GataroThe Kappa of Goto that Became a God of Fire Prevention: Gataro

While the *Gataro* is a lineage of the Kyushu *kappa*, its image unique to Goto lies in the fact that it formed an independent belief as a guardian deity of fire prevention. The legend that the general of the *kappa* of Goto dwells in the Mizu-jinja on the Daienji River in Fukue Island, and that *kappa* firefighters protected the Goto domain's mansion in Edo during a fire in Kyoho 8 (1723)^[1], connected with the nationwide Suitengu belief of 'water god = fire prevention,' and became known even in Edo via the Goto domain's mansion.

Its form possesses the typical features of Kyushu *kappa*, such as the dish on the head, detachable arms, love of sumo, and human possession. However, it has thick traditions linked to local place names, such as the differences in island names like Gaataro, Kyataro, and Gappadon^[1], and the kappa footprints remaining on Bentenjima in Shiraragahama, Miiraku^[2]. Sometimes spoken of as the alter ego of the *Yamawaro* that switches places seasonally, the *Gataro*, in Goto—surrounded by the sea and with limited clear streams—is a *kappa* rooted in island life, harboring the contrasts of water and fire, mischief and protection within a single body.

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