TOP » 山形 » Yamagata Life Diary: Around the Neighborhood

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I love living in Yamagata. I’ve always been pretty easygoing about where I live and have never minded moving to a new place, but after arriving in Yamagata 13 years ago, I’ve become quite attached to life here. One area I particularly love is my Hirashimizu neighborhood. I live in the “older,” more traditional Hirashimizu, a “scenic zone” (fuchi chiku) where, if you decide to build a house, you need to submit your plans to City Hall so they can prevent you from building a garish eyesore that detracts from the picturesqueness of the area. When friends come to visit, I take them on long walks around this area, on easy Chitoseyama mountain hiking trails, to a few tasteful shops, and to the beautiful local temples.

One of these temples – Heisenji Temple – is known for its enormous weeping cherry trees which are said to be several hundreds of years old, and on the far side of the temple is a lovely cedar-lined path that is seemingly guarded by our local neighborhood datsueba. A “datsueba” is an old watchwoman in Buddhist mythology who sits by the Sanzu River (which the souls of the deceased must pass over to reach the afterlife), and I’ve run into statues of these rather ghoulish looking women all around Yamagata – but I feel a special fondness for this particular statue, perhaps one born of familiarity. The Japanese have a custom of clothing jizo and other statues which sit out in the rain and elements, and our datsueba seems to be wearing a different outfit every time I visit. Her expression may be severe, but it is softened by the knit cap on her head and the shawl draped around her shoulders. This also makes you ask – why is a creature so fierce the subject of such loving attention? It is things like this which inspire one to learn more about the local culture.

If you are ever strolling around the Heisenji Temple area, take a moment to make the acquaintance of our datsueba, and see what she has to say to you.