Leaving the nightlife of Dōgo behind, we walked toward the Asuka-no-yu Hot Springs. Light bled from the streetlamps, deeper than the hotspring steam. It was a quiet night.
We saw through a corner of the light a stone monument. A modest thing, its inscription told of how Prince Shōtoku originally raised it upon something called “Hot Spring Hill.” But it’s been renovated in recent years.
The real monument left by the crown prince actually disappeared sometime in the past. Where it is now, no one knows.
Left behind in its wake was not stone, but words. The memory of people, reaching across the ages through this epigraph.
And through the people, the monument’s tale is relived, again and again. A tale that starts at the beginning of everything – the age of myths.
This legend tells of the two gods of ancient Izumo, Okuninushi and Sukuna-Hikona, the “Tama-no-ishi” stone, and the healing waters of this region.
The hot spring water healed Sukuna-Hikona’s illness, and the renewed god danced merrily upon the stone, now known and deified as the “Tama-no-Ishi” or “Spherical Stone.” Ever since then, the locals have passed down belief in the healing properties of Dōgo’s hot spring, saying they could “bring the dead back to life.”
In time, Dōgo became more than just a hot spring – in the minds of the people, its waters were sacred, close in proximity to the gods.
The ages passed, into the Asuka Period.
The Emperor and Crown Prince Shōtoku journeyed here from the capital to bathe in the hot springs.
According to ancient regional records, the Crown Prince
came to the “Iyo hot springs” in the year 569.
He entered the springs and gazed across the view of this region.
Steam licked between hedges thick with camellia flowers.
Moonlight gently swayed upon the water’s face at night.
Moved, the Crown Prince etched his feelings upon stone.
They say his words go thus:
– Just as the Sun and Moon shine upon all without prejudice, may this spring bless all in equal measure.
Far more than just a hot spring resort, the epigraph likens it to an “ideal country” where the blessings of heaven reach the people. Perhaps Crown Prince Shōtoku saw the “perfect government” reflected upon the Dōgo spring waters.
Then, there is another story about another place where he raised a stone monument. According to ancient records, the monument can be found on the side of a low hill known as “Hot Spring Hill.”
This hill would later be called “Isaniwa Hill.” Why? Where does this name come from?
As the old records tell it, the locals heard rumors that the Crown Prince raised a monument, and wanted to see it for themselves. The people would say in Japanese “Iza, mi ni ikou!” or “Come, let’s go see it!”
The hill beckoned them; “izanau” in Japanese means “to invite or entice,” leading to the name “Isaniwa.”
“Isaniwa.”
A surprisingly mellow word to the ear; one might even say inviting.
A name that gently says “come along.”
Its gentle echo seeps into the heart when you walk the streets of Dōgo at night.
There is another theory for the origin of the name “Isaniwa.”
Originally, places where oracles would receive guidance from the gods were called “saniwa.” Later, the sound “i” (ee), represented by the kanji character for “pure” or “holy,” was added to the name.
Moreover, that “i” sound can be heard in the word “ido,” or “water well.” From a “Well of the gods” to the “Hot springs of the gods,” the associations occur naturally.
What do you think when you hear the word Isaniwa?
And just where was Isaniwa Hill located?
In truth, records indicate that the hill where the Crown Prince raised his monument is located inside the modern-day Dōgo Park.
Indeed, from its entrance at the location of the Dōgo Onsen, it is located at the top of a hill that overlooks the city even now.
Nevertheless, scholars have to this day continuously debated the question of whether Dōgo Park is actually Isaniwa Hill.
And that is why we are heading for the hill inside the park.
From lost stone monuments to the location of this mysterious hill, the history of Dōgo Onsen is full of mysteries that remain to this day.
But walking the town at night, one can’t help but feel the romance in this sense of “unknowing.”
Trace back through the history of the hill upon which Dōgo Park is located, using our audio guide and the romantic mystery inspired by Isaniwa Hill at your side.
Next, we will highlight Lord Kōno, and the hilltop fort he constructed – Yuzuki Castle. Now come, let us see it.
