[Tono City, Iwate Prefecture] What is Zokuishi? A detailed introduction to the mysterious stones depicted by Kunio Yanagida in The Tales of Tono

Ayaori Town, Tono City, Iwate PrefectureAt the shrine, you can place a huge capstone on two stands of stones that you can pass under like a torii gate.A mysterious stone called “Zokuishi”remains.

We will provide a detailed explanation of what kind of stones the folklore scholar Kunio Yanagita describes in ``Tono Monogatari.''

A continuation of the stones depicted in the Tales of Tono

The story of Zokuishi depicted in episode 91 of Tono Monogatari is as follows.

A long time ago, the town of Tono had a good knowledge of the mountains and was originallyTorigozen was a falconer for the southern baron family.There was a person who said.

One day, when I went to pick mushrooms in the mountain a little above a rare rock called Zokuishi in Ayaori Village, I came across a man and a woman with red faces talking.

When the men and women saw Tori Gozen, they stretched out their hands and made a gesture to push him back, but Tori Gozen was a funny person, so they pulled out their swords to make fun of him, but the man kicked him and he passed out at the bottom of the ravine. It's gone.

When Tori Gozen was discovered, he returned to his house and told the whole story, but he kept it a secret from his family and fell ill for three days before dying.

The family member died in a strange manner, so I consulted the Kenko-in Temple in Yamagata, and was told that he had died as a result of being cursed for interfering with the mountain god's playtime.

Torigozen was very knowledgeable about mountains, so he didn't seem to think it was very important to step into the depths of the stone, but he felt a little sorry for him, as he was punished mercilessly for stepping into the realm of the gods. It's a story that makes you feel good.

Tono Monogatari can also be read in Aozora Bunko, which has an easy-to-understand structure including furigana and diagrams, so if you are interested in the sequel, please give it a read.

Reference: National Diet Library Digital Collection “Tono Monogatari”

Reference: Aozora Bunko “Tono Monogatari”

A continuation of the stones depicted in the Tono Monogatari Shui

Tono Monogatari Shui is an expanded version of Tono Monogatari republished in 1935.It was published in this form. In the 11th chapter of Tono Monogatari Shui, the following is written about Zokuishi and the crying stone next to it.

A continuation of stones from Ayaori Village YamaguchiIt is very similar to what scholars call a dolmen, with a large stone about 1.5 meters wide and 5 meters long placed on top of two 6-foot stone platforms placed side by side. , people can pass under it like a torii gate.

It is said that Tsuzuki-ishi was created by Musashibo Benkei, and the following legend remains.

A long time ago, Benkei brought a hat stone to work and placed it on top of a certain large rock.

Then, the large rock said that it was a shame to be placed below another large rock, even though it was a high-ranking stone, and spent the whole night crying.

Benkei felt that the large rock was crying too much, so he decided to use another stone as a stand, so he put his foot on that stone again, carried it around, and placed it on top of the current stand.

ThereforeThe indentation of Benkei's footprint still remains on the continuation of the capstone.

On the other hand, the large rock that cried all night long was given the name Crying Stone, and it still stands next to Tsuzukiishi, dripping with tears.

Crying stone seems to be a stone with a lot of pride, but in this story we can feel the gentle feelings of Musashibo Benkei, who warmly accepts Crying stone's feelings and uses another stone as a foundation stone.

Tono Monogatari Shui is still a work in progress among Kunio Yanagida's works included in Aozora Bunko, so those who are interested may want to take a look at it once it is completed.

summary

Zokuishi is located in Ayaori-cho, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, and has a huge capstone placed on two rows of stones, so you can pass under it like a torii gate. It turns out that each of the story collections contains interesting legends.

Please take a look at Tono Monogatari and Tono Monogatari Shui, and focus on the mysterious sequel stones.