, carrying 100 gourds and many needles, but she told the serpent that she wanted the gourds to sink, but she was too tired to sink them. Scatter needles everywhere to get out of trouble.

After that, when the daughter returned home, she gained a reputation for being filial and wise, and married into a good family and lived happily ever after.

The story of the snake-hunting and water-begging type story can be said to be a cut-off of the first half of the Ubagi tradition passed down in Yamagata.

Also, since a non-human being and a human are about to be married, it can be seen that the first half of the story of the snake-groom-in, water-begging-type, and Uba-bi are classified as the same type of interspecies marriage story. .

Reference: Yoshiyuki Maekawa “Transformation of the heart seen in the folk tale “The Snake Grooming””

When you put on the Ubagi, you look like an old woman.

In the story of Ubagi passed down in Yamagata, it is said that when you wear it, you take the form of an old woman, but in the story told in Kunohe District, Iwate Prefecture, you turn into a stone, and in the story told in Tono City, you turn into a frog, and so on. It may turn into something.

One thing they all have in common is that they don't attract too much attention, making them less likely to be targeted.

Reference: Rie Arakawa “About the skin of the yamauba – taking it off and putting it on”

The benefits of wearing a mask are not clearly described.

In the story of Ubagi that has been passed down in Yamagata, it is not clearly described what kind of benefits a girl would have by wearing Ubagi.

For example, in the story of Ubagi that has been passed down in Niigata Prefecture, the story mentions the benefit of a daughter wearing an Ubagi so that she will not be captured by demons.

Taking off the umaba has the advantage of being seen by young husbands for the first time, so it may be seen as a contrast to wearing the umaba.

summary

Ubagi is a folk tale that has been handed down all over Japan, although the story varies slightly, and the story handed down in Yamagata is similar to that of a snake-groomed woman and a water beggar, and that when she wears the Ubagi, she becomes an old woman. I found that what was unique about this book was that it did not clearly describe the benefits of wearing a mask.

If you are interested, please read and compare Ubagi from Yamagata and other regions.

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