Tono Furusato village, Legends of Tono 遠野

We note in the tokonoma (alcove) of each house there is a box with a small, wooden figure of a woman and another of a horse, both dressed in kimono but don’t know the significance of them. D. chats to a woman, who turns out to be a story teller about to hold an event that people are, we realize, beginning to arrive for. She tells us it is Oshirasama. D. is familiar with the name but not the story itself. The story teller says it is a sad story. Perhaps we have to attend her event to find out. The Tono area features in the Tono Monogatari (Legends of Tono) a famous collection of folk tales.

Interestingly, in the temple we visit later, there is a picture depicting a scene from the story – horses involved – but all a bit “Babes in the wood”.

＊Tono Furusato Villedge   ;   550 yen / adult

Fukusenji　 福泉寺

Exiting the traditional, village park thought the restaurant, we make for a nearby temple with a pagoda. This temple proves to be of very limited interest. In recompense it covers a large area so provides a good walk. The temple gate guardians or Niohsama, (I’ve lived here for many years but I didn’t know what they were called either) at this temple are strangely deformed with heads too large and altogether ugly.

The temple boasts the largest wooden, Kannon-sama in Japan. Concrete ones are two penny of course, but this we want to see. We realize from a picture that this Kannon-sama is, alas, the work of the same craftsman as the Niohsama. A large, distorted head and a general, pervading ugliness being the clues. We decide against paying the entrance fee. A photograph of the artisan at work on the Kannon suggests it is not very old, early 50’s is my guess.

We set off to view the pagoda but this again disappoints. The woods though, just behind the pagoda, are alive with birds. Jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches are obvious. Visiting a temple one rarely carries binoculars so, as to the rest – who knows?

After a temple, where to go next but to a Kappabuchi pool? Everywhere in this locality the Kappa (water sprite) is evident – in promotion, if not in actuality. So we suspect a local legend.

＊Fukusennji ; 300 yen / adult

Kappabuchi　　カッパ淵

Subsequent to some tramping about, we finally locate the legendary kappa pool. Alas, the recent typhoon, having somehow restricted the flow of water from the mountains, has reduced the kappa pool to a shadow of its former self.

By now the afternoon is well advanced, so we set off for our michi – no – eki in the mountains which is still some distance away. Darkness falls as does a heavy rain. Initially, there is a lot of traffic and a glare of lights but steadily the traffic thins and the lights fade until we are driving, virtually alone, into the mountains.

Arriving at our michi-no-eki ‘Higashiyuri‘ on route 107 in Akita pre., in torrential rain. We make a dash for the onsen. It is unusual in its design, with a large T shaped central bath and washing facilities running up the trunk of the T.

The rain eases as we adjust our parking space to be nearer the toilet, an important factor in this kind of travel during inclement weather.

＊Kisakura onsen ‘Yurari’         500yen / adult