Are there any "small halls" or "gods" that are quietly preserved only by the local people in your hometown?
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 get 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 prayers)", I visited this hall again with my mother-in-law. The prayer experience there was a bit different from the typical shrines and temples.
A hall without a monk. The "chanting" 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 on festival days and warmly welcoming visitors.
The style of prayer is also unique. Instead of monks or priests, the village women, who are life veterans with childbirth experience, chant the "Thirty-three Kannon chants" together, wishing for safe childbirth. The unique, thin, and nasal quality of the women’s chanting creates a strange sense of solidarity and a warm feeling of being watched over.
A circle of women connecting lives
After the prayer, we enjoy pickles with tea while sharing life stories, and receive a wooden ladle (shamoji) engraved with "Safe childbirth prayer" as we head home.
A girl who once played in the precincts grows up to become a mother, wishing for someone’s peace just like the women who chanted back then. 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. This warm "Onbasama (Ubai)" has many statues (idols) that depict an old woman sitting with one knee raised.
Did you know that this is often referred to as "Datsuba (the old woman who strips clothes)" nationwide? Datsuba is a fearsome old woman in hell who strips the clothes of the deceased by the Sanzu River in the afterlife, weighing their sins from their lifetime.
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" transcends 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. It is also thought to have been linked to the belief in safe childbirth, as it overlaps with the sitting posture of Nyoirin Kannon (which is also the 11th temple of the Inawashiro Thirty-three Kannon).
Furthermore, Aizu has such legends remaining.
The legend of the old woman related to Aizu
- Legend of childbirth during 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, and vanished like mist. It is said that the lady, moved by this, painted her likeness and worshipped it, which marked the beginning 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, saying, '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.
Embark on a journey to unravel the unknown 'deep history of Aizu'
How was it? In the small halls preserved by the nameless women of the village, there exists a warm and profound history of folk beliefs that is not found in textbooks.
At 'Tabinoito', we offer [Academic Style] tours that thoroughly unravel the deep history and culture of the region, which can be overlooked by 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 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 by superficial sightseeing.
Our dedicated guide will take you on a journey through the 'deep Aizu' that satisfies your intellectual curiosity.
First, feel free to consult us via LINE.
