Onsens have long been revered not only for their soothing and therapeutic properties but also for the fascinating stories that surround them. From tales of mythical creatures believed to reside within their depths to ancient treasures and magical transformations - these stories are passed down through generations. Here is a couple of my favourites.
The legend of Oigami onsen #
It happened long time ago, in the age of gods. The giant snake, the god of mt. Akagi was fighting a giant centipede, the god of mt. Nantai that is in Nikko. The snake god was wounded by an arrow. He pulled it out and stuck into the foot of the mount Akagi - and a hot spring began to flow in that place. The snake god, having healed its wounds in the hot spring, was able to drive away the giant centipede god of Mt. Nantai. That hot spring remained and is popular to ths day. It is called Oigami onsen. It is said that the original name of this hot spring was spelled as 追い神 (literally meaning “chasing god”) but eventually it was transformed into 老神 , meaning “ancient god[s]”
Dogo onsen #
A white heron injured his leg. He came to the valley that would later be called 鷺谷 - a valley of a heron, where he found water gushing out of the rocks. He was coming to that place every day to soak his leg in the water and soon his wound was completely healed. People who saw this were amazed, so they came to bath in that water. Their fatigue and illnesses were gone - and that is how the Dogo onsen was discovered. A stone called Sagiishi (heron stone) was made to commemorate this discovery - it is still there in front of the Dogo Onsen station.