乗鞍高原の伝説や民話

Norikura Plateau is home to many legends and folk tales that have been passed down in the region and are recorded in several books.
Legends related to mountain worship, connections with warlords during the turbulent Sengoku period, and stories handed down at a place that is now a popular viewpoint for Norikura... This time, we will introduce five stories from books that contain the legends and folk tales of Norikura Plateau.

Legends and Folktales of Norikura Kogen

❶ Legend of the Dragon God

Since prehistoric times, Mount Norikura has been worshipped as a sacred mountain by farmers in the Matsumoto Plain and the Suwa region.
The entry for the 9th year of the Jogan era (867) in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku (Chronicles of Three Deities) mentions Azusa Mizukami, a god of the sixth rank, and this Azusa Mizukami is none other than Mt. Norikura, whose place of worship was anciently located in Miyanohara on the Ono River. There is a large pond here that looks just like Gongen Pond on Mt. Norikura, and people revered this large pond as the divine pond. Since ancient times, it has been said that if water from this pond is taken and sowed in the seedbed, rice will grow well, and that if water is taken and sowed during a drought, rain will fall, and the pond is known for its miraculous powers.

There is a small island in this large pond (Oike) where two deities, Benzaiten and Norikura Gongen, are enshrined.
Long ago, a dragon god lived in the deep part of this pond, but one day an old bear fell into the pond and died. The dragon god was angry at this, finding it filthy. Suddenly, the sky became cloudy and dark, and purple clouds began to form around the pond. Before we knew it, the bear had gone to Norikura's Gongen Pond (Ichinoike Pond), which is said to have made the pond shallower and caused grass to grow there.
It is also said that the dragon god's head is in Gongen Pond on Mount Norikura, its body in this large pond, and its tail in Lake Suwa. There is also a legend that because the villagers were afraid of the pond, throwing stones into it or stirring it with a stick would cause a violent storm.

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❷ Hidetsuna became the god of sericulture

In the early autumn of 1585 (Tensho 13), a group of people was trying to secretly cross a mountain pass along the Hida road, heading straight for Shinshu. These people were Miki Hidetsuna, lord of Hida Matsukura Castle, and his wife, who were attempting to escape under cover of darkness and seek refuge in Hata Castle in Chikuma County, Shinshu. The Miki clan was known throughout the country, to the point that they were said to have no enemies in all of Hida. However, at the end of the Warring States period, when Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnoji Temple and the world began to lean towards Hideyoshi's rule, the fate of the Miki clan, who were loyal to Nobunaga, took a turn for the worse. They were chased out of the castle by the Kanamori clan, who were on Hideyoshi's side and had long held ties with them.

Parting ways with his wife for a while and deciding to meet at Hata Castle, Hidetsuna crossed the Awa Pass alone, passed Shirahone Onsen, and entered Onogawa Village. Escaping his pursuers, he ran into a farmhouse, where the owner was kind enough to hide Hidetsuna in a mulberry basket used for sericulture. Having escaped with his life, Hidetsuna thanked the farmer profusely and headed back towards Hoshi Pass, aiming for Hata Castle, but was found by his pursuers and lost his life.
However, a few years later, the house that had hidden Hidetsuna had a huge success with silkworms, and the villagers, envious of this, began to worship Hidetsuna at the Silkworm Spirit Shrine.

For a walk around Yaseo Shrine (legendary tour course), click here

3. Zengoro Falls

A story from the Edo period. There was a fisherman named Zengoro in this village. One day, Zengoro went down to the Oono River and gradually pulled his fish upstream. Usually, after two or three hours of fishing, his biku (a fishing tackle used to carry caught fish) would be full, but on this day he didn't even bother to pull in the bait. As he continued to fish upstream, the sun set behind Mt. Norikura, creating a beautiful evening glow.
Suddenly, I heard a roaring sound from above, and when I got closer, I saw a huge waterfall.

Zengoro regained his senses and thought, "Okay, I'll finally catch a big one here and go home," and quietly let the bait drift. After a few minutes, he felt a definite bite and tried to pull it up, but it wouldn't come up. The char swam around in the pool of the waterfall, pulling the line deeper and deeper into the edge. Finally, Zengoro sensed his life was in danger, let go of the fishing rod, and ran home as fast as he could. Having barely made it home alive, Zengoro fell ill and fell ill to his bed.
After this incident, this waterfall came to be called "Zengoro Falls."

For a walk around Zengoro Falls (Zengoro Falls/Ushidome Pond course), click here

❹ Sengenbuchi and Wishes

The Ono River is surrounded by mountains and valleys, and there is a lot of good quality timber at the foot of Norikura deep in the mountains, but there are no roads to transport the timber, so in the past it was transported by floating it down the valley stream or dropping it down the steep slopes.
One year, he cut down a pile of firewood about 1,000 ken (one ken is a pile of 1.8m x 1.8m) and threw it into the valley stream, but it went missing along the way.

A few days later, a woodcutter was passing by Senma-buchi and found a thousand meters of floating firewood. The villagers were overjoyed, and attributed this to the gods, so they offered sacred sake and celebrated. At the time, they had no plates to serve the food on, so they went to wash leaves to use as substitutes, and miraculously, the necessary number of plates floated to the edge of the pond. After that, if anyone went here to ask for something, the plates would immediately float up.
However, one day, someone didn't return something they had borrowed, and from then on, no matter how many wishes people made, the gods would no longer listen.

For a walk around Sengenbuchi (Bansho Falls and Sengenbuchi Tour Course), click here

❺ The story of the boiler

In the middle of Sengokudaira there is a place called "Kamaba." There, rocks stand like a folding screen, and the width of the Oono River that flows from Mt. Norikura is greatly narrowed. The water gurgles and bubbles as if it is being poured into a huge cauldron, then sinks gently into the deep pool and flows down again as if nothing had happened.

There has long been a story that kappa live in Kamaba. One day, two children from the village were playing in the area, but they didn't return home by dusk. After searching all night and failing to find them, their parents begged a monk to help them find the children. The monk prayed earnestly on a rock by the kettle, and on the seventh day, he heard the sounds of children laughing and playing happily somewhere. He opened his eyes and looked around, but there was no sign of anyone. As he continued to pray earnestly, he heard the children's happy voices as if coming from deep under the water. The monk told his grieving parents, "It looks like they're playing in Kappa Village. That's a relief."
Since then, a lively festival has been held on July 7th, the day the two children disappeared, in hopes of their return.

Click here for a walk around the boiler room (legendary tour course)

In addition to the stories we have introduced this time, there are several other legends and folktales hidden in this region. Spending time here while coming into contact with the various stories passed down in the region and thinking about the historical backgrounds, characters, and natural mysteries of the stories... It may be like a spice that allows you to experience the region on a deeper level. It will surely add a lot to the enjoyment of your trip. If you are interested, we highly recommend a trip that puts the spotlight on legends and folktales and takes you on a leisurely tour of Norikura Plateau.

[References]
The Tale of Norikura in the Northern Alps: Narrated by Tatsuyoshi Fukushima / Written by Takeshi Nagasawa
History and Folklore of Norikura: Edited by Nagano Prefectural Cultural Properties Preservation Association
Azumi Village Folktales (1): Azumi Village Folktale Association