Dragons, Demons and Deities: Folklore of the Kyoto by the Sea Area

Located in the scenic region of northern Kyoto, Amanohashidate is a 3.6km-long sandbar spanning the mouth of Miyazu Bay. Densely forested with thousands of pine trees, and silhouetted by white sand beaches, the picturesque sandbar has inspired Japanese scholars, artists, and landscape garden designers for centuries, and is today considered one of the Three Scenic Views of Japan.

The myth associated with Amanohashidate is central to this fascination. Japan’s creation myth centres on the goddess Izanami and the god Izanagi, whose divine coupling led to the birth of this land. The Tango Fudoki, early historical chronicles of the Tango region, tells a story of how Izanagi used a ladder, or the ‘floating bridge of heaven’ (Ama-no-Ukihashi), to visit Izanami on earth. It is unclear whether he tripped over the ladder, or whether it simply toppled over, but it fell out of the sky into the sea, becoming Amanohashidate. The minor detail of their being siblings notwithstanding, this folk tale is how the sandbar has come to be known as an auspicious place for lovers.

Besides walking along the sandbar, visitors usually partake in mata-nozoki: looking at Amanohashidate upside-down from between your legs. Heaven and earth are inverted, and the sandbar transforms into a magnificent dragon snaking through the sky. This is known as hiryūkan, or ‘view of the flying dragon.’ Amanohashidate View Land and Kasamatsu Park both offer excellent views of the sandbar as well as the bay.

Near the northern end of Amanohashidate en route to the Kasamatsu Park viewpoint stands one of the region’s most important shrines––Motoise Kono Shrine. Perhaps in part thanks to its location, it has long been associated with the ocean; today, the main deity enshrined there is Umisachi-hiko (or Hoderi-no-mikoto), the deity of the sea.

However, it is notable for having once enshrined Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun in Shinto mythology and one of creator god Izanagi’s offspring, prior to being enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine in Mie prefecture. Legend also suggests that in earlier times, Toyouke-Ōkami (or ‘Toyouke-bime-no-kami’), the goddess of agriculture, was also enshrined here. Prior to this, Toyouke-Ōmikami had been the main deity at Hinumanai Shrine, mentioned in the next entry; eventually, she was called to Ise by Amaterasu herself.

The shrine’s name, ‘Motoise’ or ‘Origin of Ise,’ is therefore a somewhat pointed reference to its glorious past. Although photography is not allowed on Motoise’s shrine grounds, visitors who have also been to Ise will note the architectural (and general visual) similarities with said shrine, such as the ten katsuogi roof logs and suedama jewel-shaped decorations on its railings.

It would be difficult to understate the importance of rice in Japanese culture. Whether used as currency or acting as status symbol, it was the very basis upon which the wheels of Japan’s economy spun throughout most of the last two thousand-odd years. So it is little surprise that there should be folk tales of how rice cultivation came to be in this country.

Tsuki no Waden, an unassuming-looking paddy field of about 7 square metres near Hinumanai Shrine in Kyotango City, is the place associated with this story. While no official translations exist, its name means something like ‘Moon-Shaped Rice Field,’ a reference to its semi-circular shape. The Engishiki (a 10th century book about laws and customs) calls it ‘Taniwa,’ or literally ‘the garden of rice paddies.’

According to the Tango Kujiki (‘Old Tales from the Tango Region’), this is supposedly where Toyouke-Ōmikami first soaked rice seeds and planted them, later presenting the harvested crop to Amaterasu. Its association with the divine and supernatural continued for a long time: although the field was used to grow rice during the Edo period, the local lords avoided imposing annual tributes on the harvest here due to a supposed ‘curse.’

It is likely that this is not its original location; the field was relocated sometime during the 20th century due to land consolidation, and eventually abandoned. However, the city of Kyotango and the district of Nika spearheaded the reconstruction of Tsuki no Waden in 2013, to celebrate the folk history of this area.

Similar folktales and locations do exist in other regions of Japan, crediting other deities for the origins of rice cultivation. But in all likelihood, rice was brought over by people who travelled across the sea from China and eventually settled in Japan!