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17 — LEGENDS
Legends and Urban Legends
Deep in the mountains of Hida, many strange tales have been handed down: gold lying beneath a castle that vanished overnight in an earthquake, a sacred mountain closely tied to the imperial family and the theory that it is a pyramid, a craftsman who matched wits with a painter from the capital, and the story that a famous master carver was born in Hida. Let us enjoy them while drawing a clear line between legend and historical fact.
Labels: Factdocumented Likelysupported by most sources Legendoral tradition Urban legendlocal lore and rumour
The buried gold of Kaerikumo Castle
FactIn the Tensho earthquake of January 1586, Kaerikumo Castle in Shirakawa-go was buried by a landslide, and the family of its lords, the Uchigashima clan, was wiped out (the Shirakawa-go room). The exact site of the castle is still unknown.
Urban legendThe Uchigashima clan had amassed wealth from gold mines in their domain, so a vast hoard of gold lies beneath the earth and rubble. This tale of "the buried gold of Kaerikumo Castle" has often featured in television programmes and magazines.
"Gold lies beneath the rubble"
Many people have come to Shirakawa-go hoping to find the gold buried along with the castle. Books and programmes have also been made about the buried treasure.
The story spread in the 1970s
The buried-gold story is thought not to be an old local tradition, but to have spread after it was taken up by newspapers and others in the 1970s. Neither the castle site nor any gold has been found.
Mt Kurai: a sacred mountain and the pyramid theory
LegendMt Kurai (Kuraiyama), which rises on the border between Takayama City and Gero City, is a sacred mountain where the inner shrine of Minashi Shrine, Hida's Ichinomiya (the province's foremost shrine), is enshrined. Tradition says that when a shaku, the ceremonial baton held by courtiers, made from the ichii (yew) wood of this mountain was presented to the imperial court, the tree was granted the "first rank" (ichii) for this service, and so came to be called "ichii" (the Crafts room).
Urban legendOddly shaped rocks are scattered through the forests of Mt Kurai, including a giant boulder called "Ama-no-Iwato" (the Heavenly Rock Cave). From these has come the claim, sometimes voiced, that Mt Kurai is a pyramid built by ancient people, and that a super-ancient civilisation once existed here. The boulders are thought to be natural features of the terrain, but the mountain's mysterious atmosphere has given rise to such stories.
The Hida craftsman's contest with a painter
LegendThe Heian-period Konjaku Monogatari-shu (Tales of Times Now Past) tells of a battle of wits between a Hida takumi (master craftsman) and Kudara no Kawanari, a famous painter of the capital. When Kawanari tried to enter a small hall the craftsman had built, the doors on all four sides opened and shut by themselves, and he simply could not get in. In revenge, Kawanari painted a picture of a rotting corpse on a door of his own house and gave the craftsman a fright. People are said to have praised the skill of both men (the Origins room).
Was Hidari Jingoro born in Hida?
LegendHidari Jingoro is the legendary master carver said to have carved the "Sleeping Cat" at Nikko Toshogu and other works. There are various theories about his birthplace in different parts of Japan, and one story holds that he was born in Hida. Perhaps legends of the skills of the "Hida takumi" became entwined with the tale of this master carver.
FactHowever, his life is unclear, including whether Hidari Jingoro was a single real person at all. Many of the carvings "by Jingoro" found around Japan are thought to have borrowed the fame of the legendary master.
Look here: Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine
Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine in Ichinomiya-machi, Takayama City, is Hida's foremost shrine, with Mt Kurai as its sacred mountain. Tall cedars line its grounds, wrapping it in a solemn atmosphere. The area is also said to have inspired the name of the shrine in the film Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa.), and fans visit too.
Main sources: Shirakawa Village, "Kaerikumo Castle" / Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine / Konjaku Monogatari-shu, Book 24 / Takayama City, "Mt Kurai"