Tiger Lady - Toragozen

A prostitute from Oiso on the Tokaido. In "Soga Monogatari," she makes a pact with Juro Sukenari and becomes his concubine, but becomes a nun after the death of her brother. After she becomes a nun, the Manabon version has her travelling around Kumano, Taishi, Yoshino, and other areas, staying in Tennoji, then travelling down the Tokaido to Soga Village to hold a memorial service for her brothers and to have their bones interred at Zenkoji Temple in Shinano. In the popular version, she goes further to Kyoto to listen to a sermon by the monk Honen Shonin. There are many legends about tiger stones that are said to be memorial stones left by the nun Toranojo as she travelled around the country, as well as tombs of Toranojo in various regions. The Tora Stone at Endaiji Temple in Oiso Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Torako Stone at Ashigara Pass in Shizuoka Prefecture are well known. In Ashiyasuantou, Southern Alps City, Yamanashi Prefecture, it is said that Tora-jo was born in this village, and returned to her hometown to die after Sukenari's death. Also, a grave in Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, tells of a Tora-jo who visited the area and died of a leg injury. It is thought that "Tora" was originally the name given to shrine maidens who performed rituals beside stones, and the activities of shrine maidens from around the country, whose duties included divination by stones, were later linked to the Tiger of Oiso, and remained in various places.

[Junichi Nomura]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東海道大磯(おおいそ)の遊女。『曽我(そが)物語』で、十郎祐成(すけなり)と契って妾(めかけ)になるが、兄弟の死後出家する。出家後、真名本(まなぼん)では、熊野、太子、吉野などを回国し、天王寺に滞留したあと、東海道を下って曽我の里で兄弟の一周忌を行い、骨を信濃(しなの)善光寺に納めたとある。流布本では、さらに上洛(じょうらく)して法然上人(ほうねんしょうにん)の法談を聴聞している。尼となった虎女が諸国を巡歴して記念にとどめたという虎が石の伝説や、また、虎女の墳墓と伝えるものは各地に多い。神奈川県大磯町延台寺の虎が石、静岡県足柄(あしがら)峠の虎子石はよく知られる。山梨県南アルプス市芦安安通(あしやすあんつう)では、虎女はこの村の生まれだといい、祐成没後は故郷に帰って没したという。また、兵庫県朝来(あさご)市の墓は、この地を訪れた虎女が足を患い没した由を伝えている。「トラ」は本来、石の傍らで修法する巫女(みこ)の呼び名であったと考えられており、石占(いしうら)などを職掌とする回国の巫女の活躍が、のちに大磯の虎に結び付いて各地に残ったのであろう。

［野村純一］

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