妙満寺と釣鐘の伝説/A story of a bell in Myomanji Temple
先日、#妙満寺 を訪問する機会がありました。
Recently I've visited #Myomanji Temple.
ここ、妙満寺には「雪の庭」として有名な枯山水のお庭があります。雪が積もった景色が大層美しいことから付けられた呼び名です。
In this Myomanji Temple has a dry garden known as "The Garden of Snow." The name came from the beautiful scenery with covering snow in winter.
そしてここにはもう一つ、人々の耳目を集めるものがあります。
And there is one more thing which many people pay attention to.
釣鐘です。
A bell.
この鐘にまつわる伝説をご紹介します。お能の「道成寺」をご存知の方はピンと来るものがあることでしょう。「安珍・清姫の伝説」と言います。
I'd like to share a story of this bell. It's a common story with Noh traditional dance and other many arts.
その昔、とある僧侶が熊野詣の途中で、一夜の宿を求めます。すると、そこの女房が僧侶をいたく気に入り、執拗に言い寄ります。参詣の途中である僧侶は、今は期待に沿えないことを告げ、きっと戻りますと言って宿を後にします。
Long time ago, a monk was on a pilgrimage to a shrine in a mountain. He asked a house on the way for one night's lodging. When he was about to sleep, the lady in the house came to him. He rejected her because he had a sacred purpose, but he had no choice but to say he would be back to her.
待てども待てども彼が帰ってこない。そんなある日、彼が彼女を避けて帰ろうとしているのを知った女房は激怒し、彼を追いかけます。怒り狂った彼女はいつの間にか蛇へと姿を変えており、やっと追いついた道成寺で、彼が鐘の中に隠れたことを知ります。すると蛇は鐘にとぐろを巻き、嫉妬の炎で鐘ごと僧侶を焼き尽くしてしまいましたとさ。
She was waiting and waiting day after day, but he never came back. One day, she heard that he was going back to his place on a different route. It enraged her because he broke his word, so she decided to chase him. Without noticing, her anger turned her to a snake. At last she found him at one temple. He was hiding himself in a bell. She coiled up around the bell, and soon, her flames of jealous burned him with the bell.
この話には様々な後日談があるのですが、ひとまずご紹介はここまで。
There are many legends what happened afterwards, but I lay down my pen for today.
私が実際に足を運ぶと、絵巻物もあり、この話が法華経の功徳を伝えるひとつだったのだなあと思わされました。是非後日談を妙満寺で聞いてみてください。また、今でも妙満寺ではこの鐘を大切に供養されています。
I saw a picture scroll about this story in the temple hall. The story has something to do with the Lotus Sutra, that tells us how beneficial it is. That's way Myomanji Temple still cherishes the bell. I hope I have a chance to talk about it someday.
8月の終わりに数奇な伝説をお届けしました。
I'd like to conclude my blog in August with a spooky story.