The Ryuto Ryugu Senshi, a kind-hearted hero who fights against bullies, joins the fray! The 15th edition of "Local Hero Super Compendium

This month, we feature "Ryuto, the Dragon Palace Warrior," a local hero from Taketoyo Town, Chita County, Aichi Prefecture!

Once upon a time, there lived a fisherman named Urashima Taro in a village.

One day, as Taro was walking along the beach, he saw a big turtle being bullied by children.

Taro rescued the turtle from the children and let it escape into the sea.

Some time later, while Taro was fishing, he heard a voice from the sea. The turtle he had saved appeared and told him that the turtle's master wanted to thank him for his kindness. Taro accepts the invitation and is guided on the turtle's back to the Dragon's Palace on the ocean floor. In the dragon's palace, he was treated to a beautiful princess Otohime, sumptuous food and music, and the dancing and dancing of sea bream and flatfish. Three years pass as he enjoys the dances and dances of the sea bream and flatfish. When Taro asked her to return home, Otohime gave him a jewelry box as a souvenir.

The box contains the "time" spent in Ryugu. As long as you keep it with you without opening it, you will never grow old and remain young. Never open the box, for if you do, the time will return."

Taro returned to earth with the jade box as a souvenir. To his surprise, Taro was stunned to find that the scenery had changed dramatically in the three years that should have passed. When he asked an old man who was nearby, he learned that many years had passed on earth, and that his family and acquaintances had long since passed away. When Taro opens the box, he finds that he has grown old all at once and has become a senile old man.

--The legend of Urashima Taro is a fairy tale that everyone has probably heard at least once. In this issue, we feature Ryuto, a hero who protects Taketoyo Town, Aichi Prefecture, where the legend of Urashima Taro still remains.

Taketoyo Town and the Urashima Taro Legend

Taketoyo Town, protected by Ryugusen Ryuto, is a bay area port town facing Mikawa Bay, located in the Chita Peninsula of Aichi Prefecture in the Chubu and Tokai regions. The total population is 42,929 (estimated population, October 1, 2018). The town tree is the camphor tree and the town flower is the sasanqua.

The origin of the town's name is derived from the initials of Takeo Shrine (with red seal) in Nagao Village and Toyoishi Shrine (without red seal) in Otari Village when Nagao Village and Otari Village, both located in the current Taketoyo Town area, were merged in 1878. This name is said to be the origin of the present Taketoyo Town.

The town is also home to the legend of Urashima Taro, and many of the place names are derived from the "Urashima Taro" fairy tale, and many of them have also become tourist attractions.

In this article, I would like to introduce some representative places. Chiryu-jinja Shrine (without a red seal) has the "Akezu no Box" (Tamatebako) that Urashima Taro brought back as a shrine treasure, and there is also a shrine dedicated to Urashima Taro called Urashima-jinja Shrine (without a red seal) within its precincts. Next is Ryugu Shrine (no red seal), located along the sea. The shrine is said to have been built by Urashima Taro in memory of Otohime, and until the Ise Bay typhoon damage in 1959 closed the beaches, the Ryugu dance with Urashima Ondo was performed on the beach and dedicated to her.

Today, the coastline is an industrial area, and the Taketoyo Thermal Power Station of Chubu Electric Power Company stands in the area, with Otohime Bridge nearby.

Lastly, I would like to introduce the Toyoishi-jinja Shrine in the Otari area, which has a legend of a dragon other than the legend of Urashima Taro. Once upon a time, there was a dragon god and his daughter who lived in the port of Kinuura. The dragon god's daughter, "Hime-omikami," incarnated as a human and fell in love with a young human warrior. However, the father dragon objected to this and summoned thunderclouds. The daughter dragon was struck by lightning and lost her life. In accordance with this legend, the "Oosashi Snake Wheel Festival" is held in memory of the spirit of the daughter dragon who was lost in an unfulfilled love. The festival is held every July, with men wearing loincloths riding on top of a float called a snake cart and wielding handheld fireworks that resemble the mouth of a dragon.

Birth of the Dragon Palace Warrior Ryuto

What kind of hero is the Ryugu Senshi (Dragon Palace Warrior) who has descended upon Taketoyo Town? I would like to introduce an episode related to the birth of Ryuto the Dragon Palace Warrior.

The birth of Ryuto was triggered by an original hero show held at a local nursery school's "Mothers' Association" about 15 years ago. The handmade hero show that was held there became a topic of conversation among parents at nearby nursery schools and kindergartens, and we began to receive many requests for hero shows from other schools as well. The show was started by one of the parents of children attending a local nursery school.

He started volunteering to bring smiles to the children's faces.

A few years after he began his activities, he heard the term "local hero" on a TV program and learned that there were many local heroes active in neighboring prefectures. He was feeling the limitations of the handmade hero shows he had been putting on, so he decided to take action and create a "local hero" named after his hometown.

However, since he started as an individual volunteer, he did not have the budget to make a costume, and his "local hero" project came to a temporary halt. However, because he was still unprepared, he had to cancel that year's show. In 2011, "Ryuto, the Dragon Palace Warrior" made its debut at Taketoyo Town's "Industrial Festival". The design plan, storyline, and other details were hastily worked out with patience and perseverance.

Since the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake, "Ryuto the Dragon Palace Warrior" has actively traveled to the Tohoku region, and has strengthened ties with local heroes in the area.

Based on the "Urashima Taro Legend" from Taketoyo Town, the "Ryugu Senshi Ryuto" is a daily show that focuses on teaching children about morality and ethics, with the core concept of the "No bullying of the weak" message from the episode in which Urashima Taro rescues a tortoise that is being bullied.

The hero Ryuto Suishin, who gave birth to the lesson!

Here is the prologue story of "Ryuto the Dragon Palace Warrior.

A long time ago, a phantom civilization known as "Ryugu" flourished in the sea, ruled by the dragon god. The people of Ryugu, also called the "People of the Sea," led a very cultured life.

At the center of the palace was a mysterious stone called the "Dragon God Stone," which contained the power of "conscience" and "evil mind," and maintained the balance of the civilized world of Ryugu. One day, however, one of the priests guarding the Dragon God Stone, "Ijimetarogya," was captivated by the evil spirit that resided in the Dragon God Stone, called himself the "Great Demon Evil God," and ruled the Dragon Palace, terrorizing the people of the sea.

The dragon god then incarnates into Ryuto using the conscience of the dragon god stone to seal the evil spirit that resides in the dragon god stone and the Great Demon Evil God. He confronts the Great Demon Evil God. The two sides are in a struggle, and in the end, Ryuto seals the evil spirit in the "Akazuno Box," including his own body. Although world peace was preserved, Ryugu, which had lost its dragon god stone and its master dragon god, sank to the bottom of the sea overnight, along with the people of the sea.

As time went by, in a fishing village where this event is passed down in legend, a fisherman rescued a tortoise that was being bullied by children on the beach. In return for his help, the turtle guides the fisherman to the legendary Dragon Palace. The fisherman was treated with lavish hospitality by the princess of the dragon palace, a mysterious land that overwhelmed all who saw it. Three years pass in the blink of an eye, and the fisherman is filled with a sense of nostalgia.

The princess of Ryugu, who had fallen in love with the fisherman, stopped him from returning to his hometown, but finally decided to send him on his way, taking his feelings into consideration. The princess gives the fisherman a souvenir of the treasure of Ryugu, which is said to pass time more slowly than other people's. The fisherman is then sent back to Ryugu. The princess made a wish that the fisherman would be able to visit Ryugu again. At this time, the princess made a promise to the fisherman not to open the box of hidden treasures.

Eventually, the Princess of the Dragon Palace appeared on earth only once, with the child born to the fisherman. She explained that she could not raise the child in Ryugu, where time had stopped, and that she wanted the child to be raised by the fisherman, the father. The fisherman accepted and began to raise the child. The child grew up well under his father's care, and the time has come to the present day.

One day, the child notices a whispering voice coming from a mysterious box that was gathering dust in a corner of the house. Only a family of fishermen can break the spells cast by the Princess of the Dragon Palace. The child, who was born with the ability to break the spell, does as the voice from the box tells him and opens the "unopened box.

The "dragon god stone" that was unsealed releases the "evil spirit" that has been accumulating for a long time! The "evil spirit" then begins to run amok and resurrects in the present day as "Ijimetallogya.

At the same time, however, "Ryuto" revives with "conscience" and attempts to exterminate Ijimetarogya. However, because there are many people with an evil conscience in the modern world, Ryuto cannot fight against Ijimetarogya by himself. So, with the help of a fisherman's child who has the blood of the dragon god's daughter - the dragon god's grandson, he transforms into the dragon palace warrior Ryuto. He will throw himself into the battle against Ijimetarogya, the master of evil spirits. See the rest of this story at the "Ryugu Senshi Ryuto" show!

Click here for specs on Ryugu Senshi Ryuto.

Left and Right " Ryugu Senshi Ryuto " Hero

Specs

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 68kg

Special Move: Ryujin Bakkou Zan (seals out evil minds for 24 hours)

Special Ability: "Evil Immobilizing Wave" (temporarily stops the movements of those with bad hearts)

Weapon: Ryujin Sword

Before Transformation: Unknown

Occupation: Unknown

A local hero of Taketoyo Town, Aichi Prefecture, the town of the Urashima legend! He is a kind-hearted warrior who fights to protect the smiles of children!

He continues to fight to protect the smiling faces of children!

What kind of local hero will we see next time?　Stay tuned!

（Text by Hiseki GFX)

©RYUTO PROJECT