Many of you may know Lake Ogawara from Base Beach but on the other side in Tohoku Town there is Lake Ogawara Park. You can grill, camp out and go for a boat ride out here!
If these two sisters look familiar to you, then you are right! There is another similar statue at Lake Towada. These are not the same two sisters, however. On the other side of the statues is written the legend of Lake Ogawara:
About 1300 years ago, there were two beautiful sisters in a city that was far south. They were searching for their missing father, and traveled many countries tracing their father’s footsteps. When they reached here, they found out their father had already gone. In despair, the older sister, Tamayo, threw herself into the lake. Then a water monster rose out of the lake and attacked the younger sister, Katsuyo. Katsuyo transformed herself into a huge serpent and defeated the monster. She inherited the watery kingdom and will reighn in it forever. Now the lake where Tamayo died is called Ane-numa (Old Sister Marsh), The lake where Katsuyo sank is known as Lake Ogawara or Imoto-numa (Younger Sister Marsh). You can see here Tamayo revived as the left statue looking up at a blessing of Mt. Hakkoda. Katsuyo is here as the right statue praying for safety and happiness of the lake.
