Legend of the Golden Rooster

There is a legend that a golden rooster is buried in the ground and its crowing can be heard. Many of these legends are related to the Asahi Choja legend, which tells of the downfall of a rich man. Kinkeiyama in Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture, is located southwest of Takadachi. Fujiwara Hidehira built it several dozen meters high and buried a golden male and female rooster in 10,000 lacquer cups and 10,000 ryo of gold to protect it. It is said to have been sung, "Under the tree, shining in the morning sun and the evening sun, ten thousand lacquer cups, golden roosters, okuoku." Shiroyama in Ooga-mura, Yamagata-gun, Gifu Prefecture (now Yamagata City), is also called Kinkeiyama, and it is said that the golden rooster's crowing can be heard three times on New Year's Day. Also, in 1588 (Tensho 16), when the Toki clan was attacked and defeated by Saito Dosan, they threw their family heirloom, a golden rooster, into the bottom of a well and fled, and it is said that anyone who hears its crowing will live a long life. The border between the three villages of Higashiyama Village, Soekami County, Nara Prefecture (now Yamazoe Village, Yamabe County), Harigabesho Village (now Tsuge, Nara City), and Toyohara Village (now Yamazoe Village) is at the top of Mount Kono, where there is a golden tomb, and on New Year's Day a golden rooster crows three times from the ground to tell of good or bad luck. If it crows at any other time, it is said that something strange will happen in the village. At Niwatoribuchi in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, if a virtuous person stops by, a golden rooster will appear. It is said that long ago, a gold seller named Kichiji built a golden chicken and buried it on Chicken Hill in Kanada village, Kurihara county, Miyagi prefecture (now Kurihara city).

There are many stories like this one in which a rooster crows from the spot where a rich man has buried his treasure, but there are also other stories, such as one in which a golden rooster flew out and landed on someone's shoulder (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture), and one in which a golden rooster fell to its death (Kitatsuru County, Yamanashi Prefecture). This legend is likely a result of the combination of sacred bird beliefs with the motif of the medieval tale of the rich man.

[Shogo Watanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

土中に金の鶏が埋まっていて、その鳴き声が聞こえるという伝説。長者の没落を語る朝日長者伝説と関連しているものが多い。岩手県西磐井(にしいわい)郡平泉町の金鶏山は高館(たかだち)の南西にあって、藤原秀衡(ひでひら)が高さ数十丈に築いて漆1万杯と黄金1万両に黄金の雌雄の鶏を埋めて、鎮護とした。「朝日さし夕日輝く木の下に漆万杯こがねおくおく」と謡われ伝えられている。岐阜県山県(やまがた)郡大桑(おおが)村（現山県市）の城山(しろやま)は、金鶏山とも称し、元旦(がんたん)には金鶏の鳴き声が三度聞こえるという。また、1588年（天正16）土岐(とき)氏が斎藤道三(どうさん)に攻め滅ぼされたときに代々の家宝の金鶏を井戸の底へ捨てて逃げたが、この鳴き声を聞いた者は長寿であるといわれる。奈良県添上(そえかみ)郡東山村（現山辺(やまべ)郡山添(やまぞえ)村）、針ヶ別所(はりがべっしょ)村（現奈良市都祁(つげ)）、豊原村（現山添村）の3村の境は神野(こうの)山頂上で、黄金塚があって、元旦に吉凶を告げる金の鶏が土中から三声鳴く。ほかのときに鳴くと村に変事があるとされる。広島県三次(みよし)市の鶏淵(にわとりぶち)は、有徳人が立ち寄ると金鶏が現れる。宮城県栗原(くりはら)郡金田村（現栗原市）の鶏坂(にわとりざか)は、その昔に金売り吉次(きちじ)が黄金の鶏をつくって埋めたという。

　このように、長者が財宝を埋めた跡から鶏の鳴き声がするという類型が多いが、ほかに、金鶏が飛び出して肩に止まった（宮城県登米(とめ)市）、黄金の鶏が落ちて死んだ鶏淵（山梨県北都留(きたつる)郡）などがある。霊鳥信仰に中世説話の長者譚(たん)モチーフなどが結び付いて生まれてきた伝説であろう。

［渡邊昭五］

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