250px, ''Hagoromo no Matsu'' where it is said the angel floated is a scenic area on the Miho Peninsula in Shimizu Ward of Shizuoka City,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Its seven-kilometre seashore is lined with pine trees. It is the location of the legend upon which the Noh drama '' Hagoromo'' is based; on the second Saturday and Sunday of October, the city of Shizuoka holds a Hagoromo Festival and a performance of the Noh drama takes place near the pine tree of the legend. It was designated as a National Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan in 1922. In 2013 the pine groves were added to the

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

as part of the Fujisan Cultural Site.

Overview

''Miho no Matsubara'' is renowned as a seashore with green pine trees and sand spanning over seven kilometers. It has a great scenic view of

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

and the

Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...

across

Suruga Bay Suruga Bay (駿河湾, ''Suruga-wan'') is a bay on the Pacific coast of Honshū in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is situated north of a straight line from Omaezaki Point to Irōzaki Point at the tip of the Izu Peninsula and surrounded by Honsh� ...

. Due to its natural environment, it is designated as one of along with its three pine groves. Additionally, it has been selected as one of the top 100 white sand beaches and green pine groves of Japan. It has an old pine tree dating back 650 years called ''Hagoromo no Matsu'' and is said to be where the angel wearing a ''Hagoromo'' floated down. The Miho shrine nearby preserves a piece of her plumage. Miho no Matsubara is known as the site of the legend of '' Hagoromo'' ("''The Feathered Robe''"), which is based on the traditional

swan maiden The "swan maiden" () is a tale classified as Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, ATU 400, "The Swan Maiden" or "The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife," in which a man makes a pact with, or marries, a supernatural female being who later departs. The ...

motif. The story of Hagoromo concerns a celestial being flying over Miho no Matsubara who was overcome by the beauty of the white sands, green pines, and sparkling water. She removed her feathered robe and hung it over a pine tree before bathing in the beautiful waters. A fisherman named Hakuryo was walking along the beach and saw the angel. He took her robe and refused to return it until she performed a heavenly dance for him. As the angel could not return to heaven without her robe, she complied with Hakuryo's request. She danced in the spring twilight and returned to heaven in the light of the full moon leaving Hakuryo looking longingly after her. (See Arthur Waley, Hagoromo. ''The No Plays of Japan''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1922.) A statue of Hakuryo watching the dance is at the entrance to the park. On the second Saturday and Sunday of October, the city of Shizuoka holds a Hagoromo Festival near the site of the old pine tree. The Noh play Hagoromo is performed by firelight (Takigi Noh) and also creative dances in honor of the French ballet dancer Hélène Giuglaris are performed. Giuglaris (1916–1951) loved the story of Hagoromo very much but never saw the Noh performance, nor did she visit Miho during her lifetime. Nonetheless, her dying wish was, "Bury my hair near the Hagoromo pine tree at Mihonomatsubara beach". Above the Mihonomatsubara beach, overlooking the pine tree and the sea, is a monument to Giuglaris, and a lock of her hair lies beneath it. The monument shows Giuglaris holding a Noh mask, and below her figure is a poem written by her husband, Marcel Giuglaris, who visited Miho four months after Elene's death with a lock of hair and her dance costume ''Pine Grove at Miho''

and ''Helene Giuglaris''

/ref> English translation (anonymous): The wind of Miho's Breaking waves Speaks of She in Paris Whose life Hagoromo took away. If I listen, my days Will take flight.

Present

While Miho no Matsubara still has a large, sandy beach, its sands are now uniformly black, perhaps from the volcanic rock that first formed the peninsula. One local resident's story is that the Abe River provided the white sand that made Miho such a scenic spot. During construction of the nearby Shinkansen line, too much of the Abe River's white sand was used. Over time, the sea swept away the layers of white sand and no new sand was available to replenish the sand carried out to sea, leaving behind the black volcanic sand.

Gallery

Image:Haguruma shrine.jpg, Haguruma shrine standing by ''Hagoromo no Matsu'' Image:Miho no Matsubara.jpg, The view of Miho no Matsubara Image:Road of God.jpg, Road of God. The road to ''Hagoromo no Matsu'' from Miho shrine. Image:Torii of Miho shrine.jpg, Torii of Miho shrine Image:Mt Fuji at Mihonomatsubara.jpg, Miho no Matsubara and

References

{{Reflist Geography of Shizuoka Prefecture Tourist attractions in Shizuoka Prefecture World Heritage Sites in Japan Places of Scenic Beauty Shizuoka (city)

Overview

Present

See also

Gallery

References