In rural places in Japan, you will sometimes find home altars propped with wooden figures. In Iwate, these gods are usually referred to Okunai-sama or Oshira-sama, tutelary deities protecting the home. Oshira-sama, in particular, is worshipped in Iwate as a pair of mulberry sticks, one with the head of a girl, and the other a horse.
A Tragic Tono Tale: Origin of Oshira-sama
Tono is known for its rich folklore and among its most memorable tales is that of the girl who married her horse. According to the Legends of Tono (Yanagita, 1910), there was once a girl who lived with her father. Her family also owned a horse, which she tended to frequently, so much so that she fell in love. She soon began spending her nights sleeping where the horse was kept. Not long after, they became husband and wife. (The tale never really clarifies as to “how,” but I suppose we can imagine.) The father was horrified upon discovering this, and one day, while the girl was out, he took the horse from the stable and hung it from a mulberry tree.
When the girl came back to find the horse gone, she looked for it and was grief-stricken when she saw the horse hanging from the mulberry tree. Embracing its head, she wept sorrowfully. The father, again disgusted by what he was seeing, chopped the horse’s head off from behind, and as soon as it fell off, the horse’s head flew away, taking their girl with it.
Some versions of this tale mention that silkworms fell from the horse’s head as it flew. Others say that the girl appeared in her father’s dreams and told him about how to harvest silk from silkworms; whatever the version may be, the origin of sericulture in Japan goes back to this story.
Oshirado at Denshoen
Denshoen is an open-air museum that showcases Tono’s traditional lifestyle. Here, you can find reconstructed traditional farmhouses as well as a memorial museum for Kizen Sasaki, Tono’s famed storyteller.
One of the attractions of Denshoen is Oshirado or Oshira Hall, where you can find a thousand images of Oshira-sama on display. The alley leading to the hall is decorated with photos reenacting the tale of the girl and the horse, along with facts about sericulture. It leads to Oshirado, a small room that serves as a place of worship.
The first thing that greets you when you enter Oshirado is the dynamic display of colors. The Oshira-sama dolls are all wearing layers and layers of colorful cloth, each with a prayer written on it. Most are fashioned after Iwate’s version of Oshira-sama, but there are a few figures with the heads completely covered in cloth.
Standing at the heart of the room is a mulberry tree with an offering box. You can slip in coins here to pay respects. Supplies for wish-making are provided, so all you have to do is take a piece of cloth and a marker, write your wish down, then place it on any Oshira-sama doll that catches your eye. Reading the other prayers is a fun way to pass the time, too.
Oshirado Video
How to Get to Oshirado (Denshoen)
Oshirado (御蚕神堂, オシラ堂, おしらどう)
Located in: Denshoen
9 AM to 4 PM
Admission Fee: ¥330 (adult);
Official Website
1-minute walk from Denshoen bus stop, 2-minute walk from Ashiaraigawa bus stop
From Tono station, take the bus heading to Ontoku. Get off at Denshoen. You can also take the bus heading to Sakanoshita and get off at Ashiaraigawa.
