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| Kibitsu Shrine as seen from Kinojo Castle |
It has always fascinated me how myth
or legend and history become so intertwined that you can't tell where fact and
fiction begin, or end for that matter. History, after all, is a story with “Hi-” in front of it--like high story or tall tale, maybe? Basically, history is whatever the writer says it is. Two
different versions of the same event can have a very different interpretation
depending on the writer's point of view. Both can agree that an event happened but
can differ dramatically on the causes and effects of that event.
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| the demon Ura |
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| Devil's Pot (probably a cast iron bathtub from an old inn |
In
the previous post I discussed the legend of a prince Kibitsuhiko, the son of
legendary Emperor Korei (2nd Century BC), who governed the district
of Kibi from where the 吉備津神社
Kibitsu Shrine was
later built on the site of his castle. The legend is that he battled with a
demon named Ura who lived in a castle called 鬼ノ城 Kinojo
(Devil's Castle) on a mountain across the valley from Kibitsuhiko's castle. The
story goes that Ura was terrorizing the countryside and abducting people, some
of whom he used as concubines, some as slaves and some he simply cooked in a big iron
pot (called the Devil's Pot) and ate. He, being a demon of supernatural
prowess, was able to shoot arrows three kilometers across the valley at
Kibitsuhiko's castle. Not a very nice character whose aberrations called the
prince to do battle and restore law and order to the area. Eventually, the
demon was subdued and peace returned to the Kibi district. Kibitsuhiko
eventually became the kami (deity) enshrined at Kibitsu Shrine.
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| part of the panorama seen from Kinojo Castle |
But,
where does this legend come from.
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wall restoration with the
West Gate on lower right |
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| wall foundation stones |
It
was known historically that there had been a castle/fortress on the mountain
across the broad valley from the Kibitsu Shrine. In 1974, archaeologists began
to excavate the area where this fortress called Kinojo had been built. Parts of
an ancient wall and large flat stones used as foundations have been exposed and
some reconstruction work has been done on the site. One thing led to another
and we decided to take a little day trip to have a look at the archaeological site that is associated—in legend at least—with Kibitsu Shrine. The site is
actually not far from Road Buddy's family home and she told me that she had
walked to the site as an elementary school student on school excursions. That's
a considerable uphill hike since the site sits high up on a mountain ridge.
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foundation stones for probable
barracks or storehouse |
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| reconstructed West Gate |
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| diorama of Kinojo Castle and its surrounding wall |
Kinojo is said to be one of 30 castles in a chain of fortresses built in the 7th
Century from Kyushu to Osaka (23 confirmed by archaeologists). Japan at that time was allied with one of the Three Kingdoms of
Korea during the Yamato Period and apparently there were blood ties between the royal
houses. China, meanwhile, wanted to expand its territory to include the Korean Peninsula
and was taking advantage of the strife among the three Korean kingdoms and
allied with one of them. The then Yamato Emperor sent a fleet of Japanese ships to aid his
Korean ally, but was defeated at the Battle of
Baekgang-gu (Japanese name, the Battle of Hakusukinoe)
in 663 AD by the better equipped and trained Chinese ships. The Emperor feared
an assault by the Chinese and wanted to defend western Japan from retaliation
for the incursion by the Japanese “navy” to aid its Korean ally. Kinojo and its
sister forts were built to protect the capital at Nara from a Chinese attack that never came.
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| model of a watchtower and its foundation stones |
Somehow these historical events morphed into a legend of heroes and demons (much like dragon slayer legends of Western Europe) that is a great deal more colorful than what "really" happened. Of such stuff are children's dreams made and probably those of many adults as well. At any rate this legend certainly got the imagination of this day-tripper going.
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