Chonmage-zuka

In the city of Hiratsuka, an unusual legend is told and an unassuming mound in the corner of a cemetery attests to its apparent credibility.

According to the story, the incident occurred during the Kounomachi, an annual festival jointly run by five major shrines in the former Sagami Province region. Young men from two of the shrines, Samukawa Jinja and Hiratsuka Hachiman-gū, got into a heated argument and a fight broke out, resulting in the latter group throwing Samukawa’s sacred palanquin into the river.

Though the palanquin was later recovered, the 16 men of Hiratsuka were initially sentenced to death for their insolence. However, the judge decided to pardon them, cutting off their chonmage—hair buns typical of the period—instead of their heads.

Lacking support from any historical documents, it is uncertain whether the legend was inspired by actual events or not, and the dating of the incident is also unclear. Nevertheless, there is a monument called Chonmage-zuka (“hair bun mound”), believed to be the burial site of the said buns, commemorating the legend.