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All Japan Chonmage-zuka
AO Edited

Chonmage-zuka

The burial site of 16 men’s hair buns, which were lopped off in place of their heads.

Hiratsuka, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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Chonmage-zuka, the grave of man buns.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Chonmage-zuka, the grave of man buns.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The monument is in the corner of a cemetery.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Information (in Japanese only).   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

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Lacking support from any historical documents, it is uncertain whether the legend was inspired by actual events or not, and the dating of the incident is also unclear.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.

Related Tags

Monuments Legends Local History Cemeteries Hair Burial Places

Know Before You Go

The “mound” can be found in a corner of the Renkō-ji temple cemetery in Enoki-chō, Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

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Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

keslar

  • keslar

Published

August 2, 2024

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Chonmage-zuka
Hiratsuka, 254-0025
Japan
35.332484, 139.361298

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