English Version
Near Kurozuka, at Kanzeji Temple, visitors can find several places tied to the legend of Iwate: the cave where she is said to have lived, a knife stained with blood, and the pond where she supposedly washed that blood away.
It is also said that if you approach Kurozuka, you may hear a low groaning voice—so deep and strange that it is impossible to tell whether it belongs to a man or a woman.
The Legend of Iwate
Iwate once worked as a nursemaid. One day, the child in her care fell ill with a mysterious disease. No medicine seemed to help. At last, a famous fortune-teller told her that the child could only be cured by eating the fresh liver of a pregnant woman.
Searching for a pregnant woman, Iwate made her way to Adachigahara. There, she encountered a young couple named Ikomanosuke and Koi-goromo.
When Koi-goromo went into labor, Ikomanosuke left to call for a doctor. While he was gone, Iwate killed Koi-goromo in order to take what she needed.
But then Iwate found an amulet in Koi-goromo’s kimono. It was the same amulet Iwate had once given to the daughter from whom she had been separated long ago.
Realizing that she had killed her own child, Iwate lost her mind. From then on, the story says, she would invite travelers into her home for the night, then kill and eat them.
In the end, Iwate was defeated by a Buddhist priest. The place where her remains were buried is said to be Kurozuka.
Kurozuka is associated with Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, near Prefectural Route 62. If you visit the area, stick to public paths and temple grounds, follow posted rules, and avoid entering restricted or unsafe places.
Japanese Language
近くにある観世寺では他にもいわての住んでいた岩屋、血で染まった包丁、その包丁の血を洗い流していた池などがあります。黒塚に近づくと男か女かの区別もつかないような低く唸る声が聞こえてくるそうです。乳母として働いていた「いわて」。ある日、手に掛けていた子が原因不明の病に倒れた。どんな薬を与えても治ることはなく、有名な占い師から「妊婦の生き担を食べさせなさい」と言われた。いわては妊婦を求めて安達ケ原までやってきた。ここである若夫婦「生駒之助と恋衣」に出会う。
恋衣が産気づき、生駒之助が医者を呼びにいった隙に、いわては生き担を手に入れるために恋衣を殺した。いわては恋衣の着物からお守りを見つけた。そのお守りは、いわてが生き別れた娘に渡したものだった。自分の娘を殺してしまい、気が狂ったいわては旅人を家に泊めては食い殺したという。結局、いわては僧侶によって退治されました。その亡骸を埋めた場所がこの黒塚です。福島県二本松市 県道62号線
