This is the story of how Mt. Kurohime got its name. It’s a love story between a princess…

…and a dragon.

The story

A long time ago, there was a king who lived near a large mountain. He had a beautiful daughter. One day, a white snake found its way into the king’s mansion. Everyone saw the snake as a sign of good fortune, and the princess fed it before it left the house.

A few days later, a man came to the mansion. He said that he was the white snake whom the princess had fed. He told the king that he was in love with the princess and wanted to marry her; she reciprocated this love.

However, the king was completely against their marrying, so he challenged the man-snake to a contest. Whoever ran around the outside of the king’s mansion the fastest would be the winner. The man-snake agreed.

They proceeded with the contest, and the king, riding a horse, won. The man-snake flew into a rage after discovering the deception and transformed into a dragon. With one beat of his wings, he destroyed the city of Nakano. The princess pleaded with the dragon to stop this destruction. He relentd and took the princess, whose name was Kurohime (lit. ‘Black Princess’) up to the top of the large mountain, which became known as Mt. Kurohime in her honor.

And they lived happily ever after!

Have you heard a different version of this story? Let me know in the comments!