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What is Tsukuishi? A detailed introduction to the mysterious stone depicted in Kunio Yanagita's Tono Monogatari [Tono City, Iwate Prefecture]

there remains a mysterious stone called "Tsukiishi," which consists of two stones lined up like a platform with a huge capstone on top, allowing people to pass under it like a torii gate

We will explain in detail what the Tsuzukiishi stone is, as described by the folklorist Kunio Yanagita in " The Tales of Tono."

Tsukuishi depicted in the Tale of Tono

The story of Tsuzukiishi, depicted in the 91st chapter of the Tono Monogatari, is as follows

, there was a man named Tori Gozen who was formerly a falconer for Baron Nanbu

One day, while I was picking mushrooms in the mountains just above where the rare rock called Tsuzukiishi is located in Ayaori Village, I came across a man and woman with red faces talking

When the man and woman saw Tori Gozen, they spread their arms and made a gesture as if to push her back, but Tori Gozen was a playful person, so she drew her sword just to tease her, but the man kicked her away and she fell unconscious at the bottom of the valley

When Tori Gozen was found, she returned home and told the whole story, but she strictly kept it a secret from her family, and she fell ill for three days before passing away

The family member's death was so mysterious that they consulted Kenkouin Temple in Yamaga, where they were told that "he died as a result of a curse caused by disturbing the mountain god while he was playing."

Because Torigozen was familiar with the mountains, she did not seem to think it was a big deal to venture deep into the Tsuzukiishi, but because she had stepped into the realm of the gods, she was mercilessly punished, making for a story that makes you feel a little sorry for her

Tsukuishi depicted in the Tales of Tono

The Tono Monogatari Shuui was published as an expanded version of the Tono Monogatari, which was republished in 1935. The 11th chapter of the Tono Monogatari Shuui also contains the following description of the Tsuzukiishi and the Nakiishi stone next to it:

The Tsuzukiishi in Yamaguchi, Ayaori Village, is very similar to what scholars call a dolmen, with a large stone about one and a half ken wide and five ken long placed on top of two side-by-side base stones about six feet high, and people can pass through underneath like a torii gate

The Tsuzukiishi is said to have been made by Musashibo Benkei, and the following legend has been passed down:

Long ago, Benkei brought a capstone to work on and placed it on top of a large rock

The rock then said, "It's a shame that I am a high-ranking rock and will be placed below other rocks for the rest of my life," and spent the whole night crying

Benkei was so worried about the large rock crying that he decided to use another stone as a base, so he put his foot on the stone again, carried it, and placed it on top of the current base

As a result, the capstone of the Tsuzukiishi still has an indentation of Benkei's footprint

Meanwhile, the large rock that she cried on all night was given the name Crying Stone, and even now it stands beside the Tsuzukuishi with tears dripping from it

The Crying Stone seems to be a proud stone, but in this story we can see the kindness of Musashibo Benkei, who warmly accepts the Crying Stone's feelings and uses another stone as the base

Among Yanagita Kunio's works included in Aozora Bunko, Tono Monogatari Shui is still a work in progress, so if you're interested, you might want to take a look at it once it's finished

summary

The Tsuzukiishi is located in Ayaori-cho, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture. It is a pair of stones lined up like a platform with a huge capstone on top, allowing people to pass under it like a torii gate. It turns out that Kunio Yanagita's Tono Monogatari and Tono Monogatari Shuui each contain some interesting legends

Please take a look at the Tono Monogatari and Tono Monogatari Shuui and ponder the mysterious Tsukuishi

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