Kappa - The Kappapedia

4/14/2015

Kappa Legends Kyushu

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Fukuoka / Kagoshima / Kumamoto / Miyazaki / Nagasaki / Oita / Saga

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....................................................................... Fukuoka 　福岡県　

九千坊河童　Kyusenbo kappa　- Kusenbo Kappa, a warrior clan coming all the way from China to Kyushu to become a deity in
. - Tanushimaru 田主丸 - Fukuoka 福岡県 - .

Chikugo 筑後 and Kurume　久留米 / うきは市吉井町 Ukiha

. Chikugo no kuni 筑後国 Chikugo Province .
and Kappa Legends

. Sumo with 大つか庄右衛門 Otsuka Shoemon .

. Legends from the Temple 玉泉寺 Gyokusen-Ji .

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. Kappa Jizoo かっぱ地蔵 Kappa and Jizo Bosatsu .
legend from Fukuoka 福岡の若松の高塔山

. Bamboo shoots - takenoko bamboo shoot legends - 筍 / 竹の子伝説 .
and Kappa

. Kappa as 川の神 the Deity of the River. .
久留米市 Kurume city 荒木町 Arakicho

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Yamano no Gaku 山野の楽 "Ritual Music from Yamano"
“河童祭り”a very special Kappa Matsuri at the shrine
in the local dialect : Yamanongaku 山野ん楽
山野若八幡神社 Yamano Waka Hachiman Jinja, Yamanowakahachiman

嘉麻市山野地区 Kama town Yamano hamlet　

- quote -
Yamano no Gaku is a festival which is held every year on September 23 at Yamano Wakahachiman Shrine.
Emperor Ojin was deified as Hachiman-jin (the tutelary god of warriors), and is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him. In the year 1244 (Kangen 2), in order to share the tutelary deity of the 宇佐八幡宮 Usahachiman Shrine in Oita Prefecture, the tutelary god of warriors was also enshrined in the Yamano Wakahachiman Shrine. This is the beginning of the Yamano no Gaku Festival.

During this festival, which has a history of more than 750 years, the shrine parishioners pray for the well-being of their families as well as a bumper harvest. Visitors to this festival will also be able to see the Gaku Uchi. The Gaku Uchi is a drum dance performed in order to ward off disasters. There are 2 versions of the Gaku Uchi. The Fue Gaku is a performance with flutes in order to pray to the repose of souls. The Uta Gaku is a traditional Japanese prayer song. The performers of the dance are referred to as Gaku Kata. The costumes of the Gaku Kata make the performers look like Kappa, a mythical water-dwelling creature.
Hence, this festival is also known as the Kappa Festival.
- source : www.crossroadfukuoka.jp

河童楽 Kappa Gaku, see below

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....................................................................... Kagoshima 　鹿児島県　

. Garappa ガラッパ Garappa Don ガラッパドン .

. Gataro ガタロ Kappa and the Gion crest 祇園さん .

. Kapa and Suijin Sama 水神様, the Water Deity .

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Once upon a time there lives a huge serpent in the pond near the mountain.
She came down to the village to get a girl age 18 every year. But the villagers finally talked her into accepting 18 mochi 餅 rice cakes instead, which they threw into the pond.
This is the origin of offering mochi in the local Shinto shrine, they say.
Other versions say it was a Kappa in the pond.

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....................................................................... Kumamoto　熊本県　

. Kapa and Suijin Sama 水神様, the Water Deity .

. Hidari Jingoro 左甚五郎 master carpenter .
- and the origin of Kappa eating shirikodama.

球磨郡 Kuma district
. yama no mono ヤマンモン，kawa n hito カワンヒト河童 Kappa .

六郷村 Rokugomura Village
. The Kappa from 龍ヶ淵 Dragon Riverside .

Yatsushiro region 八代地方 Kumamoto
. Hikoichi 彦一 Hiko-Ichi Sumo Legends . *
彦一と河童の相撲 - ガラッパ Hiko-Ichi and the Kappa (Garappa) doing Sumo
彦一と河童と殿様
河童とすみくらんぼ

. kane 鉄漿 black color for teeth, Ohaguro .

. Kappa as Uminokami　海の神 God of the Sea .

. sekiri 赤痢 making a medicine for bloody diarrhea .

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廻りサカマの河童伝説 from Kumamoto 　熊本県

- source : www.pu-kumamoto.ac.jp ー team KUMAGATARI　

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....................................................................... Miyazaki 　宮崎県　

. Kappa Legends from Miyazaki 　河童伝説　- 宮崎県 .

. Kapa and Suijin Sama 水神様, the Water Deity .

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....................................................................... Nagasaki 長崎県　

. Gaappa ガーッパ The Kappa of Nagasaki 長崎県 - Legends .

. Gaappa ガーッパ Kappa and Sake .
西海市 Saikai city, 西彼町 Seihi town

. Kappa Jizoo かっぱ地蔵 / 河童地蔵 Kappa and Jizo Bosatsu in Nagasaki .

. Fishing for Abalone in Fukue 福江市とあわび　 .

. donku ishi どんく石 Kappa Stone and more .

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....................................................................... Oita 大分県　

三隈川（筑後川）River Mikumagawa (Chikugogawa)

In former times Kappa were believed to bring harm to the crops of the fields near the river. So in Summer cucumbers and aubergines, prefered food of the Kappa, were consecrated at the local shrine and then floated in the river with the prayer to protect the crops.

People who were bewitched by the Kappa and had lost their good sense had to sleep in a room with a window toward the river and not use the exit on the road where a Kappa might walk along. When emptying a bucket of water outside, you had to make a loud call to the Kappa first and ask for his permisison.
Women had to behave near the river, lest the Kappa might want to seduce them. Women and girls were also not permitted to go to the river at night and expose their body in the water, because they could get pregnant that way and give birth to a Kappa Baby.

Here is one story of a boy who got bewitched by the Kappa:

Shookichi Kappa 正吉河童 Shokichi Kappa
from Bungo, Oita

Once upon a time
in the village of 日田郡竹田村 Hita Takeda there lived a 12 year old boy named Shokichi. His father was a strong sumo wrestler and Shokichi, still a child, was practicing hard too.

Then one day Shokichi was swimming in the nearby river when someone began to play sumo tricks on him. Shokichi dove down into the water and got hold of something, giving it a good punishment and then went home.

In that night when all were asleep, Shokichi woke up and felt the urge to take a bath. So he went to the river. And surprize - many children came out of the river and challenged him for a bout of sumo wrestling. Shokichi soon realized that this were the local Kappa and begun to wrestle with them.
Soon he had won against two of them. But then more than ten begun to attack him at once. and Shokichi, eager to win, wrestled with all his might.

Back home his father woke up and realized that his son was gone, so he went to the river too. He saw Shokichi on the river bank moving back and forth in a strange manner, as if he was crazy. So his father carried him home by force.

From that time on Shokichi had lost all his good senses and seemed only to wrestle with invisible adversaries. His father realized that he was bewitched and possesed by a Kappa.
Then a priest who knew about the curses of Kappa placed a sword 脇差 by the famous sword maker
郷義弘 Go no Yoshihiro beside the boy.
Shokichi begun to tremble and hid under the bed covers. When they tried to sharpen the sword, Shokichi begun to run wild again.
In the end they called a special mountain priest 修験者 to do some exorcism and the boy was finally healed.

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Saiki 佐伯市

Kappa are seen often, from the river entry into the see up to the mountains. But most often between 宮野浦 Miyanoura and 色利浦 Irori-ura.
Other locations are かんじんの森 Kanjin no Mori,
the back of the main hall of temple 大願寺 Hongan-Ji,
橋の欄干 the railing of a bridge.

An old saying knows
河童に取り憑かれるから酒を飲んで返るな

Be careful of a Kappa when drunk, you might be swindled out of something.

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Buzen 豊前

At the shrine Kumo Hachimangu there is an old ritual and festival called
Kappa Gaku 河童楽 "Music for the Kappa",
also called Kappa Matsuri 河童まつり.

With Kappa in the middle people walk around him with great hand fans 唐団扇 and fan him to appease the wild soul of the Kappa. After that through the 神通力 super-naural power of the Kappa the village will live in peace for another year. This festival dated back at least to the middle of the Edo period and is now the main summer festival of the shrine.

Chikugo is the origin of this kind of Kappa Gaku, which is now an important intangible folk culture asset in Oita 大分県無形民俗文化財.

Kumo Hachimangu, Kumohachimangu, Kumohachiman 雲八幡宮
363 Yabakeimachi Oaza Miyazono, Nakatsu, Oita / 中津市耶馬溪町

- quote -
Kumohachiman Shrine
located at Yabakei Town in Nakatsu City, Oita Pref. enshrines Kumo no Yahata no Okami and Myoken Okami. In the precinct stand a huge cedar tree, which is called “sennen Sugi (The 1000-year-old cedar).
The origin of the shrine dates back to the 3rd century, when legendary Empress Jingu, who was on her way back from the Korean invasion, took a rest on a huge stone at the foot of a mountain. Since then miraculous events including a white cloud rising up out of it had happened around this stone. In 703, a lot more clouds suddenly rose up from the stone and the light like arrows of lightening flashed and it took the shape of a small child-like god, which then disappeared. Having the feeling of awe at this miracle, the village people built a small purple shrine beside the stone and worshipped it respectfully. This is the origin of Kumohachiman Shrine and the Kumoishi Stone.
The main building was relocated to the present place by Masataka Kiyohara (the lord of the province) later in 983.
The shrine is famous for “Kappa Festival,” or formally named “Miyazonogaku, Miyazono Gaku 宮園楽 ,” in which traditional music is played to dedicate to the gods.
The legend has it that Heike refugees, who had been defeated in the battle with Genji clan, transformed into a Kappa and brought harm to people, so the villagers began to play music to appease their spirits.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp

耶馬溪河童太鼓 - the Kappa Drummers of the festival

Before the festival, ritual cleansing. The great fans with the Kappa face are on the right.

- More photos about the Kappa Festival - かっぱ楽（宮園楽）
- source : kumohachiman.j-air.net/omaturi

buji sugiru 無事杉る守　branches of the cedar tree, an amulet to pass through difficulties in life
a pun with sugi　杉 the cedar tree　and sugiru 過ぎる to pass

taorezu kappa omamori　倒れず勝破　お守
an amulet to win against the misfortunes of life, another pun with the kanji characters 勝破.
This is a three-dimensional amulet.

More amulets here:
- - - - - HP of the shrine
- source : kumohachiman.j-air.net

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buji sugiru - 無事杉る
an amulet to ward off evil influence 魔除けのお守り

Also sold at other shrines in Japan, for example the 廣田神社 Hirota Shrine in Aomori.
Aomori 青森市長島2丁目13-5

source :　ameblo.jp/takimotoyumi

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. Kitchomu, Kicchomu 吉四六 - Hirota Kichiemon 廣田吉右衛門 .
(? - 1715) - Kitchomu is a hero in many parts of Southern Oita.

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....................................................................... Saga 佐賀県　

. Genta and the Kappa 源太様と河童 .
龍石の伝説
and
Hyoosube 兵主部 Hyosube,
. Matsubara Kappa Sha 松原河童社 Matsubara Kappa Shrine .

. Kappa at the terakoya 寺子屋 temple school .

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- - - - - reference - - - - -

nichibun Yokai Database

search for - かっぱ - かっぱ 114 - 008

search for - 河童 - 　河童 1202 - 0000

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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- KAPPA 河童 / 合羽　/ かっぱ / カッパ - Legends -
- Introduction -

. mukashibanashi 昔話 folktales - Introduction .
the distinction to legends is sometimes blurred.

. Kappa ishi 河童石 Kappa stone legends
Kappa iwa かっぱ岩 Kappa boulder, Kappa rock .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappakyushu #kyushulegends #fukuoka -
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3/29/2015

Bath and Hot Spring

CLICK for more photos !

Kappa no Yu 河童の湯

. Kappa no yu かっぱの湯 Kappa Hot Spring . - Fukushima

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Aomori青森県
Kappa no Yu Hot Springs
Located in the Yagen Valley in the mountains near the top of Aomori Prefecture’s Shimokita Peninsula, Kappa no Yu’s location is as remote as it is possible to be without leaving Honshu. It’s tucked away in the side canyon of a tributary of the Ohatagawa River, the pool itself appears to have been - for the most part - hewn out of the rocky stream bank just a few feet above the clear waters of the tributary river below, and the wood and bamboo roof that shelters the pool from the worst of the elements all but disappears into the surrounding forest of deciduous trees. I can only imagine the glory of the place in the fall.
The water in Kappa no Yu comes straight out of the ground and is the clearest blue of any hot spring I’ve yet seen in Japan, and as if this cake didn’t have enough icing and cherries on it already, there’s no entry fee, apart from what it costs to get you there, and the Yagen Valley is functionally uninhabited. If you go to Kappa no Yu, you’ll probably have it all to yourself.
- source : en.japantravel.com

. Arima Hot Spring　有馬温泉 Arima Onsen .

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Kappa Tengoku　- Kappa Paradise - Hakone　箱根
Outdoor baths in the wooded slope just above Yumoto Station. The wooden bath house is slightly run-down but remains atmospheric.
- source : www.japan-guide.com

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Nikko　日光

Kappa Kokeshi from Nikko　日光

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. Sarugakyo Onsen 猿ヶ京温泉 . Gunma 群馬県

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Serigazawa Onsen 芹ケ沢 - Fukushima 福島

「いい湯だなぁ」 Kappa enjoying a bath

source :　カッパのロードスター

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !

- reference -

. Onsen Hot Spring and Bath .
- Introduction -

. Legends about Onsen Hot Springs　温泉と伝説 .

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappaonsen #onsen #kappabath-
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3/22/2015

mahoroba

吉野ヶ里遺跡古代浪漫紀行1-まほろば大和
- source : ニヤッとする話

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- quote
Mahoroba is an ancient Japanese word describing a far-off land full of bliss and peace. It is roughly comparable to the western concepts of arcadia, a place surrounded by mountains full of harmony and quiet.

Mahoroba is now written only in hiragana as まほろば. The origins of the word are not clear; it is described in a poem in the ancient Kojiki (古事記) as being the perfect place in Yamato:

Yamato wa Kuni no mahoroba Tatanazuku
Aokaki-yama gomoreru Yamato shi uruwashi.

夜麻登波
久爾能麻本呂婆
多多那豆久
阿袁加岐夜麻碁母禮流
夜麻登志宇流波斯

- - - Modern writing
大和は国のまほろばたたなづく青垣山ごもれる大和しうるわし

- - - Meaning
大和は本当に素晴らしい。青い山々の連なる大和は本当に美しいなあ。

Yamato is
The highest part of the land;
The mountains are green partitions
Lying layer upon layer,
Nestled among the mountains,
How beautiful is Yamato !
Tr. Michael Marra

- source : wikipedia

- source : www.takahata-bunka.jp

「松川の河童伝説」Matsukawa no Kappa Densetsu　
. Yamagata 山形県 Mahoroba Kappa Festival .

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !

- reference -

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芦屋市はわがまほろばよ燗熱く
Ashiya shi wa waga mahoroba kan atsuku

the town of Ashiya
is my land of bliss -
the sake flask is warm

For the NHK Haiku Okoku meeting in December she had invited the participants to the Kyoshi Memorial Museum in Ashiya.
She had ordered the caretakers not to sweep the leaves of the large keyaki zelkova tree and all could walk and enjoy the crunching sound of the yellow leaves on the ground.

. WKD - Inahata Teiko 稲畑汀子 - Haiku Master .
- Introduction -

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まほろばの吉備津の神の青嵐
mahoroba no Kibitsu no kami no ao arashi

a summer storm
for the gods of Kibitsu,
the land of bliss

Kurata Koobun 倉田紘文 Kurata Kobun (1940 - 2014)

Kibitsu Jinja 吉備津神社
Kibitsu Hiko Jinja 吉備津彦神社
. Okayama Kibij　岡山　吉備路 The Kibi Region .
an area with majestic ancient history and legendary stories.

. WKD - ao-arashi 青嵐 "green tempest", summer storm .

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappa -
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3/21/2015

Miyagi prefecture

A prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region on Honshu island.
The capital is Sendai.
Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. 陸奥国 Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the largest as it expanded northward. The ancient capital was at Taga-jō in modern Miyagi Prefecture.

In the third month of second year of the Wadō era (709), there was an uprising against governmental authority in Mutsu Province and in nearby Echigo Province. Troops were promptly dispatched to subdue the revolt.

During the Sengoku period various clans ruled different parts of the province. The Uesugi clan had a castle town at Wakamatsu in the south, the Nambu clan at Morioka in the north, and Date Masamune, a close ally of the Tokugawa, established Sendai, which is now the largest town of the Tōhoku region.

Date Masamune built a castle at Sendai as his seat to rule Mutsu.
In 1871, Sendai Prefecture was formed. It was renamed Miyagi prefecture the following year.
- more in the wikipedia -

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- quote
In the town of Shikama 色麻町　in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan,
there is a shrine devoted to a water god. In the Heian period (794-1192), a shogun named Sakanoue no Tamuramaro arrived in this area. A man called Touemon swam like a kappa across the swiftly flowing river and worked hard for the shogun. The shogun was so pleased that he gave Touemon the surname kappa, which has been handed down by generations of chief priests at the shrine ever since.

The kappa's favorite food is the cucumber. In ancient times, some houses had streams running through their grounds for washing vegetables and other things. People would take the first cucumbers harvested and throw them into these streams as offerings to the water god.
- source : web-japan.org/kidsweb

. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 .
(758 - 811)
conquering the Emishi (蝦夷征伐 Emishi Seibatsu) in Tohoku.

. Kappa Legends .

. 長田のガラッパ and the monkey from Osaki.

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加美郡 Kami gun 色麻村 Shikama village
磯良神社は通称「お河童様」と呼ばれる。河童川という小川が流れ、昔は「おむろ」という大きな淵があった。ここで膳椀の借用を頼むと必ず貸してくれた。ある時借りたカサコを１つ無くし、足りないまま返してからは貸してくれなくなった。

Isora Jinja 磯良神社の御手洗池は底知らずであるといわれる。竜宮のような御殿があって姫が住み、毎年七夕に、池の底から機の音がするという。

. Isora Jinja 磯良神社 - the Kappa Shrine 河童神社 .

Kappa no Furusato Matsuri かっぱのふるさとまつり- Miyagi 宮城色麻町　Mid-August
O-Kappa sama no matsuri おかっぱ様のお祭り - Miyagi 宮城色麻町　Isora Jinja 磯良神社
15th day of the 6th lunar month

. - Kappa Festivals かっぱ祭り　Kappa Matsuri - .

Kappei kun 活平くん and Masako chan 麻子ちゃん - Miyagi 加美郡色麻町

. - Mascots マスコット　and Characters キャラクター .

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Kappa カゥパ Miyagi 宮城県下水道課

. - Mascots マスコット　and Characters キャラクター .

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. kahaku, kawa no kami 河伯（かわのかみ） River Deity, "river chief" .
originally a Chinese river deity with a demon-like face.
Sometimes his face is part of a "demon tile" onigawara 鬼瓦　to protect a building from fire.
In Japan, another name for the water goblin Kappa.

Kahaku Shushin 河伯主神　Kahaku Water Deity

安福河伯神社 Abuku Kahaku Jinja / Afuku Kahaku-jinja
宮城県亘理郡亘理町逢隈田沢字堰下２２０ / Miyagi
- reference -

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栗原郡 Kurihata gun 金城町 Kanagicho
昔、おじいさんとおばあさんが川に水浴びに行ったときカッパが出たので、怖くなって逃げた。そのカッパはどこへ行ったかわからない。

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本吉郡 Motoyoshi gun 本吉町 Motoyoshicho

近春という殿様がKoizumigawa 小泉川で馬を洗っていたら、カッパが馬の尻尾を引っ張って馬が暴れたのでカッパを捕まえて屋敷に戻った。カッパがもうしないと証文を書くから許してくれというので、石に証文を書かせて放した。今でも証文が残っている。
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近春という殿様が小泉川を馬で渡ったら、カッパが馬の尻尾を引っ張ったので斬り捨てようとしたら、カッパがもうしないと水遁の術を教えるから許してくれというので、術を教わり助けてやった。
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小泉川の土橋を旅人が通りかかったとき、Shizugawa 志津川の Kawajiribashi 川尻橋まで手紙の使いを頼まれた。不審に思って途中で手紙を読むと、小泉のカッパから志津川のカッパへの手紙で、「住みやすいから小泉に来い、この男の生き胆をプレゼントしてやる」と書いてあったので、手紙を捨てて逃げ出した。
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小泉のカッパが旅人に、志津川のカッパへの言伝を頼んだ。自身で出向かなかったのは志津川の手前の清水というところに猫のボスがいるからだった。子分を大勢従えているので、カッパやムジナや狐はこの猫のボスを恐れていたという。
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1937年のこと。話者の祖母が友人と小泉川の河口近くに草刈りに行って、あまりに暑いので泳いでいたところ、祖母はカッパに引っ張られて溺れて死んだ。死体の肛門から内臓が抜かれていたという。
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小泉川に架かっている梨の木橋にはカッパが出るという。
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カッパは海と川にいて、子どもの肝を抜いて食う。
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Below a rock called Karudo-Iwa カルド岩 at the river pool Kumandobuchi 熊ん堂淵 was a hole where a Kappa lived.
The narrator had once seen the dead body of a drowned man, with its intestines all having torn out of the anus and fallen to the river bed 川底.

There are other legends about mosters at the Kumandobuchi.

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仙台市 Sendai
7月7日に、胡瓜を食べて水浴びすると、河童に腹部を刳り貫かれる。ことに、北上川沿岸で恐れられている。

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柴田郡柴田町 Shibata village
河童で有名なのは遠野。ここらにはいない。話には、川に人を引く、頭に皿があり、頭の皿に水が無くなる弱る、と聞いている。

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川魚村 ?Kawasakana mura 伊草村 Igusamura
伊草のクサ坊と越辺の久兵衛という河童がいた。ある時子供が遊んでいるところに来て火を乞うたが、今はないから二度目に来いと答えた。次に来たとき「河童火やろ」と言うと「イエ」と言い、行ってしまった。
Kappa hi yaroo

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沖の田の河童 The Kappa from Okitabashi
昔、ある里人が、沖の田橋の近くを散歩していたとき、知り合いの爺さんが、誰かと相撲をとっているのを見た。すると、突然、その里人は、「おい！爺さん、気をつけろ！そいつは、人間に化けた河童だぞ！」と叫んだ。

その後、その爺さんが、「何で、河童だとわかったんだ？」と聞いたところ、その里人は、「河童は、人間の尻の穴から手を入れて、腸を取って食べようとしている。あいつは、相撲をとっているとき、爺さんの尻にばかり手をまわしていた。だから、河童だとわかったんだ」と答えたという。

参考『気仙沼市史 Ⅶ 民俗・宗教編』
( 気仙沼市／本吉町沖の田 )

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『三条近春と河童』。昔、この里に、“ 三条小太夫近春 ”という武士が住んでいた。ある日、近春が、自分の馬を川に･･･。
昔、この里に、“ 三条小太夫近春 ”という武士が住んでいた。ある日、近春が、自分の馬を川に連れて行き、体を洗ってやっていると、突然、馬が暴れだした。

不審に思った近春が、馬のまわりを見てみると、河童が、馬の尻尾に、ぶらさがって遊んでいる。近春は激怒して、「私の馬に、何ということをするんだ！この無礼者め！」と叫んで、持っていた鞭で、河童を激しく叩いた。

すると、その河童は、「ごめんなさい…。ごめんなさい…。水遁に関する巻物と詫び証文をあげるから、許してください」と言って、泣きながら、その二つの物を近春にさしだしたという。

近春は、たいへん泳ぎが上手だったという。また、この伝承の詫び証文に関して、本吉町誌Ⅱには、「この証文石は天候の観察に役立つといわれ、また一説には、水にもぐるために使用した石だともいわれており今も伝えられております」とある。

参考『本吉町誌Ⅱ 』　( 気仙沼市／本吉町 )

- source : legend.main.jp/50-kesennuma

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気仙沼市本吉町小泉 Kesennuma, Motoyoshicho

八幡神社
［宮城県気仙沼市本吉町小泉］??
この八幡神社はヨダワケノミコトをお祀りした神社で、天文12（1584）年に建立されました。桃山時代ですね。当時小泉地区には小泉城があって、殿様の三条小太夫近春（さんじょうこだゆうちかはる）が中舘平五郎信常（なかだてへいごろうのぶつね）を宇佐八幡宮にやって、そのころは交通機関も何もないもんですから、1年かけて歩いて行ってね。九州・大分の宇佐八幡宮が日本全国の八幡様の総本宮なんですよ。格が高くなってくると、八幡「神社」ではなくて、八幡「宮」になるんです。そこから分霊してもらったのが始まりなんですね。小泉城の跡は、今朝磯（けさいそ）の仮設住宅のところにあるんです。
snip

なぜそんなことができたかという、おかしな話があってね。近春が小泉の川に馬に乗って入って馬を洗っていると、河童がいたんだそうです。河童が馬に悪さをしていたので、近春が河童を「お前、そんなことしちゃだめじゃねか」っていきなり押さえて、えらく説教したんだそうですよ。「いや殿様、助けてくれたから大事なことを教えてあげます」と、水遁（スイトン）の術っていって、水に長時間潜っていられる術を授けたんだそうです。それで、沼に身を隠したんですね。
伊達の家来は、「近春は死んだ、もう万歳だから帰ろう」と言って去って行った。伊達の家来が帰った時に、近春はこそこそ上がってきて、小泉に帰ってきたんです。次の年になっても、伊達家からまた、「来い」と命令があって、近春も今年はダメだって覚悟したんですよ。「今度行ってまた水の中に隠れても見つかってしまうだろう」と。それで、もう八幡神社のお祭りは見納めだからと、早めにお祭りをやって、そして覚悟して出て行ったんですね。
［宮城県気仙沼市本吉町小泉］??
source :　kikigaki.rq-center.jp

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気仙沼河童堂 Kesennuma Kappa-Do
釣具・釣餌店 shop for fishing equipment
宮城県気仙沼市赤岩石兜55-1

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- reference - nichibun.ac.jp -

- reference -

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappamiyagi #miyagi -
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3/20/2015

Yamagata Prefecture

Its capital is Yamagata city.
During the Heian Period (794–1185), the Fujiwara (藤原) family ruled the area. Yamagata City flourished during the Edo Period (1603–1867) due to its status as a castle town and post station, famous for beni (red safflower dye used in the production of handspun silk). In 1689, the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō visited Yamagata during his five-month trip to the northern regions of Japan.
- more in the wikipedia -

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CLICK for more photos !

Mahoroba Kappa Matsuri　まほろば河童まつり
August 4, 2013 - 高畠町 Takahata Machi
As for mikoshi portable shrine and parade, "the naga" is the main event or kappa having fun!
- source : yamagatakanko.com

2014年8月3日 August 2014
「河童神輿行列」Kappa Mikoshi Parade from the school
- source and more photos : 高畠四中 -　学校日誌

. mahoroba まほろば a place of peace and bliss - and Kappa .

Kappatsunao Festival

Kappa legend ... ... which is handed down to Mogami River
「松川の河童伝説」Matsukawa no Kappa Densetsu　

A cucumber roll of 250m in length . . .
- source : yamagatakanko.jp.e.db.hp.

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Legend about the Kappa living in river Mogamigawa 最上川に住む河童

Once upon a time
there lived a village headman at the banks of river Mogamigawa - and he had a very beautiful daughter!
She was his only daughter and he loved her so very much and cared for her lovingly.
But one day all of a sudden her face became all pale green and she got worse every day.
He called a doctor to cure her, but he did not know the reason for her illness. And the girl herself also did not know what had gotten into her all of a sudden.

So the desparate father went to the miko 巫女 Shinto shrine shaman lady to have a look at the girl. The miko knew the answer:
"This is the deed of a Kappa. Seems a Kappa has taken a fancy to your daughter. If you can get hold of a skilfull Buddhist priest, he can perform a ritual of "Cutting off the Road" (michi kiri 道切) to catch the Kappa."

So the village headman went to an old temple and asked the priest to perform the exorcism rites 道切りの呪文.
The priest went to the river Mogamigawa, from where the Kappa made his entry into the village, and began his prayers and chanting.
As he was praying, the waters receeded very fast.

"Let go of the spell you put onto the headman's daughter, old Kappa!
Bring us a written statement 証文 that you will never harm anyone in this village and leave it here until tomorrow morning. If you do not comply, I will take away all the water of this river!"

When the priest called out his request, there was a feeble answer from the river:
"Ok, Ok, please wait until tomorrow morning!"

From the next morning on, the daughter was free of the evil spell and beautiful as ever.
And at the front gate of the temple where the priest lived there was a scroll with the promise of the Kappa.

It seems this scroll is still held in honor at a temple in Takahata.
Just to think that there was a priest who could retract all the water of the river Mogamigawa!

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michikiri, michi-kiri 道切 / 道切り "Cutting off the Road"
tsujigiri 辻切り（つじぎり） cutting off a crossroad

- wikipedia -

At the part where the main road enters a village, Dososhin deities are enshrined, sacred 注連縄　shimenawa ropes (or sometimes snakes made of straw) and other amulets are hung and 草履　zori (or waraji) straw sandals are offered to the deities in order to prevent evil spirits and monsters (or Kappa in this story) from entering and drive them away.

勧請縄 Kanjonawa rope

. Dosojin 道祖神 Dososhin - Wayside Deities .

A straw figure at the roadside to ward off evil influence:
. O-Ningyoo Sama お人形様　 O-Ningyo Sama .
Figures of "boundary deities" sakaigami 境神 like this were put at the entrance of a village to ward off evil.

. tsujigiri 辻斬り "to kill someone at a crossroad" .

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最上川河童舟下り A Kappa going down the river Mogamigawa

source :　kappauv.com/sub3/hakubutu/ - Kappa Museum

In the front of the pottery boat a female Kappa is sitting, enjoying the boat ride.

Mogamigawa - kappa tobikomu mizu no oto

this old river -
the sound of water
as the Kappa jumps in

五月雨を集めてはやし最上川
samidare o atsumete hayashi Mogamigawa

-Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - おくのほそ道
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Matsuo Basho　松尾芭蕉
. - - - Station 28 - Mogamigawa 最上川 - - - .

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- reference -

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappayamagata #yamagata -
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3/18/2015

moss koke

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- KAPPA - 河童 / かっぱ /　カッパ - ABC-Index -
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- koke 苔 moss and Kappa - Moos -

If horses eat a bit from the moss growing on the grave of Lord Ozumi 大積隆鎮 of Fukushima, a Kappa will not be able to pull them into water.

. Kappa legends from Fukushima .

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On the other hand,
there are many stone statues of Kappa overgrown with moss.

CLICK for more photos !

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Others look like a Kappa !

CLICK for more photos !

long rain -
colorful moss grows
into a Kappa

Gabi Greve, 2015

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. WKD - koke 苔 moss .
- Introduction -

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappamoss #moss #koke #kappakoke -
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Kappa History

- quote
The kappa, a water goblin that has become almost the emblem of Japanese folklore,
is not to be found in medieval tale literature at all.
Above all, farmers and their preoccupations, so basic to the modern folktale, are rare in the older literature.
Although they do include popular elements, the medieval collections are not folk literature.
- source : books.google.co.jp

. Legends and Folktales from Japan - Introduction .

- source : 河童日本紀行

size of Kappa during history
During the Edo period it was still seen as about 150 cm, now it has gone down to 120 cm.

Some Kappa legends can be dated by the persons involved, names of a local lord or a famous priest.
Records are kept in temples, shrines, villages and old families.

Here are legends about the Kappa dating before 1600.

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Fukushima 福島県

. Gennō Shinshō 源翁心昭 Priest Genno Shinsho .
(1329 - 1400)

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Ibaraki 茨城県

. Tetsugi Jinja 手接神社 .
lit. "The Shrine of the Grafted Arm"
. . . some say it was toward the end of the Heian period, on a late afternoon, the Lord Serizawa 芹澤氏　was riding alone along the banks of a river.

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Kyushu　九州　

Kagoshima 鹿児島
. Toda Kannon 戸田観音 .
Lord Shibuya Tokushige Kedo-In 渋谷（祁答院）徳重, 1459

Kumamoto 熊本県　and Fukuoka　福岡県
. - Tanushimaru 田主丸 - Kumamoto and Fukuoka - .
九千坊 Kyusenbo　- coming from China

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Miyagi 宮城県　　

. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 .
(758 - 811)

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. - - - Join my Kappa friends on facebook ! - - - .

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappahistory #history -
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3/15/2015

Fukushima Prefecture

Fukushima Prefecture (福島県 Fukushima-ken)
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu.
The capital is the city of Fukushima.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Some legends are about the water yokai 水の伝説.

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福島県 Fukushima prefecture

Once upon a time
Father and Mother Kappa lived in the river together on friendly terms with the village children.
One day one of the bad kids poured the water out of the Kappa's plate. From that day on, the Kappa were not seen any more. But every year during the O-Bon festival for the ancestors in late summer, when people floated the lanterns for the dead 盆に川灯籠を流す, there never was a river accident with any casualties.
--
The relationship between Kappa and the cucumbers is close, here it is even called
Kappakyuuri かっぱきゅうり.
It is also related to the 天王祭 Tennoo Sai Festival on June 15.

kyuuri tenno sai きゅうり天王祭 Tennoo Festival with cucumbers

also celebrated in other prefectures, for example in Yamagata at Yasaka Jinja 八坂神社.

「きゅうり天王さん」Kyuri Tennoo San, 「きゅうり天王さま」Kyuri Tenno Sama
Kappa Matsuri「かっぱまつり」。
At first people offer cucumbers and pray for health and protection of disasters for the coming year.
- source : www.yachi-hachiman.jp
山形県西村山郡河北町谷地224

. The Deity Tennoo, Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王) and the Gion Festival .

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At the temple 玉泉寺 Gyokusen-Ji there is the grave of the warlord 大積伊賀守隆鎮

source :　moji-blog.seesaa.net
大積隆鎮の墓 Ozumi, the former Lord at 門司城の主 Moji Castle.

If horses eat a bit from the moss growing on the grave, a Kappa will not be able to pull them into water.

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In the deep river water there live the Kappa who pull the children's chinchin (penis).
In the deep mountains there lives the Old Woman of the Mountain, Yamanba 山姥.
So you should never go to the river alone or go to the mountains alone.
In the mountains also wear a bell (as usually done to protect against bears.)

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福島市 Fukushima city

On the 4th day of May at Moniwa, people throw one mochi rice cake into the river for the Kappa. (It seems to be a botamochi).
Moniwa Lake - Naka Moniwa 中茂庭

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12月1日
On December 1 is the day of Kappare カッパレ（川入り） going into the water.
Once upon a time a mother was worried about her son who went to the beach swimming every day. She worried he might be eaten by Kappako かっぱっこ（河童）. So she made him many botamochi ぼた餅 rice cakes to feed to the Kappa and spare his life instead.

. botamochi 牡丹餅 "peony rice balls" .
(round glutinous rice balls covered in bean paste)

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Fukushima 福島市飯坂町 Iizaka

12月1日
December 1 is the day of Kappare カッパレ, Kapparia カッパリヤ.
People do not work but go to the river and throw botamochi into the water.
Children who eat botamochi offered to the Buddhist alter on this day will not have a water accident caused by a Kappa in the coming summer.

Once the father of a Kappa was very ill and would only survive if he could eat the raw liver of a child. So the Kappa was trying to capture a child, but when they gave him botamochi instead, he gave those to his ill father - and oh wonder - he was healed.
So even now people eat botamochi on this day and will not be pulled into the water by a kappa.

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双葉郡 Futaba gun 双葉町 Futaba village

. . . as of March 2011
the entire population was evacuated as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Since 2013, only 4% of the town has been open to visitors.

One day in summer a long time ago
when a farmer was cutting weeds, a Kappa grabbed the tail of the horse. The horse was surprized and run away. When the farmer found the horse, the Kappa was still hanging on to it but near death. So the good farmer let the Kappa escape into the river.
To show his gratitude, the Kappa taught him how to make a good medicine for broken bones and wounds 骨接ぎの妙薬.
The medicine uo no me no kusuri 魚の目の薬 - is also good for corns on the sole of feet (lit. "eye of a fish")

双葉郡 Futaba 浪江町 Namie village

. . . as of March 2011
the entire population was evacuated as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and the town is effectively a ghost town.

Around 1675 延宝年間,
the child of a farmer played with a Kappa at the river near Takasemura 高瀬村の川 and received a cup. But the Kappa told the child never to talk about it, and if he did he would die.
Every day the child could pull out one piece of gold from the cup and now the kid was able to buy a lot of things. But his parents soon got suspicious and thought he was stealing things. They asked the kid and when he finally told the story, he tonshi 頓死 fell dead after telling it all.
The cup is now a treasure at the temple Yakushi-Ji 薬師寺.
The Kappa were quite active in this region, but the large water snake 大蛇 was even more dangerous.

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いわき市 Iwaki Town

One day in summer a long time ago
when a farmer was cutting weeds, a Kappa grabbed the tail of the horse. The horse was surprized and run away. When the farmer found the horse, the Kappa was still hanging on to it but near death. So the good farmer let the Kappa escape into the river. The medicine is still made and sold by the family.
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Before doing a wrestling match 相撲を取る with a Kappa you have to make sure the water is spilled from its plate on the head.
Or eat the Buddhist rice offerings before the bout.

. buppan 仏飯 Buddhist rice offerings - .
and other things a Kappa dislikes and fears　嫌物
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Once two young brothers played at a narrow riverside. They were about to catch a frog when they fell into the river and disappeared. Other kids called the parents and all began to search for them. When they finally found their dead bodies in a deep waterhole, they had burning wounds on their anus and all the innards were taken out.
- This was the deed of a Kappa!

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南会津郡 Minami Aizu

An old grandfather lived in a small hut near the river. One day he heard a voice outside asking for fire. It was the sweet voice of a child. But the grandfather knew what to do.
"Kappa I will give you fire" 河童火をやろう he shouted and at once someone jumped the river.

南会津郡 Minami Aizu 桧枝岐村 Hinoematamura

A Kappa shapeshifted into a broom 箒 made of brushwood and enjoyed himself sweeping. The poeple of this home caught him and made him promise never to come back. The Kappa even had to sign a contract 詫誓文 on this before they let him go.

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石川郡 Ishikawa gun 平田村 Hirata village

There are two stones by the river which have a dent as if two Kappa had been sitting there for a long time. They are called 親河童の石、子河童の石 - stone of Father Kappa and stone of Son Kappa.
Nowadays people try to throw pepples into these dents and if they hit, it will bring good luck to them.

. Kappa ishi 河童石 Kappa stone legends - Introduction .

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大沼郡 Onuma gun 金山町 Kaneyamamachi

At 大栗山の弁天沼 the Benten swamp near Mount Okuriyama there live Kappa.
The Kappa from river 只見川 Tadamigawa like cucumbers.
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If you eat cucumbers before going into a river, a Kappa will pull out your anus ゲス（尻）.
This is maybe a story to teach children to keep the stomach warm in summer.

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Kappa ishi 河童石 Kappa stone legends

. かっぱの湯 Kappa no Yu .
At the river Nojirigawa 野尻川 there was a Kappa stone.
At the river pool called Araifuchi 洗い淵 people come to wash the horses. . . .

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白河郡 Shirakawa gun 表郷村 Omotego Mura

At the Genpatsunuma ゲンパツ沼 / 源八沼 Genpatsu swamp (Genpachi swamp) a Kappa used to pull horses into the water.
After a priest had prayed at the swamp, the Kappa did not appear any more.
Another version knows that the priest made the Kappa sign a contract not to harm horses any more.
and
On a rainy night the Kappa would shapeshift into a lady and lure people who walked along there. The Zen priest Genno 源翁禅師 from the temple 常在院 Jozai-In lectured the Kappa about evil deeds and then the Kappa never did anything bad again.

. Gennō Shinshō 源翁心昭 Genno Shinsho .
(1329 - 1400)
源翁禅師 Genno Zenji, 心昭空外 Shinsho Kugai, a monk of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism who also smashed the "murder stone"and is subject to many legends.
Even Matsuo Basho visited the famous "murder stone" 殺生石.

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Once the malicious Kappa from Genpachinuma swamp, who alwayas pulled horses and children into the water, got caught. He had to promise to deliver food trays お膳 when people needed them for celebrations, before the farmers let him go.
This went on for some time, until someone forgot to bring the trays back.
From then on, the Kappa was not seen any more.

A similar legend is know in Aichi:
. Kappa legends from Aichi prefecture 愛知県 .
Zenwanbuchi 膳椀淵 "river pool for trays and bowls".
and more about food trays and bowls for celebrations.

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耶麻郡 Yama gun 高郷村 Takasatomura

４月７日
If people go swimming in the river on April 7, they will be pulled into the waster by a Kappa.

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When children go to the river in Summer, especially July and August they should not eat cucumbers before going into the water, otherwise a Kappa would pull them into the water.

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福島県田村市船引 Tamura Town

. 芸の里かっぱ村』 Kogei no Sato - Kappamura .

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福島県岩瀬郡 Iwase gun 天栄村 Teneimura, Tenei-mura
Kappabuchi 河童淵（天栄村）

Kappa no wabi shomon 河童のわび証文 The pledge of excuse from the Kappa

In the Edo period there lived a Lord named 馬場八郎左工門 Baba Hachirozaemon who liked to play Go　碁, a kind of Japanese chess.
One day he forgot all about the time when playing Go with the priest at temple 女郎寺 and and was on his way to the castle during the evening dusk. Suddenly his beloved horse 愛馬大月 jumped in fear and when he turned around he saw a Kappa trying to grab at the tail of his horse and pull it into the river.
The Lord got quite angry and wanted to kill the Kappa on the spot. But the Kappa pleaded apologetically while shedding tears:
"I have a family and many children to feed. If you kill me now, they will hve all to wander along the roads to survive. Please, do not kill me!"

source and more photos :　fukuzo555jp

So the Lord let him go but he had to promise to protect the local children from water accidents. The Kappa came to sign a contract in stone which was then buried deep in the ground with a heavy boulder on top. Next a sanctuary build atop of it. This was the shrine Akazu Jinja 不開神社あかずじんじゃ "Shrine not to open", now written 赤津神社あかつじんじゃ Akatsu Jinja .
The Kappa here is a deity to protect from water accidents.

Even in our times there is flooding in the area once in a while, but never have there been human accitents or animals killed in the water. People still come here to pray for protection. But now there is just a simple torii gate in the fields.

- reference -

shared by Hayato, Kappapedia facebook

. Go game, Igo 囲碁 - Japanese Chess .

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Kankichi かん吉
Fukushima 福島県を流れる片貝川

. Kappa Mascots from Tohoku .

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- - - - - reference - - - - -

怪異・妖怪伝承データベース
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp

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by 馬場牧子

another spring -
can the Kappa survive
radioactivity ?

Gabi Greve, March 11, 2015

. The Big Earthquake March 11, 2011, 14:46 .
東北地方太平洋沖地震
magnitude 9:0

Facebook - Tohoku Information

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. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk　Art from Japan .

- #kappafukushima #fukushima -
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