Japanese bathing habits are said to be in the minority worldwide.
As anyone who has spent some time in Japan will know, with the exception of a few hotels, most Japanese bathrooms are equipped with a bathtub and the emphasis is on spending time in the bathtub.
According to some statistics, on average, Japanese people soak in the bathtub more than five times a week, compared to less than 30% of people in Western countries who soak in the bathtub at least once a week.
This is not because Japan is a very cold country, nor because Westerners are lazy.
（;＾△＾）
It is simply because Japanese people place more importance on hygiene as well as spiritual healing when it comes to bathing, whereas people in the West place more importance on the rational style of bathing, which is to keep the body hygienic. And this is because「Furo（bathroom）」and「Onsen（hot spring）」are almost synonymous for the Japanese.
In short, ‘SPA-like thinking’ is the basis of the Japanese approach to bathing.
Of course, there are a number of countries outside Japan where SPAs have developed. In Italy, the custom of soaking in a bathtub is not so common, but hot springs are as well developed as in Japan, while Spain, Germany, Greece and other Scandinavian countries also have hot springs rich in nature. In Hungary, the bathing style is said to be similar to that of Japan.
What these countries have in common is the presence of a volcanic vein, or otherwise a geothermal heat source, from which the hot springs originate.
Szechenyi Spa, Budapest, Hungary.
The land of Japan is located between various tectonic structures such as the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Japan has suffered various natural disasters since ancient times, but on the other hand, it has also been blessed with the benefits of nature, such as hot springs, and a unique culture has grown up here…
As there are hot spring veins all over the country and hot spring areas have been formed, there is a lot of folklore about hot springs in Japan from ancient times. The most commonly heard is the Legend of “Opening of the hot spring by Kobo-Daishi”.
Kobo-Daishi was a real Buddhist monk who lived some 1,200 years ago and is one of the most well-known high priests in Japan. He is also known as the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism on Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture, which is connected to the Kumano Kodo.
In 803, he travelled to the Tang Dynasty for training and returned to Japan. He then travelled on foot throughout Japan, building temples in various regions and spreading Buddhist teachings.
“Wherever he stayed, he would chant sutras and poke the ground with his walking stick, and hot springs would gush forth from them, which later became a place of healing and recuperation for the people of the area…” (Legend of the opening of the hot spring by Kobo-Daishi: summary)
Well, you can’t just poke the ground with a stick and have the hot springs gush out. (^_^;) However, in those days monks were not only tasked with spreading Buddhist teachings as they travelled from place to place, but also with passing on the advanced civil engineering and farming techniques they had learnt on the continent.
Such work must have resulted in the discovery of hot spring veins and the formation of SPAs, which led to the later formation of the legend.
This was about 300-500 years further back than Kobo-Daishi. It is said that there was an ancient open-air hot spring in Yubara, Maniwa City in present-day Okayama Prefecture, which was crowded with many people.
Yubara Hot Spring Village, Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture.
At the time, the iron and steel industry was booming in the area due to the availability of high-quality iron ore, and many people were engaged in this industry. The hot springs in Yubara were probably primitive, but they were also a place of rest and relaxation for people tired from work. The area was also quite cold in winter, so the high geothermal temperatures made it a good place to overwinter.
Iron manufacturing in the region, also known as “Tatara iron” making, grew into a major industrial formation during the Nara period (710-794), with tens of thousands of people engaged in the industry and involved in national policies. It continued until the Meiji era (19th century)…
Tatara iron manufacturing as depicted in the Edo period.
Volcanic eruptions, major earthquakes, and other subterranean upheavals that can cause catastrophic damage. The behaviour of nature, which sometimes causes devastating damage to human life, has also brought many blessings to people at the same time.
Since ancient times, the Japanese have referred to these as the “荒魂 / wild spirit” and the “和魂 / gentle spirit” of the gods, and have kept them engraved in the depths of their hearts. Onsen are a divine blessing for the Japanese, and may have influenced their bathing style, even if they are not aware of it today…
Finally, although not directly related to the hot springs, there is a shrine in this Yubara hot spring village that is the only one of its kind in Japan.
The name of the shrine is『鯢大明神 / Hanzaki Daimyojin』（Daimyojin means the same as shrine.）.
Interestingly, even most Japanese do not know how to read the letters ‘鯢 / Hanzaki’ or what they mean. That is how remote they are from everyday life.
So what is a ‘鯢 / Hanzaki’? The answer is ‘Giant Salamander（newt）’.
In Japan it is usually known as ‘Oo-Sanshouo’.
Yes, Hanzaki Daimyojin is a shrine dedicated to the giant salamander（newt） as a deity.
* Precisely ‘Andrias japonicus’. It is one of the largest amphibians and is found in Asia and parts of the USA. The Andrias japonicus grows to nearly one metre in length. Ancient forms of life that have not changed their appearance for tens of millions of years. endangered species.
Why are these strange creatures worshipped in this region?
This can be known by the following legend. Summarised from the history book of the shrine…
～ A long time ago, a giant salamander（Hanzaki） up to 10 metres long lived in the river Asahikawa in this area, dragging cattle, horses and people into the river and eating them.
One day, a young man called Hikoshiro took on the monster salamander and, after a hard struggle, killed it.
Peace returned to the village and the villagers were relieved, but from the following day onwards, strange noises began to cover Hikoshiro’s house at night, and eventually Hikoshiro’s family died out one by one.
The villagers feared it was cursed by a giant salamander and built a shrine to worship it, which was the start of the Hanzaki Daimyojin… ～
I don’t know what to say… If you’re going to enshrine him, you might as well enshrine Hikoshiro, who fought for the village and died an untimely death…
(^_^;)
It is not possible for a giant salamander to grow up to 10 metres, nor would it attack people or cattle and horses. However, the oddly shaped, nocturnal form of the salamander may have been nothing more than a monster in the eyes of the ancients.
The salamander, which lives in clear mountain streams, is still found in Asahikawa. Adjacent to the shrine is the “Hanzaki Centre”, which provides detailed information on the ecology of the salamander, and once a year the “Hanzaki Festival” is held there.
If you have the chance to visit Yubara Onsen in Okayama Prefecture, why not drop by?
“Hanzaki Festival” 8 August.