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Kubitachi (
History[]
The XX Territory Split[]
Kubitachi once belonged to a single, much larger domain. This domain may have been formed during or before the Keichō era, as 12 years following this era it was renamed to "the XX Domain Territory". At an undefined time in the past, there was frequent mercury mining in the area, which Yoshiki believes may be the origin of Nisayama's name (Red Sand/Cinnabar Mountain).[3] This resource made people continue to settle in the area despite the illness, crop failures, and other misfortunes that frequently befell it.[4]
Toward the end of the Edo period (1700s), this territory was split into the towns of Kubitachi, Udekari, Udeiri, Ashidori, and Darumasute. It remained this way until at least the early Meiji period (late 1800s).[5] The other four locales received an influx of immigrants fleeing religious persecution, but new religion did not become established in Kubitachi; rather, worship of Nounuki-sama (or its aliases, i.e. Uronuki or Unuki-san) continued in Kubitachi, mostly in secret.[4]
The Tale of a Peasant and His Neck.
The Farmer's Head[]
Kubitachi has a common folktale called "The Farmer's Head". It describes a farmer whose head fell into a hole on the mountain, and in exchange, a feast was granted to the village.[6] "The Tale of a Peasant and His Neck" tells a similar story, where two peasants were foraging in the mountains. The greedy peasant reached into a hole on the mountain for a prize mushroom, and his head fell off and into the hole. When the kind peasant returned home, he found that his basket was somehow filled with enough food for a feast to feed the village. The hole was then considered the mouth of the hungry mountain god, and feeding it was said to bring reward.[7]
The presence of a hole where heads disappeared appears to be true. There is currently one large hole in Kubitachi that connects to The Other Side and allows impurities to pass into the world of the living. There are three other holes in the neighboring locales of Ashidori, Udekari, and Kibogayama. Because of this, impurities travel between the original and the additional holes like a highway. This slows down the widening of the original hole in Kubitachi. There are also another two holes in the southern leg and western arm of Kibogayama; however, since these areas no longer have people living there, impurities have no reason to exit those holes.[8]
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Okubi-sama's enshrinement by the Indou family.
Human Sacrifices[]
Humans were sacrificed to the hole in the mountain as an act of worship of Nounuki-sama. The heads disappeared into the hole, while the remaining parts of their bodies were separated and buried in different parts of the region. Arms were buried in Udekari, legs in Ashidori, and torsos in Kibogayama. The Indou family enshrined "okubi-sama", the heads that were sacrificed to the hole in the mountain, by carving replacement heads out of wood and keeping them in the family shrine (堂 dou). This practice was the origin of the surname Indou (忌堂 lit. "mourning/detestable shrine").[9]
Kubitachi loses a third of its population.
The Indou Family's Sin and Apology Ritual[]
Two years after the Kan'en era began, in 1749[4] Kubitachi suffered a calamity which nearly caused the village to collapse.[5] More specifically, a plague occurred in the area, causing a woman named Indou Hichi to fall ill and die. Her husband, the leader of the Indou family, brought her head into the mountain and offered it to Nounuki-sama, asking it to bring her back to life. Nounuki-sama revived her, but in exchange, it caused a massive amount of bizarre deaths that all involved the head or neck. This eliminated one third of the village's population before the day ended, and only the Indou family experienced zero deaths. Even though Hichi returned to life, she was still a severed head. She suffered and painfully died the same night. Afterward, the harvests improved, and the plagues became fewer.[7]
Every five years or so following this event, men of the Indou family entered the forbidden area on Nisayama to complete an apology ritual.[7] The ritual was thought to seal Nounuki-sama and prevent it from coming down into the village (and thus, prevent impurities from following it into the village).[5]
Geography[]
According to the village map, there are two major roads in Kubitachi, one running north-south and the other running east-west. They intersect in roughly the center of the village.[10]
Neighboring Municipalities[]
Notable Locations[]
Kubitachi Mountains[]
The northern side of Kubitachi is bordered by four mountains, marked below as triangles. From left to right:
Map of Kubitachi.
- Kasayama (
笠 山 , Kasayama?, lit. "Hat Mountain"): A mountain seemingly named due to its resemblance to traditional Japanese kasa hats. - Futakasayama (
二 笠 山 , Futakasayama?, lit. "Second Hat Mountain"): A mountain named similarly to the prior, likely because they are in very close proximity and bear a physical resemblace.[11] - Nisayama (
丹 砂 山 , Nisayama?, lit. "Red Sand/Cinnabar Mountain"): The mountain where Indou Hikaru went missing.[12] It contains a forbidden area and has ties to Nounuki-sama. The Indou Family has performed some sort of ritual on this mountain for many generations.[13] - Matsuyama (
松 山 , Matsuyama?, lit. "Pine Mountain"): The largest of the four mountains. This is where Grandfather Indou cultivates and farms shiitake mushrooms.[14][11]
Nisayama Shrine[]
The Nisayama Shrine (
Matsushima Sawmill[]
The Matsushima Sawmill (
Yamahisa[]
Yamahisa (
Family Residences[]
Residents[]
- Grandfather Indou
- "Hikaru"
- Indou Hikaru
- Indou Kouhei
- Indou Yuki
- Kameyama
- Kurebayashi Rie
- Matsushima Yoshihiko
- Matsuura
- Mikasa Tetsu
- Mince-aniki
- Nishidaya's Daughter
- Old Lady Matsuura
- Old Man and Old Lady Nishidaya
- Old Man Takeda
- Takeda Hajime
- Tsujinaka Kaoru
- Tsujinaka Satoko
- Tsujinaka Toshinori
- Tsujinaka Yoshiki
- Yasaburou
- Yuusuke
Etymology[]
- The kanji in the village's current name are "head/neck" (首 kubi) and "to stand up; to rise" (立 tachi).
- Formerly, the village's name was written with the kanji "head/neck" (首 kubi) and "to sever" (断 tachi).
Translation Notes[]
- In dialogue text, Kubitachi is written in katakana (クビタチ). It is written as "to raise the head" (首立) in the forum post "Hikaru" found, as well as on the sticky note that Yoshiki uses to label the map they assemble in the library. However, the map itself has the village name written as "to sever the head" (首断).[2]
Gallery[]
-24.png "Indou family hall (outside)-24.png (5.29 MB)")
References
- ↑ In Chapter 17, the name of the prefecture is censored to "XX prefecture". However, voice acting content for the series credits a Mie dialect coach. 【公式】『光が死んだ夏』コミックスPV①（ヒカル：根岸耀太朗 よしき：大野智敬）. Retrieved on July 15, 2024. “三重弁方言指導：仁胡 Mie dialect instructor: 仁胡”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chapter 17 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ Chapter 19 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 23 (Vol. 5)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 18 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ Chapter 27 (Vol. 6)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chapter 25 (Vol. 5)
- ↑ Chapter 28 (Vol. 6)
- ↑ Chapter 24 (Vol. 5)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Episode 4 (Season 1): Summer Festival
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mokumokuren, Twitter @mokmok_len (Sept 18 2023). 「光が死んだ夏」第２１話-２
- ↑ Chapter 5 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Chapter 21 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chapter 1 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 13 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Chapter 8 (Vol. 2)
[]
| Ashidori • Kibogayama • Kibogayama High • Kubitachi • The Other Side • Udekari | |
| Historical Timeline • Map of Villages | |
| Miscellaneous | Gold Silkworm • Hichi-san • Holes • Hunting Dog • Illegitimate • Impurity • Master x Master |