Nara
-Nara City Area
1. (yokai) The Demon of Gango-ji (元興寺の鬼)
Site: Nara Hotel (奈良ホテル)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Nara Stn. (奈良駅) or (Kintetsu Line) Kintetsu-Nara Stn. (近鉄奈良駅)
Google Map Search: "Nara Hotel Takabatakecho"
Notes:
It's not so much the hotel but the land it occupies that is significant
to our tale of a demon that terrorized nearby Gango-ji Temple.
Entry: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2017/02/xxviii-nara-hotel-or-demon-of-gango-ji.html
2. (yokai) The Demon of Gango-ji (元興寺の鬼)
Site: The Crossroad of Suspicion or Fushin ga Tsuji (不審ヶ辻)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Nara Stn. (奈良駅)
Google Map Search: NA
Notes: The crossroad marks the grave of a 6th century burglar who was a menace in life and death.
Entry: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2017/06/xxx-crossroad-of-suspicion-or-demon-of.html
3. (yokai) The Demon of Gango-ji (元興寺の鬼)
Site: Gango-ji (元興寺)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Nara Stn. (奈良駅) or Kyobate Stn. (京終駅)
Google Map Search: "Gango-ji Nara"
Notes: Gango-ji is the temple from which our tale gets its name. You can still visit what's left of it on your trip to Nara City. Gango-ji is about
five blocks' south of Kofukuji.
Entry: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2017/03/xxix-gango-ji-temple-or-demon-of-gango.html
4. (ghost) The Speaking Skull
Site: Gango-ji (元興寺)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Nara Stn. (奈良駅) or Kyobate Stn. (京終駅)
Google Map Search: "Gango-ji Nara"
Notes:
Gango-ji was the residence of Doutou and his disciple Manryo. While out
on a stroll, they came across a human skull in rather bad shape. At
Doutou's suggestion, Manryo stuck the skull up in a tree to stop it from
getting kicked around and all muddy. Of course he did. Not long after, a
man appeared at Gango-ji, and ghostliness ensued. Gango-ji is about
five blocks' south of Kofukuji.
Entry: (see above)
5. (ghost) Grudge-Bearing Spirits, or Onryo (怨霊)
Site: Goryo Jinja (御霊神社)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Nara Stn. (奈良駅) or Kyobate Stn. (京終駅)
Google Map Search: "Goryo Shrine Nara"
Notes: "Goryo" is a system of Shinto that enshrines the wrathful or vengeful dead, transforming them into protective entities. This shrine prominently enshrines Empress Igami (8th century), who was accused of putting a curse on her husband. After she died in prison, natural disasters and other odd phenomenon followed, and she was enshrined to calm her spirit. This Goryo Shrine is about six blocks' south of Kofukuji.
-South of Nara City Area, Including Sakurai and Asuka
1. (Shinto) Snakes (蛇、巳); and the Shinto rain god Omononushi (大物主)
Site: Omiwa Shrine (大神神社)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Miwa Stn. (三輪駅)
Google Map Search: "Omiwa Shrine Sakurai" <-- The English on the map for some reason just comes up as "Shinto Shrine." To make sure you have the right location, look for Miwa Stn. just to the west of the shrine.
Notes: Omiwa Shrine is an early Shinto site on Mt. Miwa, a mountain which houses the rain god Omononushi. The shrine is associated with several snake legends and an ancient account of how a half human/half kami known as Otataneko saved the land from a terrible epidemic.
Entry (Part 1): http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2016/06/xix-omiwa-shrine-and-hashihaka-part-1.html
Entry (Part 2): http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2016/06/xix-omiwa-shrine-and-hashihaka-part-2.html
2. (Shinto/historical) Snakes (蛇、巳); and the Shinto rain god Omononushi (大物主)
Site: Hashihaka Tumulus (箸墓古墳)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Makimuku Stn. (巻向駅)
Google Map Search: "Hashihaka" <-- Be mindful that the pin appears at a place on the mound that is inaccessible. You can only walk the perimeter of a kofun. You cannot enter one (it's like walking on a grave).
Notes: By the traditional account, Hashihaka is the burial mound of Yamato-totohi-momoso-hime, aunt of Emperor Sujin (r. 97-30 BC) and consort of the deity Omononushi. In recent years it has become a likely candidate for the resting place of Queen Himiko, the shaman ruler who appears in early Chinese records pertaining to the Land of Wa (Japan).
Entry (Part 1): http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2016/06/xix-omiwa-shrine-and-hashihaka-part-1.html
Entry (Part 2): http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2016/06/xix-omiwa-shrine-and-hashihaka-part-2.html
3. (yokai) The Face Powder Hag, or Oshiroi Baba (白粉婆); The Oshiroi Baba of Hasedera Temple (長谷寺の白粉婆)
Site: Hase-dera (長谷寺)
Nearest Station: (Kintetsu Line) Hasedera Stn. (長谷寺駅)
Google Map Search: "Hase-dera Temple Nara"
Notes: In 1537, Oshiroi Baba is said to have performed a "Feeding the Multitude" type of miracle for a large group of visiting artisan monks. A temple was built on the grounds of Hase-dera in her honor, which still exists to this day. The temple has many buildings, but if you do a google image seach for "白粉婆 長谷寺" (Oshiroi Baba and Hase-dera in Japanese), a picture of what to look for should pop up as the second or third image.
4. (historical) Abe no Seimei (安倍の晴明)
Site: Abe Monju-in (安倍文殊院)
Nearest Station: (JR Line) Sakurai Stn. (桜井駅) or (Kintetsu Line) Sakurai Stn. (桜井駅) - the stations are side by side
Google Map Search: "Abe Monju-in" or "Abe Monju-in Nara"
Notes: Abe no Seimei (lit. Seimei of clan Abe) was a famous Heian era practitioner of onmyodo - a discipline combining cosmology, natural sciences and the occult. He is sometimes referred to as the Merlin of Japan, and though Seimei was a historical figure, the legends that have sprung up around him make this a valid comparison. He was said to have been able to control demons, and his long life was credited to his Yokai ancestry: his mother, Kuzunoha, was a fox spirit. Abe Monju-in is another location said to be the birthplace of Abe no Seimei that I have listed on this site (Abe Seimei Shrine in Osaka being the other). Of the two, Abe Monju-in seems to be more regarded as a historical site.
-Yoshino Area and Beyond
1. (yokai) White Snake (白蛇)
Site: Ryusenji (龍泉寺 or 竜泉寺)
Nearest Station: (Kintetsu Line) Shimoichiguchi Stn. (下市口駅) for the Dorogawa Onsen (洞川温泉) bus
Google Map Search: "Ryusen-ji Dorogawa"
Notes: Long ago, a man in Dorogawa married a woman and together they had a child. The wife told her husband, "When you come home from the mountains, be sure to call out, 'I'm home!' so I know you're coming." This he did for a while without giving it too much thought, but one day he decided to enter his house without making a sound. Inside he found his wife, who appeared as a coiled up white snake. Seen in her true form, she entrusted the child to her husband and hid herself away in a nearby pond. As she departed, she gave to her child one of her eyeballs. The child sucked on the eyeball and grew, and over time the eyeball eventually became smaller and smaller until it was nothing. The snake reappeared and gave to the child its other eyeball, but without eyes, the snake was now blind. No longer able to tell the time of day, the snake asked that a bell be rung three times in the morning and six times in the evening. The husband built a temple on the edge of the pond and it was named Ryusen-ji (Dragon Spring Temple). The temple still houses the bell, which continues to be rung today. To get to Ryusen-ji, go to Shimoichiguchi Stn. and take the No. 2 bus in front of the station for Dorogawa Onsen. The bus trip is 90 minutes, and you'll be getting off at the last stop (Dorogawa Onsen). The temple is only a five-minute walk from there.
2. (yokai) Giant Snake or Daija (大蛇)
Site: Akodaki Waterfall (阿古滝) near Ominesan-ji Temple (大峯山寺)
Nearest Station: (Kintetsu Line) Shimoichiguchi Stn. (下市口駅) for the Dorogawa Onsen (洞川温泉) bus
Google Map Search: Look up both "Ominesanji" and "阿古滝" to get your bearings. If you're having trouble finding Akodaki, it will appear on Google Maps about 1 km east of Ominesan-ji, just south of a fork in a river.
Notes: Two hundred years after the Shugendo temple on Mt. Omine was established, a daija took up residence in the mountains near Akodaki waterfall, causing the mountain to fall into ruin. The high priest Shobo (aka Rigen Daishi) and Hakoya Kanbe, a man of great strength, entered the mountains to deal with the menace. Kanbe first flushed out the daija by blowing a giant conch shell, which was said to have been as loud as a hundred conch shells (hyakkai). Shobo then used his ascetic powers to put a spell on the creature; while Kanbe, wielding a hefty ax, finished the daija off by cutting it in two. The mountain was restored to prosperity and it remains a sacred site if you happen to be a Shugendo pilgrim... and a man. Mt. Omine is now the only religious site in all of Japan still off limits to women. So, fellas, to get to Ominesan-ji, go to Shimoichiguchi Stn. and take the No. 2 bus in front of the station for Dorogawa Onsen. The bus trip is 90 minutes, chaps, and you'll be getting off at the last stop (Dorogawa Onsen). It's then about a 4-hour hike to Ominesan-ji and further to Akodaki waterfall. One more thing, boyos, Ominesan-ji is open from May 3 to September 23 each year. Keep that in mind as you plan your trip, dudes.
3. (yokai) Giant Snake or Daija (大蛇)
Site: Hokakuji Temple (鳳閣寺)
Nearest Station: (Yoshino Ropeway) Yoshinoyama Stn. (吉野山駅) for the bus to Okusenbon-guchi (奥千本口)
Google Map Search: "鳳閣寺"
Notes: Two hundred years after the Shugendo temple on Mt. Omine was established, a daija took up residence in the mountains near Akodaki waterfall, causing the mountain to fall into ruin. The high priest Shobo (aka Rigen Daishi) and Hakoya Kanbe, a man of great strength, entered the mountains to deal with the menace. Kanbe first flushed out the daija by blowing a giant conch shell, which was said to have been as loud as a hundred conch shells (hyakkai). Shobo then used his ascetic powers to put a spell on the creature; while Kanbe, wielding a hefty ax, finished the daija off by cutting it in two. The conch and bones of the daija are now treasures of Hokakuji, a temple that sits near the base of a mountain known fittingly as Hyakkaidake (Hyakkai Peak). Unfortunately, reaching the temple directly is difficult except by car. The cheapest way is to first take the Yoshino Ropeway to Yoshinoyama Station, and from there take the bus (a little over 20 minutes) to Okusenbon-guchi (奥千本口). Once there, it's a 5-minute walk to Kinpu Shrine (金峯神社), and from Kinpu Shrine, there is a mountain trail approximately 3.5 km long that you can take to get to Hokakuji.
4. (mytho-historical) Legends associated with Amaterasu (天照), Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇), and the three-legged crow Yatagarasu (八咫烏)
Site: Tenkawa Dai-Benzaiten Shrine 天河大弁財天社
Nearest Station: (Kintetsu Line) Shimoichiguchi Stn. (下市口駅) for the bus to Tenkawa Jinja-mae (天河神社前)/Tenkawadaibenzaitensha (天河大弁財天社)
Google Map Search: "Tenkawadaibenzaitensha"
Notes: You may have heard the story of the sun goddess Amaterasu going into hiding and retreating into a cave. She eventually came out after being drawn to the sound of the other deities laughing at Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, a goddess who delighted the throng by performing a funny dance (a striptease) on an overturned tub. While Uzume danced, she held in her hand three circular bells that were said to contain 50 kami, and Tenkawa Dai-Benzaiten Shrine claims to have in its possession this sacred object, known as the Isuzu (五十鈴). If that weren't incredible enough, Emperor Jimmu (r. 660 BCE-585 BCE), Japanese emperor numero uno, after becoming lost in the area received help from the three-legged crow Yatagarasu (八咫烏), who had been sent to aid him by Amaterasu. With Yatagarasu's help, he eventually found the kingdom of Yamato to the north. Jimmu also received here by divine oracle the term Hi no Moto (日ノ本), which came to be shortened to Nihon (日本), an alternative reading of the first and last characters that we of course know in English as Japan. To get to the shrine, go to Shimoichiguchi Stn. and take the No. 7 Nara Kotsu bus for Naka-Iosumi (中庵住). Get off at Tenkawa Jinja-mae (天河神社前)/Tenkawadaibenzaitensha (天河大弁財天社). The bus trip is about 60 minutes, and there are only three services per day.
Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yokaitourbus/
The Master Lists
Osaka: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-the-master-list-osaka.html
Hyogo: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-b-master-list-hyogo.html
Kyoto: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-c-master-list-kyoto.html
Shiga: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-d-master-list-shiga.html
Nara: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-e-master-list-nara.html
Mie: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-f-master-list-mie.html
Wakayama: http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.com/2015/08/6-g-master-list-wakayama.html
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