Does your hometown have any "small shrines" or "gods" quietly preserved by the local people?
Along the old road from Shidahama to Kawageta on the east side of Lake Inawashiro, there is a shrine called "Sekiwaki Ubai-do", commonly known as "Onbasama". This was my childhood playground, and seeing the many cars lined up on festival days brought back nostalgic memories of thinking, "Today is a festival."
When I got married and welcomed my first "Inu no Hi (safe delivery prayer)," I was taken by my mother-in-law to visit this hall again. The prayer experience there was a bit different from what you would typically find at shrines and temples.
A hall without a monk. The "go-eika" sung by the women of the village.
This hall does not have a head priest. Women from the community, aged from their 50s to 80s, take the lead, and on festival days, they all come together to purify the hall and warmly welcome visitors.
The style of prayer is also unique. Instead of a monk or a priest, the village women, who are life veterans with childbirth experience, chant the "Sanju San Kannon go-eika" together to pray for a safe delivery. The unique melody of the go-eika, which is thin and resonates through the nose, creates a mysterious 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 delivery prayer" before heading home.
Once a girl who played in the precincts becomes a mother and eventually wishes for someone’s peace like the women who chanted the go-eika at that time, it was a quiet realization 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 here. This warm "Onbasama (Yuba-i)" is often represented by a statue (or image) of an old woman sitting with one knee raised.
Did you know that this is often referred to nationally as "Datsuba (the old woman who strips clothes)?" Datsuba is a terrifying old woman of hell who strips the clothes of the deceased by the Sanzu River in the afterlife and weighs their sins from their lifetime.
So, why is such a terrifying being worshipped as a "kind god of safe delivery 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 "birthing positions of the past" and "various legends."
The "one-knee-raised sitting posture" of Datsuba closely resembles the "sitting birth style" of women in the past. Additionally, it overlaps with the sitting style of Nyoirin Kannon (also the 11th temple of the Inawashiro 33 Kannon), which is thought to have eventually connected to the belief in safe delivery.
Furthermore, Aizu has such legends remaining.
Rescue legends related to old women remaining in Aizu
- Legend of the Mid-Edo Period Midwife: When the wife of the lord of Iwatateyama was suffering from a difficult childbirth, an old woman appeared out of nowhere, kindly assisted her, and then vanished like mist. It is said that the lady, moved by this experience, painted her likeness and worshipped it, marking the beginning of the 'Onbasama' in Sekiwaki.
- 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: '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, continuously offering deep gratitude and prayers.
Embark on a journey to unravel the 'Deep History of Aizu'
How was it? The small halls protected and passed down by the nameless women of the village breathe a warm and profound history of folk beliefs that is not found in textbooks.
At 'Tabinoito,' we offer [Academic Style] tours that delve deeply into the region's rich history and culture, which are often overlooked in superficial sightseeing, accompanied by the extensive knowledge of our guides.
If you have a curiosity to 'know the deep side of Aizu that is not in guidebooks' or 'experience the intellectual 'aha' moments where historical dots connect,' why not join us for an adult-oriented historical exploration?
