Japanese Goblin at
Sankaku-yama
When the party of feuderal lord came up to the capital,they used to stay overnight for the first day at a village of Mochigase, which is at present Mochigase town of Yazu county,Tottori Pref..
It takes 30 minutes by car from Tottori city to Mochigase.
We can look up at Mt.Sankaku (also called Mt.Tokkin,516 meters above sea level)at Mochigase town.
At the top of the mountain there is a shrine hall where 20-30 people canbe sit down.
In old times,shinto priest one Mr.Tanaka planed to penance himself for 7 days.
Four or five days had passed when he heard the violent sound of falling rain like a shower came up from the bottom of a ravine.
The leaves didn't move at all.
"No cloud in the sky,it's strange."
said to himself.
There was no rain.
Suddenly, a big man with acorn eyes whirled down in front of him by 2 meters or less.
It watched him without blinking.
He stared back at the monster.
Then it flied up in the sky as if a puppet was manupilated.
Wings grew at both sides of its body.
Hanging its head ahead, it fell to the bottom of ravine flatly.
The sound of violent shower came up from the ravine although it didn't rain at all.
People said that it might be a long-nosed goblin(Tengu).
There is the following legend on this mountain,too.
Whenever no believers come to this mountain, a big black butterfly of 30cm appears from somewhere, it hits their faces in order to push down to the bottom of the ravine,on the contrary,in case of pious travellers a yellow butterfly leads to the top of the mountain.
taken by Mr. Yoshinori Komatu
Mr.Komatu talked about the following story when our party took a lunch at a fashionable European style restaurant in Tottori city.
"When I was a child, I was with my grandmother at the veranda.
It was a moment before the thick dark,a twilight was going to swallow the whole village,will-o'-the-wisp appeared at the greatly distant skirts of the mountain as if lanterns leaked one by one.
It was beautiful like a dream.
My grandmother said to me,"A fox may approach to your feet, say something nice to it, admire it."
The moment lights at a row extended to the skirts of mountain,they went out.
After a moment, the pitch dark night visited the village.
In Japan, we used to take a meal, especially a supper, with all the members of family.
It was a symbol of the pleasure of a happy home.
How long does it have been since such a custom has gone from Tokyo?
In Mochigase, 3 generation system of famify might still exist.