This Year's Zodiac; Snake

"Well, Snake is the most difficult", said a potter who sends me a figurine of the zodiac every year.

Of the 12 animals, Tiger, Ox, and Dragon are suitable for the powerful New Year. Cute Rabbit and Rat make you feel calm and peaceful. Snake are not in either group. When stretches, it becomes long rods, when moves, it twists, and when stops, it coils. All of these shapes are difficult to make. Because it is pottery, there is a high risk of it snapping if it is posed with its head raised. It should make a potter cry.

Snake is the sixth animal, in the middle of the 12 animals. The order is fixed: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit. According to legend, the reason for this is that God issued a decree that "among the animals who came to greet us on New Year's Day morning, the first 12 animals will take turns being the leader of the animals for one year", and animals from all over the country competed against each other. It is amazing to even be in the top 12 among countless animals. Snake, who finished 6th among these strong competitors, is quite fast.

I learned this story when I was about 4 or 5 years old. The bookshelf was lined with old stories such as "Momotaro" and Disney's "Snow White", but my favorite was the "Kinderbook". The illustrations in the books were elaborate. I feel like they were more adult than normal children's books.

The story of the zodiac signs was introduced as a manga in "Kinderbook". As the animals run and the Ox in the lead is just about to cross the finish line, a Rat jumps off the Ox’s head and cuts the tape. The surprised expressions on the other animals' faces were hilarious.

The reason I remember it is because my father was in the year of the Ox and my sister was in the year of the Rat. I was born in the year of the Rooster. The Rooster was the 10th to finish. The reason the Rooster finished between the Monkey and the Dog was because they started fighting during the race and the Rooster intervened.

My mother was born in the year of Snake. But she is very afraid of snakes. Even so, it is always my mother who notices snakes crawling through the grass on mountain paths. Although she would say "No, no", she would say no, but it seemed that the snakes liked her.

At my mother's parents' house, I also encountered small snakes many times. Insects and snakes are common around rural houses, so I was not afraid. My grandfather told me to be careful of the poisonous snake Yamakagashi. It is easy to recognize because of its flashy red and black stripes. Its poisonous color was mysteriously beautiful.

I have never seen snakes in Kamakura blessed with nature. Apparently they are common in the valleys on the mountain side. I thought they wouldn't come because our house is near the sea, but my husband saw one. He said a golden-ish snake slithered through the gravel beside the house.

"It's fast. It happened in the blink of an eye".

White painted snake relief at Eishoji Temple Buddha Hall, Kamakura

Kamakura has many temples and shrines related to snakes. In the year of Snake, the number of visitors is likely to increase at places such as the snake mound at Sugimoto-dera Temple, the Jakushido Hall at Hasedera Temple, and Enoshima Shrine on Enoshima Island.

Among them, Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine is a popular power spot among young people, so it will be very crowded.

It is said that Minamoto Yoritomo built the Zeniarai Benzaiten shrine after he received a prophecy from an old man (water god) in a dream on the Snake day of the Snake month in the year of the Snake. People tend to focus on washing money with holy water to improve their financial luck, but the deity is a water god with a human head and a snake body. There are snake figurines everywhere. A stone monument depicts the face of Benzaiten on top of a coiled snake. It is a little creepy.

Snake the zodiac, is the head of statue "Twelve Heavenly Generals" at Kakuon-ji Temple. Inside the Yakushido main hall, the 12 statues, each about the height of a human, are very impressive. They are lined up six on each side as if to protect the Yakushi Nyorai Buddha, glaring with their muscular, fearsome expressions. On top of their heads, an animal of the zodiac sign is carved, but they don't look very strong and are surprisingly friendly.

My favorite Snake in Kamakura is at Eishoji Temple. It is the only nunnery in Kamakura, built in the Edo period, and the bamboo forest behind it is refreshing. Under the eaves of the not-so-large Buddhist hall, the zodiac reliefs are carved all around. Most of the colors have faded from exposure to wind and rain, but all 12 animals have supple lines. They are gentle, as befits a nunnery. There is a Snake under the eaves in the south-southeast direction. Its plump body is curled up elegantly. It is innocent and graceful. I would like to meet a real snake like this.

The snakes are said to be a "symbol of resurrection and rebirth". It would be nice if the economy gets going in the new year and society becomes prosperous. By the way, in 2025, the strong Snake month and Snake day are said to be April 30th. Maybe there's some news for you. Just an aside.

*Excerpt from the Tomoko Hoshino's latest essay