A Trip to AOMORI #2 (30/Oct/2019-02/Nov/2019) ~ Gankisan Shrine...

前回の投稿: A Trip to AOMORI #1 Flying to Aomori...

青森空港に到着し、最初の日の夜は「スーパーホテル青森」に滞在した。翌朝8時にチェックアウトし、まずレンタカー会社に向った。

友人がチェックインをしている間、スタッフとの会話に耳を傾ける。するとそのスタッフの青森の方言が少し強いことに気が付いた。とても興味深くて、とても純粋な感じがする音の響きだ。

Previous Post: A Trip to AOMORI #1 Flying to Aomori...

The hotel we stayed for the first night after arriving at Aomori Airport was Super Hotel Aomori located in the center. We checked out at 8 o'clock next morning and firstly went to a rental car company. 

While my friend checking in, I overheard the conversation between my friend and one of the staff, and noticed that his accent was a bit strong with Aomori dialect which sounded very interesting and genuine to me.   

まず「巌鬼山神社」を訪ねるために、津軽方面へ向かう。備え付けのナビによれば、一時間強かかるようだ。津軽地方に近づくにつれ、リンゴの木の畑が道路の左右に目に飛び込んでくる。津軽地方はリンゴで有名な所だ。

津軽でリンゴの畑を見てとってもうれしくなった。初めて見る光景だ。添乗員時代、フランスのノルマンディー地方のリンゴの畑を何度も観たが、リンゴ好きの自分が日本でこうしてその畑を見るのは初めてだ。

We firstly went to Tsugaru region to visit "Gankisan Shrine". According to the Navi installed, it seemed to take a bit more than an hour to get there. As approaching Tsugaru region, we found Apple trees right and left along the roads. Tsugaru region is very famous for Apples. 

I'm very excited to see those Apple fields in Tsugaru. It was my first time to see it. As a tour escort, I saw apple fields many times in Normandy, France, but the first time in Japan as a great Apple lover. 

この神社を訪ねようと思ったのは、桜井識子さんの著書に紹介されていて、また出発前に読んでいた本にも紹介されていたからだ。日本には、「天狗」の伝説があり、青森にもその類似のものがある。古文書の「竹内文書」にも関連している。桜井識子さんによれば、この神社には大天狗がいるそうだ。

７９７年に創建をされ、１５世紀、事故で火事にあい再建されている。神仏習合の時期をへて、現在の巌鬼山神社と名付けられた。

The reason why I wanted to visit this shrine was because it was introduced in one of SAKURAI Shiko's books, and other book as well that I had read before the trip. In Japan, we have a local legend of "Tengu", and Aomori also has a similar. And it is related to an ancient document, "Takeuchi" or "Takenouchi" Monjyo. Ms. SAKURI says in one of her books that this shrine is enshrined by "Great Tengu". 

This shrine was originally founded in 797 B.C. Later in 15th century, it was burnt down by accident and rebuild. After some periods of "Shinbutsu-Shugo" (Fusion of Shintoism/Buddhism), it was renamed by the current "Gankisan" Shrine. 

青森を旅すると、赤色の鳥居を多く見かける。この神社の鳥居も赤色だった。赤い鳥居と言えば、全国に点在する稲荷社だ。お稲荷さん（狐）によって守られている。もっとも有名なのは京都の伏見稲荷大社だ。しかし、青森の赤い鳥居とは狐とは全く関係がない。むしろ、天狗伝説や、地方の伝承の猿田彦命との関連があるという。

As we traveled through in Aomori, we found red shrine gates a lot. And this shrine's ones were also in red. Those red shrine gates remind me of "Inari Shrines" scattered in Japan which were allegedly enshrined by the fox Gods. The most famous one is "Fushimi Inari Taisha" in Kyoto. However, Aomori's red shrine gates don't have to do with the fox Gods. But rather might have to do with the "Tengu" legend and the God Sarutahiko related to local mysteries. 

拝殿へ向かう参道にそって、大きな杉の木が左側に木製の柵で守られそびえていた。ご神木と呼ばれるもので、とても高貴な精霊が宿るといわれている。

案内によれば、樹齢が１０００年以上であり、そして高さが４１ｍもあり、県内ではほかに勝るものがないという。

Along the shine path to the prayer's alter, I found a huge cedar tree on the left surrounded and protected by a wooden fence. It was a "Shinboku" of the shrine. "Shinboku" is a tree said to be dwelt by a holy spirit. 

The information board mentioned that the tree age is more than 1000 years old, and it is 41m in height. Non of trees in Aomori prefecture is superior to it. 

友人と私が拝殿に近づくと、突然と一人の女性か中から出てきた。山中のこんな隔離された神社には私たちだけだろうと思っていたのでびっくりした。どうやら、彼女の祈りが終わったようだ。

この神社は神仏習合のユニークさがあり、起源は当時の地方の寺院に関連している。そして拝殿は畳がしかれ、飾り物も一般的な神社の装飾とはことなる。

When my friend and I approached the prayer's alter, a lady suddenly came out of the inside. We were very surprised because we thought that we were the only ones in this isolated shrine in the mountain. Anyway, she seemed to have finished making her prayer. 

This shrine is very unique because of the fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism The origin is related to local temples in ancient times. The inside of the prayer's alter was tatami-matted, and the decorations were different from normal shrine decorations. 

この神社の名前はかなり面白い。というのも、鬼という文字が使われているからだ。鬼は英語では悪魔にあたる。これは、天狗伝説と関連性があるのかと考えた。日本で鬼を連想すると、赤鬼とか、青鬼が思い浮かぶ。

天狗の顔は赤い、だから鬼とみなされ、地元の人は鬼という言葉を使った！？

神社をあとにし、弘前方面の岩木山神社に向かうことにした。

正美

≪つづく≫

The name of the shrine is very interesting to me because the word "鬼" (Oni) is used for the name. ”鬼” (Oni) simply means "Devil" in English. I just wondered it was because of the legend of "Tengu". In Japan, when we imagine "鬼"(Oni), we easily picture ”赤鬼” (Aka Oni/Red Devil), or ”青鬼” (Ao Oni/Blue Devil). 

Since the face of "Tengu" is red, it might have been regarded as ”鬼” (Oni), and local people used the word ”鬼” for the name!?

After leaving the shrine, we went to "Iwakisan Shrine" in Hirosaki, Aomori. 

Masami

≪To be continued≫