Yuu's Notes 3

The English content of this page features unofficial fan translations.

Yuu's Notes 3 Japanese 優雨の調査報告　三 Author Yuu Asou/Kei Amakura Source Zero Shisei no Koe Complete Official Capture Book Page 262-266 Related Notes Yuu's Notes 1, Yuu's Notes 2, Yuu's Notes 4, Yuu's Notes 5

The Priestess who Bears the Holly

The Kuze Shrine was said to be a place where one could offer up their pain. However, this was limited to pain of the heart - that is, grief - and appears to have referred specifically to the pain of bereavement. It appears as though this ritual to say a physical and mental farewell to the dead involved making a pilgrimage to the Kuze priestess. One record contains an eyewitness account of people visiting the shrine to say their final farewells to deceased family members, their bodies inside hemp sacks.

In winter, while the snows fall, each of the worshippers who make pilgrimage to the shrine pull carts bearing large sacks behind them, their faces covered.

Something about them reminds me of a funeral procession.

(Excerpt from notes appearing to have been left by Mr. Akito Kashiwagi)

While the Kuze priestess seems to sometimes have been referred to by the name of "sleeping priestess", upon which the lullaby was likely based, she also appears to have been called "the tattooed priestess" due to the fact that she would bear the grief of those who had lost loved ones in the form of tattoos.

By examining the duty with which she was tasked, we can see clear parallels between it and the "Sleeping Priestess" lullaby. To demonstrate these links between her, the song, and the tattoo ascetic, I will summarise below three rituals that appear to have been performed at the Kuze Shrine: the Rite of Purple Ink, the Piercing of the Soul, and the Rite of Commandment.

The Rite of Purple Ink

The ritual in which the ink used to tattoo the priestess is created.

It seems as though the worshippers who visited the Kuze Shrine to "offer up their pain" to the priestess did so not by merely confiding their sorrows to her in the hope of attaining peace, but rather by having her bear a physical manifestation of that pain. Specifically, blood extracted from bodies of the deceased (blood of the dead) would be mixed with blood from those left behind (blood of the living) to create "purple ink", which would then be used to tattoo the body of the priestess. By doing so, she would take on people's pain - their grief at being parted from the dead - on their behalf.

The central roles in this ritual appear to have been played by a pair of women known as "Engravers". They were brought in from neighbouring villages, and from the time they entered the Kuze Shrine they permanently lived side-by-side, dedicating the rest of their lives to serving the shrine.

Those who engrave the holly upon the priestess must mix together the scarlet and indigo of living and dead blood. With the Ink of the Soul thus created, carve the holly into her skin.

(From the Rite of Purple Ink Tome)

In the Commandment Tome, which appears to have been stored at the Kuze Shrine, I have found mention of what I guess to be the "Rite of Commandment", the ritual which follows this one. Within it are pages that seem to have contained a registry, where visitors to the shrine would write their names in their own blood. This is another expression of the shrine's unique beliefs about blood, viewing it as a symbol of pain.

The Piercing of the Soul

The ritual in which the ink of the soul is used to tattoo the Tattooed Priestess.

The worshippers' grief and anguish are carved deeply into the priestess' skin from head to toe in the form of a holly pattern entwined with a snake. As a ritual representing the shamanistic nature of the Kuze priestess, I believe it was likely viewed with particular importance by the priestess who was to receive the tattoos, of course, as well as the Engravers who applied it.

The tattoos engraved during the Piercing of the Soul would gradually spread across the priestess' body each time more pain (holly) was offered up to her. This probably means that the ritual itself was repeated over and over until her entire body was covered in tattoos.

What sort of circumstances did the priestess live in until she had taken on many people's pain through the Piercing of the Soul and fulfilled her duty (been fully covered in tattoos and put to sleep)? Though this is based on personal recollections, and I cannot say with any certainty whether it was real or dreamed, I will describe the priestess-looking woman I saw sleeping in a prison hung from a high ceiling. If that suspended cell is the "Hanging Prison" mentioned in old books, then the priestess would have awaited the day of the ritual within.

As is broadly known, the act of being tattooed entails great physical pain. These days, tattoos are mostly viewed as an element of fashion, or a means of self-expression, with many (primarily young) people wearing them like accessories. However, piercing as deep as the dermis and dyeing it with pigments naturally comes with a reasonable amount of pain. When it comes to large, traditional designs, the pain is intense enough to make a grown adult faint.

In the Kuze priestess' case, the pain caused by the ritual is a sacred one received through the transfer of another's. I cannot imagine that any measures were taken to ease the burden upon them. Given what was inflicted upon her body in the process, it must have been a very tough ritual for a young woman to go through.

The Engravers

A pair of women. They create the ink of the soul and tattoo the priestess.

The Engravers were responsible for creating the ink of the soul and tattooing the priestess; however, in order to carry out these duties, they were forced to make bodily sacrifices.

The first was that, in order to know the pain of having one's body tattooed, they would have countless needles stuck into their bodies. This is likely a mimicking of the act of tattooing, the process of which involves piercing the skin with a needle and injecting it with pigment.

The other involved gouging out their own eyes, so that the priestess would not be taken in by worldly desires that would tether her to the world of the living. The act of taking away their eyesight was not only a ritualistic one meant to rid the priestess of her regrets towards life, but also something done so that the Engravers would not be led astray by their eyes when tattooing the priestess, and instead make sure the pattern they engraved was guided by a more spiritual force. Furthermore, their eyes, of which they had been physically deprived, would never return. It also seems to carry the meaning of a warning that once they entered the Kuze Shrine, they would never be able to return to society.

Incidentally, it appears as though once the Engravers's eyeballs had been removed, hemp ropes would be passed through the sockets so as to criss-cross through both eyes. However, I have as yet been unable to locate any documents indicating any specific reason why this was carried out. As the rope was not merely used to cover their eyes but passed from left to right to bind them, it is conceivable that this was done to seal them shut and tie the physical bodies linking them to the world of the living into a world shared only by them and the lone priestess.

Here, I would like to make note of the fact that the Engravers were made up of a pair of women of the same generation, who would eat and sleep together, serving the shrine until their deaths. They were treated as a pair, almost as if they were twins.

Twins themselves are often viewed as special, almost divine entities. They are frequently believed to be a single body that split into two within the mother's womb, and whether this is considered an auspicious or ill omen, some sort of implication is conferred upon it. Take for example the "Twin Festival" still found to this day in the mountains of the Chubu region, a "kamioroshi" ritual held once twins reach a certain age. The twins are dressed in white, their obis tied together with a red cord, apparently with the nuance of them returning to one body and harbouring a divine power within.

Although the Engravers of the Kuze Shrine were not actually twins themselves, perhaps treating them as a pair may imply that they are servants of the gods based upon this reasoning.

The Handmaidens

The girls who served as the priestess' caretakers.

Photo: Part of a film reel found in the projector owned by the family of Akito Kashiwagi. It shows images of girls who appear to be Handmaidens.

Between the pain of having her skin pierced by countless needles and her sorrow at no longer being able to return to society, the tattooed priestess must have experienced a great deal of distress. It was the duty of a group of young girls known as "Handmaidens" to support her both mentally and physically.

There were usually four Handmaidens, who, like the priestess and Engravers, were selected from the girls who lived in nearby villages. They appear to have been young, between roughly the ages of five and nine. From the day the priestess was brought into the shrine they would wait on and take care of her, or serve as a companion for her now that she was no longer permitted to return to the outside world. As a ritualistic duty, they would also nail dolls to the walls that served as a substitute vessel for people's pain, performing what was known as "impaling the sin" apparently in order to soothe the priestess afflicted by the pain of the tattoos.

The Handmaidens were also preordained to fulfil their final duty of "piercing the priestess' four limbs". Though I need to do a bit more research on this point, in its most literal interpretation, this may refer to something similar to crucifixion, an act that is mentioned frequently throughout history.

I find it extremely interesting that such young girls would so readily and without a hint of doubt agree to perform something so brutal as "piercing" someone. One might say it demonstrates the results of having been raised in an area under the influence of the Kuzes, and receiving thorough training as Handmaidens.

Once their term of service was completed, the Handmaidens would seemingly be sent home once more, living uneventful lives as parishioners like all of the other girls of the village. The reason why they were allowed back into normal society without being silenced, despite having had such an important role as carrying out the tattooed priestess' ritual, likely lies in a combination of their youth, and the workings of the egos of those who required the sleeping priestess as a human sacrifice. A substantial number of women from villages near the Kuze Shrine likely had experience serving as Handmaidens during their childhoods, and this tacit understanding allowed them to create priestesses according to their needs.

The Rite of Commandment

The ritual in which the priestess is put to sleep.

Once the Rite of Tattoos was complete and the priestess' entire body was covered in tattoos, she would be lowered into the depths of a deep pit known as the "Abyss", built beneath the Engraving Shrine. The Abyss, the entrance to the underworld itself, is not a place for the living to set foot. Therefore, it was at this point that the priestess' connections to our earthly world were severed entirely. Finally, she would arrive at an enormous underground cavern in the deepest part of the Kuze Shrine, known as the "Rift", where she would be impaled by the Handmaidens and sealed within a small shrine to sleep forever more.

It goes without saying that this refers to the priestess being offered as a living sacrifice to the gods. Within this small shrine inside the underground cave, staked down and trapped, the priestess had no way of returning to the surface, her life drawing to a close alongside the corpses of past priestess, still bearing her tattoos.

Evidence of the custom of driving stakes through people's limbs can be seen worldwide dating back to ancient times. The most well-known example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but in any case, the nuances here are more of punishment than any ritualistic element. Within the Kuzes' rituals, I sense something strongly suggestive that the act was carried out in order to soothe the Tattooed Priestess' spirit and definitively send her off to the underworld - that is, as a preventative measure to keep her confined so that she would not return to reality. It also likely carried the nuance of using physical restraints to trap her there, so that the pain of others engraved upon her wouldn't return, and the priestess wouldn't awaken.

Note: Meaning of "sleeping" priestess
Connection between "dreams" and the tattoo
What was the "piercing" for?

The Tearing

The punishment for a priestess unable to fulfil her duties. The stripping of the tattoos.

Though discussing the emotions of the subject with regards to a ritual whose significance lies in the act itself may be meaningless from a macro perspective, many priestess must have felt frightened upon leaning of their fates, and that they were to become sacrifices.

If a priestess learned of the duty she had been charged with and refused to proceed any further with the ritual, or had taken on the tattoos but was unable to sever her attachments to the world of the living, the skin bearing the tattoos that served as her reason for existing was entirely stripped off and she was "washed away" - in other words, killed.

This "tearing" is referred to in The Tearing Tome. The document, which appears to date from long before the time of the final Kuze family head, Yashuu, seems to make mention of this "tearing" carried out as punishment for those who were unable to become priestesses. The stripped skin was kept in a small shrine, bringing repose to the soul of the priestess from whom it was taken, whilst also serving as a warning to the next priestess.

Photo: Tattoos from the collection of the Aomori Museum of Ethnology. The snake and holly pattern can be observed within.

Based upon Yuu's research, it appears as though the expression "wash away" observed in such regions is used as a metaphor for "kill". However, it seems more likely that a verb relating to water would be found in a coastal region. It seems unusual for such a word to be in use in mountainous areas such as these.

The Significance of the Tattoo's Design

Photo: The mitsu-uroko or "three scales", the crest of the Hojo clan. Its origin lies in the three scales left behind by the priestess. This is a stylistic example of the intimate relationship between priestess and snake.

The snake, the symbol of the priestess. The holly, representing the pain.

The design of the tattoos engraved upon the Kuze priestess featured a combination of snake and holly.

Priestesses and snakes have been very closely linked since ancient times. Serpents were believed to be incarnations of dragons that served the gods, and were feared as dragons that had descended to earth. Perhaps the most extreme example of this is found in a legend about the shaman Himiko, who was said to have painted a pattern resembling snake scales onto her skin. This was in an attempt to imbue herself with the power of the gods by taking part of a snake into her own body.

Such tales are not limited to the age of mythology. Even after mankind attained dominance over nature, it seems to have been engraved upon people's hearts and minds. It is said that Hojo Tokimasa attained prosperity under the guidance of a priestess who served as the messenger of a dragon god, and therefore took a three scales design as his family crest to represent the scales of a snake.

Furthermore, in ancient literature we frequently see illustrations depicting avatars of supernatural powers, such as people being attacked by a divine snake. Snakes were often used as symbols of supernatural disasters and forces beyond human understanding. The priestess of the Kuze Shrine being clad in a snake design seems to conform faithfully to such examples.

There are also various theories regarding the holly. The most common of these appears to be the claim that it serves as a metaphorical representation of the pain borne by the priestess. This is due to the fact that, as discussed earlier, the word "holly" was once written using characters meaning "aching tree", owing to the painful prickling sensation felt upon touching its serrated leaves. It was also known as oni no metsuki ("demon eye-jabber") and believed to possess the power to ward off malignant spirits, as seen in the way it is used during setsubun alongside sardine heads as a warding symbol. As an evergreen tree, perhaps the image of it earnestly living on even amidst the snow also had some part to play in its perceived divinity. The motif featured in the priestess' design was probably derived from these characteristics.

The Unleashing

When the priestess' dreams are reflected back.

This seems to refer to when the dreams caused by the pain engraved into the priestess in the form of tattoos return to the people from whence they came.

It was believed that when the pain was reflected back, the tattoo would take on the divine power of the snake and attack its original holder. This was an absolutely forbidden outcome, and any and all possible methods were to be used to prevent it.

Though the Unleashing is spoken of figuratively in the form of a legend, I have been unable to find any writings that clearly describe what it actually entails. The only records I can find of the Unleashing having occurred at all are from the time of Yashuu Kuze, the final head of the Kuze family - in other words, this was an irregular event that was not usually supposed to come to pass, and the Unleashing that occurred during Yashuu's time must indicate that the ritual failed in a most dire manner.

The legend of the "tattoo ascetic" states that something caused the pains the nun had taken into her body to rebound back to their original owners, following which the snake in the tattoo's pattern came to life and devoured them whole. In line with this, it is conceivable that the Unleashing brought about by the priestess who bears the snake is a catastrophe caused by her by way of a curse, spoken of as a supernatural phenomenon.

While I can only speculate as to the events that triggered the Unleashing, I believe it may have been a combination of two factors:

• Refusal to bear the holly (become a priestess)
  
• Tattooing of the eyeballs (according to the account of the Tattoo Ascetic)
  

I believe that the meaning of "engraving the tattoos upon her eyes" (even considering whether or not this is actually possible) does not refer to literally tattooing her eyes, but probably rather means the etching of "wounds" - that is, pain and grief tying her to the world of the living - into the priestess' eyes, some sort of thing leading her to harbour regrets towards life seared into her eyes.

When interpreted in such a manner, it is consistent with the cause of the Unleashing, as I will discuss later, which I believe to be an actual event.

The Rift Shrine

A building constructed to prevent the Unleashing from spreading.

If worst were to come to worst and the Unleashing occurred, the entire shrine was to be surrounded by a massive building created to stop it from spreading to the outside world. This building, which functioned as a wall, was called the Rift Shrine, and its name seems to carry the implication that it was used to contain the Kuze Shrine within the "other world", one separate from our own.

They did not merely isolate the place physically from the outside world, but also sent the priestess who had brought about the Unleashing to the underworld using supernatural methods employing human sacrifices.

The home of the Kuzes, completely isolated from the outside world and covered entirely by the Rift Shrine and multiple layers of reinforcement, was transformed into an enormous manor with an extremely complex layout. As the structure of the manor can be verified through the testimony of Kaname Ototsuki and other "Manor of Sleep" patients from the time, this appears more or less certain.

柊を背負う巫女

　久世の宮は「痛みを納める宮」とされていた。だが心の
痛み、すなわち悲しみといってもその内容は限定されて
おり、人と死別した痛みを指していたようだ。死んだ人と
肉体的・精神的に決別するための儀式、それが久世の巫女
への参詣であったとみられる。身内に死者が出ると、その
遺体を麻の袋に入れて、最後の別れを行なうために詣で
る人々の姿が見られた、との記録が残っている。

　冬、雪の降る中、やってくる参詣者は皆顔を隠し、
　台車で大きな袋を引いてゐる。

　その姿は、どこか葬列のやうに見える。

　（柏木秋人氏が残したと思われる手記より抜粋）

　久世の巫女は、おそらくは子守唄のモデルになったで
あろう「眠り巫女」の名で呼ばれることもあったようだが、
親しい人と死に別れた人々の悲しみを、刺青に代えて背
負うことから、「刺青の巫女」とも呼ばれていたようだ。
　巫女に課せられた役割をひも解くと、そこには子守唄「眠
り巫女」との疑いようのない一致が見られる。その唄や、
文身行者との一致を示すためにも、「久世ノ宮」で行なわれ
ていたと思われる「紫魂ノ儀」「刺魂ノ儀」「戒ノ儀」の三つ
の儀式について、以下にまとめる。

紫魂の儀

　巫女の刺青を刻むための墨を作る儀式。

　久世の宮を訪れた参拝者が「巫女に痛みを納める」とは、
単に悲しみを打ち明け、平安を求めるということではなく、
「痛みを具現化したもの」を巫女に背負わせることにあっ
たようだ。すなわち亡くなった人の身体から採った血（死
に血）と残された人の血（生き血）とを混ぜて「紫の墨」を
作り、その墨を用いて巫女の身体に刺青を刻むことで、巫
女に痛み＝死者との訣別の悲しみの肩代わりをさせると
いう形をとっていたと見られる。
　なおこの儀式は「刻ミ女」と呼ばれるふたりの女性が中
心となって進められたようだ。彼女たちは近隣の村から
召され、一度宮に入ると、つねにふたり揃って暮らし、そ
の一生を久世の宮に捧げたらしい。

　巫女二柊ヲ納メシ者ハ
　生キ血ト死二血ノ　朱ト藍ヲ混ゼラセテ
　紫魂ノ墨トシ　以ッテ柊ヲ刻ム可シ

　（「紫魂ノ儀文書」より）

　久世の宮で保管されていたと見られる「戒ノ儀文書」は、
このあとに続く儀式「戒ノ儀」について記したものと推測
されるが、ここには参詣者が自分の名前を己の血を用い
て記帳したと見られるページが残っている。これもまた
久世の宮において血というものを傷みの象徴として、特
別視していたことの現われだろう。

刺魂の儀

「紫魂の墨」で、刺青ノ巫女に刺青を施す儀式。

　参詣者たちの悲しみや苦しみを「柊」の紋様とし、それ
を取り巻く蛇の図とともに、巫女の全身に深々と刻み付
けてゆく。久世の巫女として巫覡性を象徴する儀式だけに、
刺青を受ける巫女自身はもちろん、施術する刻ミ女たち
にとってもことさら重視されたのではないかと思う。
　刺魂の儀で刻む刺青は、痛み＝柊が納められるごとに
少しずつ巫女の身体に刻まれていく。つまり巫女の全身
が刺青で埋め尽くされるまで、儀式自体も繰り返し行な
われることになったのだろう。

　刺魂の儀によって多くの人々の「痛み」を引き受けた巫
女は、その役目を終える（＝刺青に埋め尽くされて眠りに
つく）までのあいだ、どういった境遇にあったのだろうか。
これについては私・天倉螢の夢とも現実とも定かでない
記憶によるものではあるが、天井高くに吊るされた牢の
中で眠りにつく、巫女姿の女性のイメージを記しておく。
宙吊りの牢が古書に見られる「浮獄」と呼ばれるものであ
るなら、巫女はその中で来たるべき儀式の日を待
っていたのであろう。

　一般に知られているように、刺青とは大きな肉体的苦
痛を伴う行為だ。現在はタトゥーとも呼ばれ、ファッショ
ン感覚、または自己表現の手段としての側面ばかりがク
ローズアップされているし、おもに若者がアクセサリー
をつける感覚で入れることも多い。だが皮膚の真皮まで
貫いて色素で染め上げていくからには、当然相応の痛み
が伴う。昔ながらの大きな紋様ともなると、大の大人が失
神するほどの痛みになる。
　まして久世の巫女の場合は、儀式がもたらす苦痛は、人
の痛みを移して貰い受ける神聖なものである。彼女の負
担を軽減しようという措置が取られたとは思えない。
　若い女性がその身に受けるには、さぞかし辛い儀式で
あったことだろうと思う。

刻ミ女

　ふたり一組の女性。
　紫魂の墨を作り、刺青を刻む。

　刻ミ女は紫魂の墨を作ることと、巫女に刺青を刻むこ
との役目を担っていたが、彼女たちはその任務をまっと
うするために、肉体犠牲を強いられていた。
　ひとつは身体を刻まれる痛みを知るために、全身に無
数の針を刺すこと。これは刺青を刻むという行為が、皮下
に針を突き刺し、色素を注入するという過程を取ること
をなぞらえているといえるだろう。
　もうひとつは巫女が現世の煩悩にとらわれてしまわな
いよう、その肩代わりとして、自らの眼をえぐり取ること
である。光を奪う行為は、巫女の俗世への心残りをなくさ
せるための儀礼的行為であるとともに、刻ミ女たちが刺
青の刻印に臨むにおいて、目に見えるものに惑わされず、
もっと霊的な力に基づいて紋様を刻んでいくことができ
るように導くためでもあったであろう。また物理的に失
われた彼女たちの両目は、もはや二度と戻ることはない。
一度久世の門をくぐった身として、再び俗世へ還ること
はできないとの戒めという意味もあるように思う。
　ちなみに刻ミ女たちが眼球を摘出されたあとの眼窩に
は、両目に交差させるように麻縄が通されていたようだが、
これについて正確な理由を示した資料は現在のところ見
つかっていない。単に目をふさぐのではなく、左右に縄を
渡して縛り上げるようなかたちを取っていたということ
から、〆る（＝閉める）、つまり俗世と繋がる肉体を、ただ
ひとり巫女とだけの世界へ繋ぎ止める、といった意味合
いがあったのではと想像される。
　ここで注目したいのが、彼女たち刻ミ女が、同世代の女
性ふたりで構成され、寝食をともにし、死ぬまで宮に仕え
たいう事実である。まるで双子であるかのように、対とな
る存在として扱われていたのだ。
　もともと双子は神的な存在として特別視されることが
多い。本来はひとつであった肉体が、母親の胎内でふたつ
に分かれたものだと考えられる場合が多く、それが吉兆
であるにせよ、禍事であるにせよ、なんらかの意味合いが
与えられるものだ。例えば中部地方の山間部にいまなお
残る「双子祀り」では、ふたりが一定の年齢に達すると神
降ろしの儀式が行なわれるという。白装束を着た双子の
帯を赤い紐でつなぎ、「ひとつの身に還って神を力を宿す」
という意味合いがあるらしい。
　思うに、久世の宮の刻ミ女たちもじつの双子ではない
にしろ、「ふたり一組」という形をとることで、こうした理
由づけのもとに神に仕える身であることを示唆している
のではないだろうか。

鎮女

　巫女の世話役の少女。

写真：柏木秋人の遺族が所蔵する映写機から見つかったフィルムの一部。鎮女と思われる少女たちの姿が映っている。

　刺青を刻まれた巫女は、無数の針を受けたことによる
肌の疼きと、二度と世俗に戻れぬ身体になったことを憂
いて、さぞかし心を乱されたことであろう。そんな彼女を
心身ともに支える役目を負っていたのが、「鎮女」と呼ば
れる少女巫女であった。
　鎮女は通常４人で構成され、巫女や刻ミ女と同様、近隣
の村の娘から選ばれる。彼女らは５歳から９歳程度の童女
であったと見られており、巫女が宮に迎え入れられたそ
の日から、身の回りの世話をしたり、二度と外の世界に出
ることを許されない、巫女の話し相手を務めていたと見
られる。また儀式的な役割として、痛みを肩代わりする人
形を壁に打ち付け、刺青の痛みに苛まれる巫女を鎮める
という「咎打ち」を行なっていたようである。
　また彼女たちは鎮女の最終的な役割として、「巫女の四
肢を穿つ」ことを運命づけられていた。これについてはも
う少し調査を進める必要があるが、文字通りの解釈であ
れば、歴史上でしばしば語られる、磔刑のようなものであ
ろうか。
　幼い彼女たちがこの残酷な「うがつ」という務めに対し、
なんら疑問を差し挟むことなく、極めて肯定的に受け入
れていることはたいへん興味深い。久世家の影響を受け
る土地で育ち、鎮女としての徹底した教育を受けた成果が、
そこに表われているといえるだろう。
　なお任期を終えた鎮女は再び家に帰され、ほかの村娘
と同様、ひとりの氏子として何事もなく生きたようだ。刺
青の巫女の儀式を完遂するという、極めて重要な役目を
負っていながら、口封じなどをされることもなく俗世に
還れた理由、これは彼女たち鎮女の幼さと、人身御供とし
ての眠りの巫女を必要とする人々のエゴのなせる業であ
ろう。おそらく久世の宮近隣の村の女性たちには、幼少時
に鎮女を経験している人間も相当含まれていただろうし、
そういった暗黙の了解があったからこそ、必要に応じて
巫女が祭り上げられていったのだろう。

戒ノ儀

　巫女を眠らせる儀式。

　刺青ノ儀を終えて全身に刺青を刻んだ巫女は、刻宮の
地下に造られた、奈落と呼ばれる深い竪穴を伝い、その最
深部に降ろされる。奈落はまさに黄泉の国への入口であり、
生きた人間が足を踏み入れられる場所ではない。巫女は
その時点で俗世とのつながりを完全に断たれることにな
る。やがて久世の宮の最深部にある「狭間」と呼ばれる、巨
大な地下洞窟にたどり着くと、巫女は鎮女の手によって
打ちつけられて祠に封印され、そこで永遠に眠りにつく
のだ。
　これはいうまでもなく神への生贄、巫女が人身御供と
なることを意味している。地下洞窟の祠の中に、身体を打
ちつけられた状態で閉じ込められた巫女に、もはや地上
に逃げ帰る術はなく、歴代の巫女たちの亡骸とともに、刺
青を背負って一生を終えることとなる。
　四肢に杭を打つというのは、古代から世界各地でその
痕跡が残る風習のひとつである。もっとも知られている
のはイエス・キリストの磔刑の図であるが、いずれにして
も、儀式的要素というよりは、刑罰のニュアンスが強く出
ている。久世の儀式においてこの行為が、刺青ノ巫女の心
を鎮め、確実に黄泉に送る、つまり現実に戻ってこないよ
うに足留めする手段として行われていたことに、極めて
示唆的なものを感じる。そこには、人々から引き受けて刻
みつけた痛みが戻らないよう、そして巫女が目覚めない
ように、肉体の拘束を以ってその場に留めるというニュ
アンスも含まれていたことだろう。

ノート：「眠る」巫女の意味
　　　　「夢」と刺青の関係
　　　　「穿つ」理由とは？

逆身剥ぎ

　巫女になり切れなかった巫女への罰。
　刺青の剥奪。

　行為自体に意味づけがされている神事に対して対象者
の感情を論ずることは、マクロな視点で見れば意味のな
いことなのかもしれないが、やはり己の運命を知って、贄
となることに恐怖を感じた巫女たちも多くいただろう。
　だが自分に課せられた役目を知り、儀式半ばでそれ以
上の執行を拒んだり、一旦刺青を受けたものの、世俗への
想いを断ち切れずにいた場合、彼女たちは巫女の存在意
義である刺青を真皮ごと剥ぎ取られ、「流される」すなわち、
殺されてしまったようだ。
　「逆身剥ギ文書」ではこの逆身剥ぎについて言及されて
いる。おそらく久世家で、それも最後の当主・夜舟の代よ
りも相当前の時代のものだと思われるが、この文書のな
かに、そういった巫女になり切れぬ巫女への罰として、こ
の「逆身剥ギ」と呼ばれる行為が行なわれたようだ。剥が
された皮膚は巫女の鎮魂とつぎの巫女への戒めとして、
祠に納められたらしい。

写真：青森県民族学博物館所蔵の刺青。蛇と柊の紋様が確認できる。

優雨の研究に基づけば、これらの地方に見られる『流す』
という表現は、『殺す』の暗喩として用いられているらしい。
しかしながら水にまつわる動詞であることを考えると、
どちらかといえば海辺の地域で見られそうに思われる。
こういった山岳部で使われているのは珍しい例なのでは
ないだろうか。

刺青の紋様の意味

写真：北条家の家紋・三つ鱗。巫女が去ったあとに３枚の鱗が残されていたことに由来する。巫女と蛇との密接な関係が図案化された例。

　巫女の象徴としての蛇。
　痛みを表わす柊。

　久世の巫女が身体に刻んでいた刺青の紋様は、蛇と柊
の組み合わせである。
　古来より巫女と蛇との関わりは非常に深い。蛇は神に
仕える龍の化身と考えられ、地上に降りた龍として、畏怖
の対象であった。例えばシャーマンであった卑弥呼が、蛇
の鱗を模した紋様を肌に描いていたという伝説は、その
最たるものだろう。蛇の一部を己の身体に取り込むことで、
神の力を宿そうとしたのである。これは神話の時代に限
ったものではなく、人が自然を支配するようになってか
らも、人々の心に刻み込まれていたようだ。北条時政は龍
神の使いである巫女に導かれて繁栄を得たため、家紋に
蛇の鱗を表わす三鱗形の家紋を用いるようになったとさ
れている。また古い文献において、超常的な力の権化とし
て、しばしば「神たる蛇に襲われる人々」といった類の絵
図が多く残されている。超自然的災害や、人智を超えた力
の象徴として、蛇は多く用いられていた。久世の宮の巫女
がまとう紋様として蛇が用いられたのも、このような事
例に忠実に基づくものだと考えられる。
　また柊については諸説ある。さきに述べたように、ぎざ
ぎざの葉に触れるとちくちくと疼く（＝疼（ひいら）ぐ）こ
とから、古来「ひいらぎぎ（疼木）」と呼ばれており、この痛
みを巫女の背負う疼きに例えて描かれるようになったと
いう説が一般的なようである。また「鬼の目突き」とも呼
ばれ、節分で、イワシの頭とともに厄除けのシンボルとし
て用いられることからもわかるように、魔除けの力を持
っているともされていた。常緑樹であり、雪の中でも真摯
に命をつなぐ姿も、神がかり的なイメージにつながった
のかもしれない。こういった特徴から、巫女の紋様のモチ
ーフとなったのであろう。

破戒（はがい）

　巫女の寝目が還ること。

　刺青として刻まれた痛みが見せる夢＝寝目が人々のも
とへ戻ることを指しているらしい。
　痛みが還るとき、刺青は蛇の持つ神の力を持って、本来
の持ち主に襲いかかると考えられており、絶対な禁忌と
され、これを防ぐためにはあらゆる手段を用いるべし、と
されている。
　破戒は伝承として比喩的に語られてはいるが、実体に
ついてはっきりと述べた文献は見つかっていない。そも
そも実際に破戒が引き起こされたという記録は、久世家
最後の当主・久世夜舟のときにしか見られないのだ。つま
り本来起こるはずのないイレギュラーな出来事であり、
夜舟のときの破戒はまさに儀式の絶望的な失敗というこ
とだろう。

　「文身行者」の伝承では、僧が全身に受けた痛みが、なん
らかのきっかけで元の持ち主に跳ね返り、刺青の紋様か
ら実体化した蛇が、彼らを食い尽くす――というくだり
がある。これになぞらえれば、蛇を背負った巫女が引き起
こす破戒とは超常現象的に語れる「巫女の呪いによる
カタストロフ」であるだろうと想像できる。

　破戒の引き金となる出来事がなんであるかは推測の域
を出ないが、

• 柊を担うこと（＝巫女であること）の拒絶
  
• 眼球への刺青（∵「文身行者」の記述による）
  

　このふたつが重なることによるのではないだろうか。
　「目に刺青が刻まれる」という言葉が意味するものは、（実
行可能かどうかという側面から見ても）その文字通り「実
際に目に刺青を刻む」というものではなく、おそらくは巫
女の目に刻まれる「傷」、つまり現世との繋がりである目
に傷＝悲しみや痛みを刻みつけてしまう、心残りとなる
ような物事を目に焼き付けてしまう、という意味ではな
いだろうか。

そう解釈すれば、後述する実際に起ったと思われる破戒
の原因と一致する。

狭間ノ宮

破戒の広がりを防ぐための建物。

　万一破戒が引き起こされたとき、それは外界に広がっ
てしまうのを防ぐため、社全体を巨大な建物で覆うとい
う方法がとられることになっていたようだ。この壁の役
割を持つ建物、狭間の宮の名は、久世の宮をこの世ではな
いあちらの世界に留めておく、という意味合いがあるの
だろう。
　単に物理的に外界から隔離するだけでなく、人柱を用
いた呪術的手段を用いて、破戒を招いた巫女もろとも、黄
泉に沈めるというものらしい。
　狭間の宮ですっぽりと覆われ、さらに二重三重の囲い
が施され、外界から完全に遮断されてしまった久世家は、
非常に複雑な構造を持った、巨大な屋敷に変貌すること
になった。屋敷の構造については乙月要や当時の「眠りの
家」の患者たちの証言などより確認しているのでほぼま
ちがいないことと思われる。