GlobeRovers Magazine, Dec 2019

THE PRINCESS
I came to this lake especially to see the
golden statue of Princess Tatsuko and to
better appreciate this mysterious legend.
According to the Tazawako Tourism Association,
there are different versions of
the legendary princess. “Perhaps no one
knows the ‘original’ or ‘authentic’ version
because it has been orally passed down
through generations” the Tourism Association
proclaimed but shared with me the
most common version of this folklore:
Tatsuko, a girl from the In-nai area,
was known for her beautiful appearance.
Knowing her beauty would not last forever,
she started to visit a nearby shrine at the
foot of Mount Okurasan. She would visit
the shrine to make a wish, night after
night. On the 100th night, she finally
received a message from the god of mercy
—“Go north. Find the holy spring. Take a
sip from there.”
Tatsuko then disappeared into the water.
Her mother was so agonised that she
screamed and threw her burning torch into
the lake. As the fire was instantly put out,
the torch became black and soon turned
into a school of kunimasu fish. According
to the story, the princess-dragon later sank
to the bottom of the lake and died.
Today, the only reminder we have of
Princess Tatsuko, the goddess of Lake
Tazawa, is her golden-bronze statue created
by Japanese sculptor and painter,
Yasutake Funakoshi (December 7, 1912
– February 5, 2002), that was unveiled on
April 12, 1968. She stands proudly with
her back to the clear blue waters, a figure
of purity and beauty. Surrounded by snow,
JAPAN
TAZAWAKO
her eternal beauty will remain mystifying
for years to come.
At the Gozanoishi Shrine is the “Katagashira-no-reisen,”
the spring that Princess
Tatsuko is said to have drunk from to
preserve her beauty and then turned into a
dragon, as well as the “kagami-ishi” stone
that reflected her dragon figure. Here you
can also see a smaller statue of Tatsuko
sitting in a contrite pose, representing her
regret for chasing after vanity.
Over the mountains she walked and
finally she found the holy spring that she
was told about. Delighted, she took a sip as
she was instructed. When Tatsuko drank
the water from the holy spring with her
delicate hands, she became more and more
thirsty. She was drinking so breathlessly
and mindlessly that she dipped her face to
the water. The next moment, heavy clouds
appeared over the mountains, bringing
a thunderstorm. Soon, the pouring rain
washed out everything and caused a landslide
down to the lake. The lightning was
so blinding that Tatsuko couldn’t even see
herself. When it finally calmed down, she
came across a shining stone that reflected
her figure so she realised she was cursed
and transformed into a dragon.
When Tatsuko had been absent for
way too long, her mother became unbearably
anxious. She wandered deep into
the mountains in search of her precious
daughter. Finally, she found the holy
spring. She desperately called her daughter’s
name. The call was heard by Tatsuko,
who had now become a dragon living
in the waters of the lake. “Forgive me,
Mother” she said. “Because I wished for
eternal beauty, I became a dragon who
must serve as a guardian of Lake Tazawa.
I cannot return home with you. Instead, I
will keep this lake abundant with fish, so
you can have it every day to remember me.
They are my offerings to you.”
The golden statue of Princess Tatsuko at the shore of Lake Tazawako.
The torii gate at Gozanoishi Shrine facing Lake Tazawako.
Feature • Japan | 23