VI. Summary and Conclusions

What I have done so far is to assemble a mosaic of findings based on various evidence. Although as yet incomplete, enough is visible to underpin the broad outline that I sketch below. Of course, each single piece of evidence in the mosaic may be dismissed as coincidence; my argument is that when the evidence in total forms a recognizable pattern, as in this study, the resulting construct has greater plausibility.

Findings

newjp1.gif The findings of this study can be broken down into four independent units. Although each unit is independent, the four findings do form a coherent whole.
In view of these findings, there is a reasonable probability that Kokei's description was based on accurate materials and that he followed his materials faithfully, at least as regards this segment of the Enoshima Engi.

Scenario

For the sake of aiding the understanding of readers, let me put my views into a hypothetical scenario. This scenario is speculative; however, it is reasonable as it is based on the findings above. Nevertheless, it is only an example and not the only scenario that can be constructed based on the above findings.

In ancient times (and until recently) the inhabitants of the Enoshima-Kamakura area suffered greatly from the flooding of the Kashio River. In the popular mind, this meandering, snake-like river and its main tributaries were pictured as a destructive five-headed dragon, which governed flood water, rain, and drought.

After making a thorough study of Enoshima, the 11th-century monk Kokei composed the Enoshima Engi, a history of the temples on the island and the nearby area. He followed the popular view that pictured the river as a destructive dragon.

Just as related by the Enoshima Engi, there was a vast, swampy lake, the edges of the lake were not heavily populated, there was a hill to the south of the lake, there was a relatively heavily populated valley in this hill, and there was a village named Tsumura in the valley. Furthermore, there were cave-tombs (where the inhabitants were said to have taken refuge) in precisely the area in which the action of the story took place.

Assuming that the identification and interpretation of the dragon in this study is correct, the Enoshima Engi says that the devastation caused by floods and flash floods increased in the fifth and sixth centuries AD, to the point that floodwaters entered villages, carrying away children and forcing the villagers to move to higher ground. (1)

As far as is known, Kokei never visited the Enoshima area. Therefore, the close correspondence of the details of the story with external and internal evidence indicates that Kokei had access to accurate materials and followed these materials closely, at least in composing segment 1 of the Enoshima Engi.

Conclusions

Consequently, I believe that the Enoshima Engi warrants closer study. If the findings above are corroborated, Kokei's Enoshima Engi may turn out to be a useful source of information on conditions in early Japan in this region.

In addition, there is a possibility that the spectacular aerial and terrestrial phenomena described as taking place at Enoshima in the early summer of AD 552 may have been connected with the passage of a comet, large meteor, or other celestial body. If so, Kokei's description of the phenomena, coupled with descriptions of similar phenomena associated with the Sarasvati River in India, may throw light on what happens when a large celestial body passes near or impacts on the earth. New (This paragraph added in March 2006.)


(1) See The Relationship between the Puyang River in China and the Kashio River. This section points out similarities between the Kashio River and the Puyang River south of Hangzhou, China. The Puyang River frequently experienced heavy rains in its hilly catchment area, swelling the river. The heavy volume of water speeding down its narrow channel would rush up against the incoming tide, causing serious flooding. A similar situation may have existed around the Kashio River, resulting in rapid flooding that forced the inhabitants to flee. New (This paragraph was added in February 2006.)

Also note the parallel with the ancient Sarasvati River. SM Ramasamy writes: "The river Sarasvati originally flowed southwest and met the Arabian Sea or the Great Rann of Kutch. The Great Rann of Kutch, the Little Rann of Kutch and also the Cambay region are know for their aggressive tidal activities and storm surges (Hashimi et al. 1978; Nair et al. 1982). The Great Rann of Kutch is a narrow fault-bounded, 100 to 120 km long graben (Figs. 2 and 3) and hence accelerated tidal activities can be anticipated" (Note 4 on this page).

In other words, both the Puyang River and Sarasvati River experienced aggressive tidal activities. By linking the Puyang and Sarasvati with the river in the Enoshima Engi, Kokei may be implying that this river too suffered aggressive tidal activities. New (The above two paragraphs were added in April 2006.)


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Go to Part 2: Translation of Segment 2 of the Enoshima Engi, which describes the emergence of Enoshima, the descent of the goddess amidst a spectacular display of terrestrial and aerial phenomena, and the subduing of the dragon by the goddess.

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