Yara Maruchi Revisited Mystery Cache
LARCjpn: Leaving the island soon. Archiving.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(not chosen)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Revisiting a nearby shrine location.
This cache is replacing one that had been at this site. It is now a mystery/multi cache.
It is rated a Difficulty of 3 because you will have to make a couple of trips to find the final leg. It is rated a Terrain of 3 because at times it could be (when they haven't tended to the area in a while or if it has been raining).
Please do not disturb the shrine.
Congratulations to tlbeers for this FTF!
As one legend goes...Once upon a time the big serpent that lived in this pond caused strong winds for seven months, then for another seven months the serpent caused a deluge of rainfall. He also devoured rice, wheat, beans, and other crops. Some hapless victims were injured by the serpent. Everyone was terrified of what he would do next.
The king who ruled over this hamlet asked a 'yuta' (a woman with psychic ability) and a wise man how to prevent or fix the damage caused by the serpent. They answered, "The only way is to offer a young woman to the serpent as a human sacrifice."
The king put up a bulletin board and wrote this proclamation. "If a girl wants to become the serpent's human sacrifice, the king will provide money and assure an easy life for her bereaved family."
There was an extremely poor family in the hamlet. The family was composed of a mother, a son and a daughter. When the daughter heard of the king's proclamation, she made up her mind. "I will become the victim, thereby saving the villagers from disaster and helping my family live an easy life.." She notified the king's office of her proposal.
On the appointed day an altar was made on the edge of Yara Muruchi Pond and the girl was placed before the altar. She kneeled down and sat on her feet, clad in white. A female yuta prayed before the altar and asked the serpent in the pond not to harass the people again, as they were offering this girl as a sacrifice for peace.
Soon a whirlpool appeared in the central part of the deep pond, adn the head and upper torso of the serpent rose up. The serpent came closer and closer to his victim. When he opened his mouth to eat her, suddenly a big glass-like ball fell down from the sky and hit his head. The ball flashed like lightning and created a big noise like thunder. People saw the big serpent writhe in agony. Soon the serpent died.
The villagers believed that the merciful gods in heaven took pity on the self-sacrificing girl and killed the serpent. Her mother, who went insane after her daughter volunteered for death, recovered her sanity and cried for joy. The king gave the family a substantial sum of money. Even though the girl survived the entire ordeal he assured the family he would keep his promise and they would retain a pension for the rest of their lives. After that the family prospered. In addition the farmers found good weather, plenty of rain for their crops and enjoyed a bumper harvest. Everyone lived happily once the serpent was dead.
Even today the descendants of this ancient village honor the legend by visiting Yara Muruchi Pond once a year.
(Excerpt by Hisashi A. from This Week On Okinawa; October 1-7, 2007)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jvyy arrq vagrearg npprff naq n ovg bs gvzr gb svther guvf bar bhg.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures