Kiyohime and the Bell of Dōjō-ji
A young woman, abandoned by the monk she loved, became a fire-breathing serpent and chased him to a temple, where he hid inside the great bronze bell.
What was reported
In the legend, a young monk named Anchin, on pilgrimage, stayed at an inn where the innkeeper's daughter, Kiyohime, fell in love with him. He promised to return, then broke his word and fled. When she realised, she ran after him, and her rage was so great that she turned into a giant serpent.
She swam across the Hidaka River and followed him to Dōjō-ji temple, where the monks had hidden him under the temple's huge bell. Kiyohime coiled around the bell and breathed fire until it glowed red, and the monk inside did not survive.
Explanations offered
The story first appears in Buddhist tale collections from around the 11th century, and it was retold in Noh and kabuki as the play Dōjōji, still performed today. The temple still exists, and its monks tell the story using illustrated scrolls. Folklorists see in it a warning about passion and broken promises.
- When
- Told since the 900s
- Where
- Dōjō-ji, Hidaka, Wakayama, Japan
- Witnesses
- Japanese legend
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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