四神地名録 6巻. [4]葛飾郡 - 翻刻

翻刻

龍の角のことく亦有弐本角にて鶏の毛をかざりと
せし獅子頭也三つ獅子と称すは頭三つ有故也 蛟（ミヅチ）の頭
に似たる頭故に虬を三つ獅子と称せるや古しへより伝ふ
古物也といふ二郷半の百姓の中に水練達者のもの此
獅子頭をかぶり夜明前と覚しき頃川上より浪を
切水をたゝきうなり〳〵西葛西の堤をさして浮来る
葛西の百姓是を見て大蛇なりとおもひ夫にけよと
いふより我先にと鍬も鎌も打捨て逃散し間に彼の
獅子此方の堤にやす〳〵と上り捨置し鍬にて爰

彼所を切りてあなたの方へ浮み上ん候其時は夜取明し
故に三つ獅子を被りて堤を切しことを知るといへとも
其内には堤数丁破れ古利根川二郷半に淀みし
大水西葛西へみなきり落て大洪水に及ひし事と云
依之諸村土手堤こと〳〵く押流して民家歎少なから
ず此節ハ早速公儀よりの御救ひ御普請にて若御老中【中は衍字】
中様《割書：御名を土人忘れ｜只若御老中様と云伝》御見分にて土不自由の所故船数百
艘を以て下総国府台の土を取利根川を舟橋にて【別の写本「船廻しにて」】
今の堤をなし下されしことゝいへり宝永元申の年は今年

現代語訳

龍の角のように、また二本の角があって鶏の毛を飾りとした獅子頭です。三つ獅子と称するのは頭が三つあるからです。蛟（みずち）の頭に似た頭なので、虬を三つ獅子と称するのでしょうか。古くから伝わる古い物だということです。二郷半の百姓の中で水泳の達者な者が、この獅子頭をかぶり、夜明け前と思われる頃、川上より波を切り水を叩いてうなりながら、西葛西の堤に向かって浮いてきます。葛西の百姓がこれを見て大蛇だと思い、「それ逃げよ」ということから、我先にと鍬も鎌も投げ捨てて逃げ散ったその間に、かの獅子はこちらの堤にやすやすと上がり、捨て置かれた鍬であちこちを切って、向こうの方へ浮び上がろうとしました。その時は夜が明けたので、三つ獅子をかぶって堤を切ったことが分かりましたが、その間に堤が数町も破れ、古利根川の二郷半に淀んでいた大水が西葛西へみな切り落ちて大洪水となったということです。

これにより諸村の土手堤がことごとく押し流されて、民家の嘆きは少なくありませんでした。この時は早速幕府からの御救い・御普請で、若い御老中様（御名を土地の人が忘れて、ただ若御老中様と言い伝えています）の御見分で、土が自由にならない所なので、船数百艘を用いて下総国府台の土を取り、利根川を舟橋で（別の写本では「船回しで」）今の堤を作ってくださったということです。宝永元年申の年は今年

英語訳

They are lion heads with two horns like dragon horns, decorated with chicken feathers. They are called "three lions" because there are three heads. Since the heads resemble those of water dragons (mizuchi), perhaps the water dragons are called "three lions." They are said to be ancient objects passed down from old times. Among the farmers of Nigōhan, one skilled in swimming put on this lion head and, around what seemed to be before dawn, came floating from upstream toward the Nishi-Kasai embankment, cutting through waves, striking the water, and roaring. The farmers of Kasai saw this and thought it was a great serpent, and with cries of "Run from it!" they threw down their hoes and sickles and scattered in flight. In the meantime, that lion easily climbed up onto this side's embankment and used the abandoned hoes to cut here and there, trying to float over to the other side. By then day had broken, so although they knew that someone wearing the three-lion mask had cut the embankment, in that time the embankment had broken for several chō, and all the flood water that had been pooled in the old Tone River at Nigōhan cut through and fell into Nishi-Kasai, resulting in a great flood.

Because of this, the earthen embankments of all the villages were swept away, and the people's suffering was considerable. At this time, relief and construction work was quickly provided by the government, and under the inspection of a young senior councilor (the local people have forgotten his name and only say "the young senior councilor"), since soil was not readily available in this area, they used several hundred boats to take soil from Kokubu-dai in Shimōsa Province and created the present embankment across the Tone River using a boat bridge (another manuscript says "by boat transport"). The first year of Hōei, the year of the monkey, is this year