Iwadeyama, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. Here lies a shrine dedicated to the mysterious ancient deity "Arahabaki," said to have resided there for 2,000 years. What's remarkable about this shrine is its address: Miyagi Prefecture...
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The Dewa Sanzan is a collective name for the three mountains of Yamagata Prefecture, with Mount Gassan (1,984m above sea level) as its main peak, along with Mount Yudono and Mount Haguro. Mount Haguro is known for...
The mysterious ancient god "Arahabaki"... This enigmatic deity is said to have been worshipped mainly in the Tohoku and Kanto regions, but even today, the most famous shrine bearing its name is the "Arahabaki" located in Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture...
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Despite its small size, the shrine exudes an intense presence, and the sight of countless red cloths tied around it is bizarre. This is Une-Tori, an ancient place of worship that also appears in Kunio Yanagita's "Tono Monogatari Shūi" (Supplementary Tales of Tono) in Tono City, Iwate Prefecture...
Yamagata Prefecture has long been blessed by the Mogami River. However, nature, while providing blessings, also brings unavoidable disasters. In Yamagata Prefecture, along the Mogami River basin...
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A large doll, about 4 meters tall. In Tamura City, Fukushima Prefecture, there is a god known as "O-ningyo-sama" (Doll God), a guardian deity that has been passed down for generations. It is characterized by its piercing gaze and outstretched sword, and is believed to ward off disease and disaster from the region...
What is Sasano Ittobori? Sasano Ittobori is a wood carving technique that has been traditionally passed down among farmers in the Sasano district of Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. According to local tradition, it dates back to 806 (Daido 1)...
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What is an Onakama? An "Onakama" is a folk shaman (fugeki) who performs spiritual mediumship, incantations, and divination, primarily in the Mogami and Murayama regions of Yamagata Prefecture. They are similar to Itako and Mikosama in other parts of the Tohoku region...
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Located in the mountainous area of Ayaori-cho, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, the "Gohyaku Rakan" (Five Hundred Arhats) is a group of stone Buddha statues erected in the late Edo period. While now a well-known tourist spot in Tono City, its background...
When I visit a city known as a castle town, in addition to the castle itself, I'm always drawn to visiting the burial grounds and family temples of the castle lord's family. While you might imagine that these family burial grounds are all concentrated in one place, there are actually several...
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