The Story of Kagami Sugi (A Mirror-Like Japanese Cedar Tree) - 悠久城風の間　blog語り部のささやき

“Unless we draw water from the top of the mountain, we can’t do anything. Let’s cut down the cedar tree now and draw water to the rice paddies. If we don’t, we’re going to starve,” said Saburota.

“What are you talking about? Kagami Sugi is the guardian god of our village. If we cut down the guardian god, there is no way we would survive,” Tarosaku frantically disagreed.

However, Saburota would not be deterred. “Will the guardian god draw water for the rice paddies? No matter how hard we worship the guardian god, we won’t be able to harvest even a single grain in this drought. Even though we pray and pray, we will just shrivel up and die.”

“Forget about rice. You should just give up on being a farmer. Go become a fisherman and go out fishing.”

“Tarosaku, what are you talking about? Do you want me to just eat fish without any rice? Are you trying to make fools of us farmers?”

Oh, my gosh. It’s another fight between Tarosaku the fisherman and Saburota the farmer. Lately, there have been a lot of quarrels about me in the village.

I am called Kagami Sugi. I have been standing here in this large forest for almost 500 years. In the last 500 years, I have grown quite tall. Thanks to this, I can see the vast Sea of Japan beyond this large forest. That’s why the fishermen around here started using me as a landmark when they go out fishing.

When it gets dark, some boats don’t know how to come back. That’s when I say to the boats, “Hey, come back this way,” and lead them back by making myself glow.

The fishermen exclaim, “Oh, Kagami Sugi has lit up! It’s glowing. That’s the way back.” And they are able to make it back home.

Come to think of it, Tarosaku was once late because he had such a big haul and lost his bearings out on the dark sea. He followed my light and made it safely back to land. Since that time, he began to worship me every morning and night saying, “I’m so grateful for Kagami Sugi.”

Hmmm. Tarosaku is fine with this situation, but Saburota is not happy about it. Lately, the village has been suffering from droughts every year. Its rice paddies dry up and the villagers suffer famines. Have I been using up so much water? Some of the low and scrawny trees around me have died.

Saburota and some villagers are saying that they’re going to draw water from the mountains to their rice paddies. I wonder if that’ll really work? I wonder if I’m in the way… If so, I’ll need to move.

“Hey, Yamabushi!” I called out to a yamabushi (ascetic Japanese mountain hermit) who was flying around and training in the mountains of Echigo. The yamabushi fluttered down from the sky.

“Yamabushi, you are light and nimble as usual.”

“Yes, thanks to this goblin leaf fan. With this, I can fly around wherever I want,” the yamabushi said proudly as he slowly fanned the leaf fan.

“By the way, did you hear what Tarosaku and Saburota were talking about?”

“Yes. Tarosaku, the fisherman, is grateful for you, Kagami Sugi, but Saburota is saying that they should cut you down because you’re in the way of their water access. He insisted that they won’t be able to harvest rice if this continues.”

“Am I in their way if I stay here? If so, I have to move away. You should show me a better place.”

“Even if you ask me to show you a better place, Honorable Kagami Sugi, you have no legs. How are you expecting to move?”

“You are right. My legs are buried in the ground. I don’t walk. That’s why I’m asking you. Do whatever you can do.”

“Hmmm… Honorable Kagami Sugi, you are a huge 500-year-old tree. Even with my spiritual power, there’s no way I could move such a huge tree.”

“What? Are you telling me that some things are impossible even for you?”

“Wait… Wait… Wait a minute.”

Fanning his leaf fan, the yamabushi dejectedly disappeared.

The next day, the yamabushi returned with a huge crowd of woodsmen.

“Now, Honorable Kagami Sugi, it’s time to move, it’s time to move! These woodsmen will help you.”

“Oh, thank you for your help. You brought so many woodsmen. Are you all going to make a leaf fan for me?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“What? Why won’t I get a leaf fan? I thought I would be fanned with a leaf fan and fly off into the sky.”

“Honorable Kagami Sugi, you can’t fly because you are such a huge tree. There’s no way a leaf fan could move you. The woodsmen will dismantle you here.”

“What? Dis… dis… dismantle me?”

“Yes, that’s right. Then, they will reassemble you in a specially-selected place. They will reassemble you into anything you like.”

“Wha… wha… what? They are going to reassemble me?”

“Exactly. What would you like to be?”

“Hmm… What would be the best thing? What will the villagers be happy with? Oh, wait! How about a five-story pagoda?”

“Oh, a five-story pagoda! That’s a great idea! These woodsmen will reassemble you into a five-story pagoda. I am sure that the villagers will be happy to see a towering five-story pagoda. As long as there are no fires, you will be able to stay here in this world for 1,000… even 2,000 years.” The yamabushi said respectfully.

The woodsmen immediately started working on Kagami Sugi, cutting with their saws… szzz, szzz, szzz… chopping with their axes… thok, thok, thok…

Cutting down the cedar tree with saws and axes was hard work. It also took the entire village to carry out the huge cedar tree once it was cut down.

As they were carrying the cedar tree out of the huge forest, the villagers spotted a hot spring that had made a small pond.

“Oh, a hot spring, a hot spring!” they exclaimed, each of them forgetting themselves and pushing ahead to be the first one in the hot spring.

“What a wonderful hot spring. It feels so good.”

“It’s so invigorating.”

“Let me in too!”

“Wait, wait! It’s not your turn.”

Everyone was so excited, making a great commotion.

Someone even said, “Why don’t we stay here overnight?”

“Well, that would be nice if we had an inn here.”

The setting sun painted the sky red.

Hearing the villagers talking, I came up with an idea. The villagers love this hot spring and they want to stay at a hot spring inn. I can make them happier if I become a hot spring inn here rather than a five-story pagoda.

Alright, I’ve decided. I would rather be an inn.

“Hey, honorable yamabushi,” I called out to the yamabushi.

“You called, Honorable Kagami Sugi? How are you feeling?”

“Well, I hear the villagers saying that the hot spring here seems to be quite comfortable.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“In that case, how about building a hot spring inn here?”

“Honorable Kagami Sugi, that’s an excellent idea. I love hot spring baths as well. I totally agree with you.”

“The villagers would be much happier with a hot spring inn rather than a five-story pagoda.”

“You’re absolutely right. Let’s build a hot spring inn here.”

The following day, carpenters from the village started working, shaping with their planes… shhhpp, shhhpp, shhhpp… banging with their hammers… bam, bam, bam…

Finally, the inn was finished.

“Ah, how refreshing the hot bath was.”

“That felt so good!”

I, Kagami Sugi, had become a giant mirror panel along the inn’s long hallway extending from the entrance to the hot spring bathroom.

When the villagers get out of the bath, they stop in front of me and say the same things:

“Ah, how refreshing the hot bath was.”

“That felt so good.”

I also feel good. After taking a bath, the men become more handsome, the women prettier, and the children cuter.

I shine a light on those who stand in front of me. The villagers smile when they see their reflections in the mirror.

This is Kagami Sugi Hot Spring. It will make anyone into a handsome man or a lovely woman. Ha ha ha ha!

After that, this spring was not only loved by the villagers but also prospered by attracting guests from all over Echigo. The village became richer, and a new lighthouse was built on the cape on the outskirts of the village.

Kagami Sugi had been cut down and rebuilt into an inn, so it couldn’t grow any taller. But still, a new cedar tree grew from its root.

New buds sprouted from this new tree and pollen danced in the air.

This pollen showed bears and wild boars their way back to the mountains so that they wouldn’t wander out of the mountains and frighten villagers. Bears and wild boars lived peacefully deep in the mountains and the villagers lived peacefully in their village.

However, in recent years, a mysterious respiratory infection has been spreading even in this peaceful village and some villagers are suffering. It is said that the pollen has been going in and out of the villagers’ nostrils, discussing how to save the villagers.

The End

May 2021

When COVID-19 vaccinations started

Written by Yoko Tate

Translated and Recited by Masako Hayakawa

February 2024 recording