June: The Waterfall of Mount Ōyama
Are the waters of the waterfall perhaps drops of tears?
Ōyama Afuri Shrine in Sagami Province is said to have received the name Afuri from the expression ame-furi, “the falling of rain,” because the shrine was believed to bring rainfall.
During the Edo period, whenever drought struck, farmers from the countryside surrounding Edo would put water from the summit of the mountain into bamboo tubes and carry it back to Edo at a run, passing it from one person to the next relay-style. It was believed that rain would fall if they sprinkled the water, one drop at a time, over all the village rice fields. The faith that the people of Edo placed in the mountain was extraordinary.
The Rōben Waterfall, located halfway up the mountain, was believed to be highly effective in treating people who had gone insane. In an age before psychiatric hospitals, young women suffering from madness were tied up and made to stand beneath the falling water. The purpose was, in effect, to cool their overheated passions and bring their agitation under control.
However, because the treatment involved handling a woman’s naked body, a certain amount of indecent amusement may also have played a part.
This practice continued until the early Meiji period.
