Location: Higashiyama Ward (near Gion-Shijo Stn., Keihan Line), Kyoto City; about 50 min. from Osaka or about 12 min. from Kyoto + 25 min. walking time
Associated with: The nue? Something called a moju?
No flower of fortune,
Has blessed a life resembling a long-buried tree...
Yet how bitter is the thought,
That all should end like this.
Minamoto no Yorimasa, Death Poem (from Heike Monogatari, Helen Craig McCullough trans.)
The Tale of the Heike talks of Minamoto no Yorimasa's encounter with the nue (or "Thrush Monster") in great color. For example, it describes how Yorimasa had with him only two arrows: one for the nue, and the second, should he fail to to hit the nue with his first, for the neck bone of the official who suggested Yorimasa for the job. Come to think of it, this might explain the "spare" being kept at Shinmei Shrine:
Luckily the first arrow hit home and the whole thing was wrapped up with a reward and some poetry. Sometime between 1161 and 1163 during the reign of Emperor Nijo (r. 1158-1165), Yorimasa was summoned to dispatch a second nue. This one was merely "annoying," and Yorimasa's archery alone was sufficient to defeat it. Again, a reward and more poetry.
The Tale of the Heike touts Yorimasa's 1153 encounter with the nue as his "greatest exploit" (which is a shame because it probably didn't happen) and to add insult to injury the book is quite bitchy about him being on the losing side at the Battle of Uji. Yet there is something about being able to defeat a fierce creature like the nue that even those on the winning side want to get in on the action.
Because as it turns out, Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan at the time of Yorimasa's demise, appears in his own tale of nue extermination. This account was not chronicled in the Tale of the Heike but in the Genpei Seisuiki (Rise and Fall of the Minamoto and Taira Clans). Although it's nowhere near as exciting as Yorimasa's, Kiyomori had the great foresight to have this nue buried on Sannenzaka, which now just happens to be one of the most picturesque streets in all of Kyoto.
Sannenzaka is about 150 feet of paved stone stairway connecting two Kyoto streets. "Sannen" (三年) simply means three years, and "saka" (坂), pronounced "zaka" here, means slope or hill. So why is it called "Three-Year-Hill"? One boring theory is that it was built in the third year of the Daido era (807). However, one dangerous and sexy theory states that if you trip during your ascent you'll die in three years!
Another theory as to how Sannenzaka got its name relates to a famous nearby destination. As it happens, the stairway is leading in the direction of Kiyomizu-dera, which houses a revered statue of Kannon (Yoasu-Kannon, the guardian Bodhisattva of children and childbirth). The Chinese character for childbirth (産) can also be pronounced "san," and the popular theory goes that your pregnant self, in ascending Sannenzaka on your way to Kiyomizu-dera, might chant, "O-san ga yasura ka de-arimasu you-ni" (お産が寧かでありますように), which means something like, "In hopes of an easy childbirth." So Sannenzaka (産寧坂) in this case would mean "incline toward an easy birth."
This may cause you to wonder why someone would bury the corpse of an evil mythical creature here. Well, that's because Higashiyama, which is absolutely spellbinding now, used to be an enormous burial ground full of cemeteries and open fields where the poor would abandon their dead to the elements. One such field, Toribeno (鳥辺野), referred to in the Tale of Genji as Toribe Moor, is now an enormous cemetery a mere 200 meters south of Sannenzaka. West of it is Rokudo no Tsuji (the Crossroads of the Six Realms of Rebirth), a simple stone marker thought to be the actual point where the dead crossed over. Likely this nue was buried on Sannenzaka because at the time it wasn't such a strange place to bury it.
Our nue though is not really very nue-ish in the chimera sense. An actual nue, or White's thrush, is a bird known to make a noise even at night... a forboding quality that can see it viewed as a kecho (怪鳥) or ominous bird. The chimera-type creature that appeared in 1153 had the cry of a thrush, and was labeled as such before it was seen. In that sense, what we call the nue was actually not a nue, but we call it that now because that was the first name it was given. The one that Taira no Kiyomori caught was said to have been an "ominous bird" type of nue. However, his nue did have one disturbing feature in that it was found to be covered in hair like a rat (perhaps red fur), so it was not really a nue either.
Whatever it was, its corpse was stuffed down a bamboo shaft and put into a burial mound. The name given to the mound was Moshu-Itchiku-Tsuka (毛朱一竹塚), or, and I'm taking creative liberties here, "Bamboo Mound of the Furball." Moju (or Moshu) is the name this nue is referred to as, and it means something like "furry all over" (毛じゅう) or maybe "vermillion coat" (毛朱[色]).
Comments: The mound was extant as late as the Taisho period (1912-1926), but has since been removed. It has subsequently cursed the surrounding area with millions of tourists. This is because Sannenzaka is part of a magically scenic walk on the approach to Kiyomizu-dera... I can only describe it as something like following the Yellow Brick Road to Oz. Don't let the crowds put you off. It's crowded because it's great! Swallow your agoraphobia and go!
Getting There
The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Yodoyabashi Stn. Our destination is Gion-Shijo Stn. on the Keihan Line.
Subway Yodoyabashi Stn. is one stop south of Umeda. At the north end of subway Yodoyabashi Stn. you'll find the Keihan Line. From Yodoyabashi, the Keihan Main Line runs all the way into Kyoto. To get to Gion-Shijo, you can jump on the fastest service there is: the Limited Express. If your hotel is in the Kyobashi area or anywhere near Osaka Castle Park, then I recommend you make your way to Kyobashi and commence your journey from Kyobashi Stn. (Keihan Line).
From JR Kyoto Stn. you can take the JR Nara line and go one stop to Tofukuji, where there is an adjacent Keihan station. You can also walk from Kyoto Stn. to Shichijo Stn. in about 15 minutes and take the train two stops up from there.
Actually, Sannenzaka is closer to Kiyomizu-Gojo Stn., which is one stop before Gion-Shijo, but I'm going to recommend a scenic walk from Gion-Shijo with Kiyomizu-Gojo as the finishing point. Of course you can follow the route backwards, starting from Kiyomizu-Gojo Stn., but seeing the majesty of Kiyomizu-dera first will make Sannenzaka appear less impressive.
Getting Your Bearings at Gion-Shijo Station
Take the stairs up to the ground level and go out either Exit 6 and turn right, or Exit 7 (across the road from Exit 6) and turn left. In terms of shops and things, being on the same side of the road as Exit 7 is slightly better. Here is the route:
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Besides Sannenzaka and Kiyomizu-dera, the route also takes in Yasaka Shrine and Ninenzaka ("Two-Year-Hill"). Ninenzaka has similar tales of origin to Sannenzaka, so do your best not to trip up there either!
In the maps below, I've highlighted the main scenic stretch of the route, followed by a close-up of that, and finally Sannenzaka itself circled in red. When you reach the end of Sannenzaka, turn left and continue up the hill to Kiyomizu-dera.
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Map courtesy of Google Maps
If for whatever reason you need to come via Kiyomizu-Gojo, here is a close-up of the station around Gojo Dori. The pink "arms" sprouting from the station are exits, with the exit numbers at their ends.
Map courtesy of Google Maps
Driver Gragma (yokaitourbus "at" mail "dot" com)
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The Master List (Kyoto)
http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/08/6-c-master-list-kyoto.html
(yokai) Nue (鵺), "Ominous Bird" Type (怪鳥)
Site: Sannenzaka (三年坂 or 産寧坂)
Nearest Station: (Keihan Line) Gion-Shijo Stn. (祇園四条駅), though Kiyomizu-Gojo Stn. (清水五条駅) is actually closer.
Google Map Search: NA, but "Ninenzaka" does come up.
