Since ancient times, bridges have been located on the outskirts of villages and have been considered as a place of other worlds, a boundary between the other world and this world. The first bridge that comes to mind when one hears the word "otherworldly bridge" in Kyoto is the Ichijo-gomen Bridge, which is associated with Abe no Seimei.

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Then,Where would you say the most fearsome bridge is?

Uji Bridge over the Uji River, steeped in legend, both horrific and sad.I would like to mention the following. In the past, the Ujibashi bridge had an overhanging portion of the san-no-ama as its guardian deity.Hashihime.was enshrined.

Uji Bridge about 100 years ago (in the author's collection)

The San-no-Ma of the current Uji Bridge. San-no-Ma" refers to the overhanging upstream section between the third pillar from the west end of the bridge.

According to legend, Princess Hashi was originally the daughter of a lord, beautiful in appearance but very jealous. A man fell in love with her, but he eventually moved on to another woman.Jealous daughter decides to become a demon while still alive in order to kill the man and the other womanDo.He visits the inner shrine of Kibune Shrine for seven days and seven nights to pray to the Ox, and then he is immersed in the shallow waters of the Uji River for seven days and seven nights to turn into an ogre as he wished.The daughter who became a demon killed the man who betrayed her, and then killed the other woman and all her relatives. But that was not all,He kills the men and women he envies one after another.He said the appearance was as follows.

The head is decorated with a horn, the face is painted with vermilion and the body with tan, and a three-legged iron ring with a lighted torch is placed on top of the head.added. It is said that those who saw the girl running toward the Uji Bridge in such a state fainted or died of fear. The local people were so horrified by the girl's obsession that they sought to appease her spirit,A shrine was built in the middle of the Uji Bridge and enshrined as Hashi-hime.

Even in the Showa period, it was feared that just crossing the Uji Bridge would make the Hashi-Hime jealous and break the middle of men and women,Locals avoid the bridge during weddings and men and women who are about to get married, and go out of their way to make the long way around.He said that he had

Hashi-hime Shrine was first enshrined in the middle of Uji Bridge at San-no-Ma, and was moved to the west end of Uji Bridge next to the residence of Kitakami Hayashi Ajito in modern times. Later, it was washed away by a flood in 1872, and is now enshrined in the Uji Renge area. The shrine is dedicated to Seoritsu-hime (Princess Hashi), who is worshipped alongside Sumiyoshi Myojin, the god of water transportation.

Hashihime Shrine

Flat plaque of Hashihime Shrine

The legend of Hashi-hime was the basis for the famous song "Kanawa," which was also the basis for the birth of the famous song "Kannawa. Also, the first person to enshrine Hashi-hime at the foot of the bridge was,It dispels demons, pestilence, and external forces that invade the land by crossing the bridge, and protects the locals from calamity when they leave by crossing the bridge.The "Hashi" is the boundary between here and there, and therefore was enshrined at the end of the bridge. The "bridge" is the boundary between here and there, in other words, the borderline, which is why it is said that the "Hashi-hime" was enshrined at the edge of the bridge.Princess Hata.It is also said that it was

This legend of Hashi-Hime has since undergone various changes. Nowadays"The most powerful god of severing bad karma" and "the god of draining the river of injuries."It is also believed to cut off ties with unfaithful husbands, wives, and lovers. It is said to cut off ties with unfaithful husbands, wives, and lovers, and although it is a small shrine, many people visit to pay homage to Hashi-hime.

Uji River

The present-day Uji Bridge. A statue of Murasaki Shikibu stands at the foot of the bridge.