Virtual Akigawa 34 Kannon Pilgrimage #29 Tengu-iwa Rock

 

      Tengu-iwa Rock stands at the head of the Aki River.  It must have been worshiped in the megalithic belief.  Another gorge under the rock, Tengu-taki Fall roars.  A third gorge at the foot of the rock has Tenguiwa Fall.  They were named so since the locals mistook mountain hermits living around there for tengu; mountain guardians with a human body, red face, long nose, and wings.  Who were the mountain hermits then?  Mt. Mitake is near the rock and Mitake Shrine is located on it.  The shrine is believed to have been founded in 91 B.C.  Onakatomi Kunikane is believed to have revived the shrine in 1234.  The Onakatomi Family hereditarily succeeded to the head Shinto priest of Ise Shrine.  Sekiguchi Tsuneo argues that Kunikane was one of offspring of Kaneki (972-1047), and was dispatched to Mitake Shrine by the then head of the family to organize the mountain hermits in Mt. Mitake and to have an influence on the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333).  Onakatomi Yorimoto (886-958), Yoshinobu (921-991), Sukechika (954-1038), and his daughter, Ise-no-taifu (989-1060), were all famous tanka poets, and Ise-no-taifu formed a friendship with Izumi Shikibu (978-?) and Murasaki Shikibu.

     When Yoshinobu was still young, he visited Prince Atsumi's residence on the day of the mouse and composed a tanka poem, "From today, even the pine tree that is to live for 1,000 years will last for 10,000 years thanks to you."  People praised this song, but when Yorimoto heard it, he picked up his pillow and hit Yoshinobu hard, admonishing Yoshinobu, "When you are summoned by the Emperor for the day of the mouse, can you compose a better tanka poem?  You idiot!"  Yorimoto wanted to teach Yoshinobu a knowledge as a court poet.

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