The series finale. Now that we know the three tales, let’s spread out the map. The remarkable thing about this legend is that every stage is a real place-name, and you can still go to most of them.
Places you can walk within the town
- Mt. Kizumi — the ogres’ stronghold. There’s a hiking course.
- Mt. Sasuto — the facing mountain where the emperor made camp.
- Sasafuku Shrine (Miyahara) — the shrine traditionally linked to the empress, Kuwashi-hime-no-Mikoto. There’s even a burial mound in the precincts.
- Onikko Land, Onimori Bridge, the ogre restrooms — the modern stations of the forgiven ogres.
A small trip to the next town — Miyauchi, Nichinan
The deepest parts of the tradition gather in Miyauchi, Nichinan Town, upstream along the Hino River.
- The East and West Sasafuku Shrines — two shrines facing each other across the Hino River, east and west, a rare form even nationwide.
- The Ogre’s Mound (Onizuka) — the mound where the slain ogre is said to be buried. The Edo gazetteer Hōki Mindan-ki records it, and the Taishō-era Hino-gun-shi confirms it “still exists today.” In the middle of the field in front of the East Sasafuku Shrine.
- The Sword-Washing Pond (Tachiarai-no-ike) — near the Ogre’s Mound. A pond whose name alone shows you the story.
- Mt. Hōgyo — a burial mound beside the shrine. Traditionally the tomb of the empress (or, by one account, the prince); a real mound, reported even in a Meiji-era archaeology journal.
The Hino-gun-shi carries century-old photographs of this Ogre’s Mound and Mt. Hōgyo (the copyright has expired, so anyone can see them — link at the end of the article). To stand in the same spot and take a photo from the same angle today — that’s one of this series’ pieces of homework. If I can manage it, I’ll line them up and post them in this article.
Another piece of homework — which way does the ogre face?
Remember the first installment. The elder ogre Ōushikani was forgiven after saying, “let me guard the north.”
If so, then — which way does the giant ogre statue at Onikko Land stand and face? And the ten statues on Onimori Bridge? Are they glaring north, as promised, or some entirely different direction?
Honestly, I haven’t checked yet. Next time I’ll bring a compass, not a tape measure, and go have a look. I’ll add the results to this article. If a reader confirms it first, please do tell me.
But there’s something I noticed while looking at the map. According to the engi, the emperor’s palace was upstream on the Hino River, around present-day Miyauchi in Nichinan. Mt. Kizumi is downstream from there — that is, to the north. If so, “let me guard the north” can be read not as the ogre being moved somewhere, but as his being allowed to stay right where he was, on his own mountain (conjecture, of course). At the northern mouth of the Hino valley, the ogre’s mountain sits like a gatekeeper. Even the fact that the name “Mt. Kizumi” survives to this day then makes sense.
By the way, the bronze statues on Onimori Bridge were installed in the Heisei era, so their orientation may just be a matter of modern design. But the name “Onimori Bridge” itself is an old layer, recorded in the Taishō-era district history. The name remembers the guarding, and the statues stand on top of it — thought of that way, whichever direction they face, it’s worth going to check.
In closing — the unknown depth of a story you know
When I’d just moved here, I didn’t know that ogre was on the “forgiven, guarding the town” side. And I suspect that even living in this town every day, the chances to learn it are surprisingly few.
One mountain, three tales. The ogre’s, the prince’s, the human’s. All contradicting each other, all sharing only this: “the enemy is not destroyed; he yields, and becomes an ally.” The lost first half of the scroll, the people of this land have handed down for more than a hundred years — in word, in stone, and in the name of a bridge.
The next time you pass before that ogre statue, if the way it looks has changed just a little, this series is a success.
A word from the rabbit: A day off spent meeting an ogre with a compass in hand — sounds good, doesn’t it? I’ll come along. Dumplings, bring your own.
References:
- Hino-gun-shi, vol. 1 (Hino District Self-Government Association, 1926), Part 1, ch. 3 — records and photographs of the Ogre’s Mound and Mt. Hōgyo, National Diet Library Digital Collection (frames 65–67)
- Hino-gun-shi, vol. 2, ch. 14, Oral Traditions — ditto (frames 539–543)
- Hōki Town tourism site, “Japan’s Oldest Ogre Legend and Landscapes Where Ogres Live”
- ※ The Ogre’s Mound, the Sword-Washing Pond, and Mt. Hōgyo are within Nichinan Town. Please follow local guidance when visiting. The orientation of the ogre statues is unconfirmed on site; I’ll add it once checked.
