Does your hometown have any "small halls" or "gods" that are quietly preserved by the local people?
On the eastern side of Lake Inawashiro, along the old road from Shidahama to Kawageta, there is a hall called "Sekiwaki Ubai-do," commonly referred to as "Onbasama." This place is filled with nostalgic memories, as it was my childhood playground, and I would feel excited as a child seeing the many cars lined up on festival days, thinking, "Today is a festival."
When I got married and faced my first "Inu no Hi (a day for safe childbirth)," I was taken back to this hall by my mother-in-law. The prayer experience there was a bit different from the usual shrines and temples.
A hall without a monk. The "Goeika" sung by the village women.
This hall does not have a resident priest. Women from the community, aged from their 50s to 80s, take the lead, purifying the hall and warmly welcoming visitors on festival days.
The style of prayer is also unique. Instead of monks or priests, the village women, who are life’s great seniors having experienced childbirth, chant the "Sanju San Kannon Goeika" together, wishing for a safe delivery. The unique, thin, and nasal melody of the women's Goeika creates a strange sense of solidarity and a warm feeling of being watched over.
The circle of women connecting lives
After the prayer, we enjoy pickles with tea while sharing personal stories, and we receive a wooden spatula (shamoji) engraved with "Safe childbirth prayer" as we head home.
A girl who once played in the precincts becomes a mother, wishing for someone’s peace just like the women who chanted Goeika back then. It was a quietly enlightening experience that made me realize that a woman's life draws the same circle.
[Folklore Mystery] Is the true identity of "Onbasama" an old woman from the Sanzu River?
Now, let me introduce a mysterious history. This warm "Onbasama (Ubai)" has many statues (idols) enshrined that depict an old woman sitting with one knee raised.
Did you know that this figure is often referred to nationally as "Datsuba (the old woman who strips the dead)?" Datsuba is a terrifying old woman of hell who strips the clothes of the deceased by the Sanzu River in the afterlife, measuring the weight of their sins in life.
So, why is such a terrifying figure revered as a "gentle god of safe childbirth and child-rearing" in Aizu? What do you think?
The legend of "strong women saving women" transcending time.
The key to solving this mystery lies in the "posture of childbirth in the past" and "various legends."
The "posture of Datsuba sitting with one knee raised" closely resembles the "sitting childbirth style" of women in the past. Additionally, it overlaps with the sitting posture of the Nyoirin Kannon (also the 11th temple of the Inawashiro Thirty-Three Kannon), which is thought to have eventually connected to the belief in safe childbirth.
In Aizu, there are also such legends.
The legend of the old woman related to Aizu
- Legend of childbirth in the Muromachi period: When the wife of the lord of Iwatateyama was suffering from a difficult labor, an old woman appeared out of nowhere, kindly assisted her in childbirth, and vanished like mist. It is said that the lady, moved by this experience, painted her likeness and worshipped it, which began the tradition of the 'Onbasama' in Sekiwaki.
- The legend of the bridge princess (Ashina-hime): There is a legend that during a great flood, a pregnant woman in her final month, who had lost her way, was saved by a strong wish of 'Even if I fall into hell, please save this mother and child.'
Though she appears as a 'terrifying old woman,' her true essence is 'a being that helps women facing life-threatening childbirth with great strength.' For this reason, the people of Aizu have built as many as 80 halls, continuing to offer deep gratitude and prayers.
A journey to unravel the unknown 'deep history of Aizu'
How was it? In the small halls maintained by the nameless women of the village, there lives a warm and profound history of folk beliefs that is not found in textbooks.
At Tabinoito, we offer tours in an Academic style that carefully unravel the deep history and culture of the region, which can be overlooked in superficial sightseeing, along with the rich knowledge of our guides.
If you have a curiosity like, 'I want to know the deep side of Aizu that is not in guidebooks' or 'I want to experience an intellectual 'aha' moment where historical dots connect,' why not join us for an adult-oriented historical exploration?
[Embark on an academic journey that unravels the depths of history]
The deep history and culture of the region that can be overlooked in superficial sightseeing.
Our dedicated guide will take you on a tour of the 'deep Aizu' that satisfies your intellectual curiosity.
First, feel free to consult us via LINE.
