Lake Towada is a large lake that straddles Akita Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture, but Aomori Prefecture is where the famous “Statue of Maidens” and Towada Shrine are located.

Lake Towada is a lake that straddles Akita and Aomori Prefectures. In the eastern part of Lake Towada, there is the Oirase River, the only river that flows out, and the famous “Oirase Gorge” extends. The tourist base for Lake Towada is the Yasumiya area on the Aomori Prefecture side. On the shore of the lake (Gozengahama Bearch), there is a bronze statue of the “Statue of Maidens” built in 1953 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Lake Towada’s designation as a national park. This is the last work by the poet and sculptor Kotaro Takamura (1883-1956), in which two nude women face each other with their left hands joined. The model is Kotaro Takamura’s beloved wife, Chieko. It is the symbol of Lake Towada.

The birth story of Lake Towada is told in a folktale called “Three Lakes Legend (Hachirotaro Legend)” that spans Akita, Aomori, and Iwate Prefectures.

According to legend, a young Matagi (hunter) named Hachirotaro went deep into the mountains of Towada with three friends in order to strip the bark of a Mada tree (Japanese linden tree, the skin used to make clothing).

A few days had passed since we entered the mountains of Towada. When Hachirotaro was on cooking duty, he went down to the mountain stream and caught three chars, so he thought that the three of them would eat one each, and roasted on skewers. When the delicious aroma wafted through the air, Hachirotaro could not resist and ate his share before his companions returned. However, he was so overwhelmed by the taste that he ate the whole thing, even his companion’s chars.

When Hachirotaro had eaten his companion’s share of char, he felt a burning thirst, and no matter how much water he drank, his thirst only increased.

Hachirotaro, who kept drinking the water of the mountain stream, turned into a big dragon. The companions who came back were very surprised at Hachirotaro’s completely changed appearance. Hachirotaro, who knew what had happened to him, bid farewell to his companions, stopped the flow of the stream, created a lake, and became the owner of Lake Towada.

Towada Shrine, which is located on the shore of the lake, is a shrine that enshrines a monk named Nansobo who incarnates as a blue dragon. According to legend, Nansobo, who decided to live in Lake Towada, transformed himself into a blue dragon by the power of gods and Buddha and fought fiercely with Hachirotaro, it is said that Hachirotaro lost and fled from Lake Towada and Nansobo became the new master of Lake Towada.

Access to Lake Towada (Statue of Maidens)

It takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes from JR Tokyo Station to JR Hachinohe Station by Tohoku Shinkansen. Take the JR bus Oirase-go bound for Towadako from JR Hachinohe Station for 2 hours 15 minutes, get off at Towadako (Yasumiya) bus stop and walk for about 15 minutes.

*JR bus service suspended in winter