むかしむかし、まだ有馬温泉が「摂津国の湯山(ゆのやま)」と呼ばれていた頃、湯山 (有馬)に入る最後の峠に小さなお堂がありましたが、これは、旅人が休むための小屋で、仏様やお地蔵様などをお祀りしていました。このお堂で、おとくという小母さんが一人暮らしをしており、宿屋でお客さんのために山菜摘みをしていました。その宿屋は、湯治と山菜料理でお客さんの病気がどんどん回復するので評判になりました。
ある日、遠く離れた丹後(京都の北にある国)から女の子と母親の二人連れがこの宿屋にやってきました。一家四人の手足がしびれ、激しい痛みで毎日苦しんでいるが、お金が十分ないので、とりあえず娘と二人だけで来た。「もし治れば、もっと働いて、家にいる旦那と息子も連れて来たい」と言いました。おとくさんは、直ぐに山菜を食べてもらい、湯治もさせましたが、母娘は日毎に弱っていきました。
そして、「お金が無くなったので明日帰ります」と言って、布団に横たわったまま泣くのです。
おとくさんは、万病によく効くという木の実を知っており、それは、お堂の近くの、こんぶ滝の直ぐそばに生えていました。
この木の実は、辺りに住む狼の大好物だったので、これまでは狼の仕返しを恐れ絶対に摘んだりしませんでしたが、母娘の哀れな様子を見て、ついに木の実を摘みに行く決心をしました。
こんぶ滝で木の実を見つけ、狼の食べる分を残し、母娘二人分の木の実を持って帰り支度を始めましたが、丹後で苦しんでいる旦那さんと息子さんの姿を思い浮かべ、思わず狼の食べる分まで摘んでしまいました。
宿屋に帰って母娘に食べさせると、すぐに熱が下り、痛みが取れて痺れもなくなりました。すっかり元気になった母娘は峠の下あたりまで何度も振り返って頭を下げて、お礼を言いながら丹後まで帰っていきました。おとくさんも、その母娘の姿を見て大変喜びました。
その後、おとくさんが姿を見せないまま何日か過ぎ、近所の人々が総出で山や谷を毎日探し歩きましたが、見つかりませんでした。数日後、山奥の谷で、おとくさんの着物をくわえた狼を見かけたという人が現れました。人々は、それを聞いて大層悲しみ、皆でお堂の前に立派なお墓を立てました。
一年ほど経って、丹後から病気の治った一家四人が名産の丹後ちりめんを持ってお礼にやって来ましたが、宿屋の主人から、おとくさんの哀れな最後を聞いて、とても驚き悲しみ、おとくさんを偲んで、お堂の中に石佛を安置し丹後ちりめんの着物を着せました。
In olden times, the Arima Onsen was called “Yu-no-yama (Bath Mountain)” of the Settsu Country, and there was a hut in the range of mountains after entering the Yu-no-yama or Arima. This hut honoring Buddha and Jizo (guardian deity of children) was built as a place for travelers to rest. At this hut, there was a woman named Otoku who lived there and gathered mountain vegetables and herbs for the guests at an inn. Gradually, the inn had gained a reputation for healing the illness of the guests using mineral baths and providing food with wild plants.
One day a girl and mother came to this inn from the distant land of Tango (a country to the north of Kyoto). The hands and feet of the four people of the family were numb and they experienced extreme pain everyday, but since they had no money, only two, the daughter and the mother, came to be healed. The mother said that if they were healed, she would work hard to bring the husband and son staying at home. Otoku-san soon had them eat mountain vegetables and take mineral baths, but the mother and daughter became weaker each day, and as they lay on their bed crying, the mother said, “We have no more money and have to go home tomorrow.”
Otoku-san knew of a fruit from a tree, which was said to be very effective for all kinds of illnesses. The tree was found close to Konbu Waterfall near her hut. However, a wolf lived near to the tree and this fruit was the favorite of the wolf. Otoku-san had never considered picking the fruit for fear of wolf’s retaliation, but seeing the pitiful sight of the mother and daughter, she instantly resolved to pick fruit from the tree. She discovered the tree with the fruit by Konbu Waterfall. She picked some of the fruit but was careful to leave enough fruit for the wolf. As started to return to the inn with portions for the mother and the daughter, she thought of the father and son suffering in Tango and without thinking she picked the wolf’s portion of the fruit.
When she returned to the inn to feed the mother and daughter, their fever broke, and both their pain and numbness were relieved. With their health restored, the mother and daughter set off to return to Tango. Expressing their gratitude abundantly, the mother and daughter descended the mountain, waving and bowing all the way. Otoku-san, too, was overjoyed seeing the mother and daughter with their health and spirits restored.
Soon after that, Otoku-san was not seen for several days. Her neighbors went out and searched the mountain and fields almost everyday, but Otoku-san was never found. A few days later, a person appeared who said that he had seen the wolf in the valley in the heart of the mountain with Otoku-san’s kimono in its mouth. When everyone heard that, there was a great layer of sadness. They built a fine gravesite for her in front of the hut.
About a year later, the four members of the family came from Tango and brought a Japanese silk crepe, a noted product of Tango, to give to Otoku-san. However, after hearing the sad end of Otoku-san from the master of the inn, they thoughof Otoku-san’s compassion, and in remembrance of Otoku-san, they constructed a stone statue of Buddha inside the hut and clothed the statue in a kimono made of Tango crepe.