West Aizu · YanaizuNo.969★★★Open in map →

Akabeko

— Aizu's nodding papier-mache ox

craftThe classic — done right

The red nodding ox sold across Fukushima traces back to one town on the Tadami River. Yanaizu's cliff-top temple is where the legend puts the herd that hauled the rebuilding timber, and the town still wears the ox on its shopfronts and its station.

FromAizu-Wakamatsu Station
~10 min on foot from the stationJR Tadami Line, then a short walk
Get off atAizu-Yanaizu Station (JR Tadami Line)
On foot
Akabeko

Directions ↗

Where it is

20 more notes in Fukushima · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Enzo-ji's Kokuzo HallBehBeh / CC BY-SA 3.0

Aizu-Yanaizu Stationwhite wooden station building listed among the Tohoku Station Hundred, with a preserved steam locomotive outside
The approach streetold shopfronts and sweet shops on the climb from the station to the temple
Enzo-ji's Kokuzo Hallthe main hall standing on bare rock, looking down on the river
The Tadami River bendthe wide curve of water directly below the hall
Yanaizu Onsenriverside hot-spring inns drawing on a source struck inside the temple precinct

How to actually get there

JR to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, the gateway to the Aizu district
Aizu-Wakamatsu to Aizu-Yanaizu on the JR Tadami Line (check the day's timetable)
Leave the station and walk down into the approach street, past the shopfronts
Climb the approach to Enzo-ji's Kokuzo Hall on the rock above the Tadami River

Tadami Line from Aizu-Wakamatsu: Take the JR Tadami Line from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station to Aizu-Yanaizu. It is a rural line and departures are spaced out, so read the day's timetable before you leave and again before you head back. From the station everything is on foot, with no further connection to make.
Check the last train when you arrive: Aizu-Yanaizu is unstaffed, so confirm the last departure from the platform notice or your own timetable before you walk down into the town. Later trains are limited, and getting back to the station before dark leaves you the most room to change plans.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Akabeko is a red papier-mache ox from the Aizu district of western Fukushima; beko is the local dialect word for cattle. Its head is hung so that a touch sets it nodding, and its body carries black and white spots. Red was held to turn away misfortune, and the black spots stood for smallpox, so the toy was given to children as a charm. The prefecture sells it everywhere, but the story it comes from is tied to one small town on the Tadami River. Yanaizu calls itself the birthplace of the akabeko legend, and the temple at the centre of that claim, Enzo-ji, still stands on a shelf of bare rock above the water.

How to enjoy it

The town's biggest night is 7 January, when the Nanukado Hadaka Mairi is held at the hall. It is a deep-winter rite, so anyone timing a visit for it should come dressed for snow. On an ordinary day the walk is short: station, approach street and hall stand within a few minutes of each other, with the river in view for most of it. Workshops in town let you paint your own akabeko and carry it home.

Background & history

Enzo-ji began in 807, when the monk Tokuitsu built a hall to house an image of Kokuzo Bosatsu attributed to Kukai; it is counted among Japan's three great Kokuzo halls. In 1611 an earthquake brought down much of the Aizu district, and the hall above the river with it. The rebuilding, from 1617, meant dragging heavy timber up the rock face. The town's account says a herd of red-haired oxen appeared from nowhere and worked alongside the black ones until the hall stood again. The toy is named for that herd.

Before you go

Cash: Small shops along the approach street may take cash only, so bring some with you.
Good to know: This is snow country. In winter the approach street and the stone steps can ice over, so wear shoes with grip.
Another way: By car the nearest interchange is Aizu-Bange on the Ban-etsu Expressway, which is the better option if you do not want to be tied to the Tadami Line timetable.
After you get off: From Aizu-Yanaizu Station the temple is about ten minutes on foot: leave the station, drop down to the town side, and climb the approach street.