Once a year, love, magic and moonlight sway upon the mirror of Lake Akan. In a net of stars , the night sky greets a gentle swarm of creatures known as Marimo. These soft spheres of green luminescence have risen from their ancient resting place. Gentle moonlight will carry some of these spirits to shore. Most, will only glimpse at the wondrous night sky before summoned back to sleep, in the mystical realm below.
Lake Akan drifts in the hollow of a great jade stone. Surrounded by a necklace of volcanic mountains, the basin is continually sustained with icy water. The high peaks are shrouded in clouds. Miraculous waterfalls spill from the sky. Crashing like cymbals, rainbows, mist and water cascade into the surging rivers below. Streams flow from the forest, past the rocky shoreline and into the pristine lake. A blanket of emerald green foliage comforts life in the forest. The cliffs and trees are home to many species. A menagerie of birds celebrate life in the canopy, singing amongst the orchid blossoms and flitting about the fauna. Majestic beasts stride through the woods and leap over fallen trees. Robed in velvety moss and silvery lichen, the ancestors are honored in crowns of fungi as they slowly reemerge as earth. Small creatures scurry close to the ground while others creep and slide through the undergrowth. The stoic treeline does not trespass onto the beach. Only rock and water that has tumbled from the heavens merge into Lake Akan.
A kingdom cloaked in mystery thrives hundreds of meters below the glistening surface of the bowl. Glimpses of this secret realm drift in and out of view as weeds sway back and forth in the current. Many leagues beneath the silky curtain, the lakebed reveals itself as an unruly marine meadow. Schools of silvery minnows flash over the grassy floor and disappear into folds of kelp. Labyrinths of seaweed conceal strange creatures. Glints of light shine from the eyes deep within these fathoms as they peer out from their shelter. In a blink they vanish. Miniature snails with kaleidoscope shells bejewel rocks and reeds. The body of a golden eel undulates while it rests in the mouth of a cave.
A home fashioned from smooth jade and polished river stone is anchored into the wild field. A beguiling garden surrounds the manor. At a distance, the landscape seems formally arranged like topiary. Upon entering the grounds, an amazing revelation comes into perspective. Generations of plush marimo doze above the floor. Soothed by a lullaby, the soft orbs rise and fall, hushed to sleep by the gentle current.
The souls of Princess Senato and The Hunter Minabe watch over the spirits as they rest. Senato and Minabe came to exist here many centuries ago. In life, Senato’s father was a noble chief. The obstinate chief rejected the marriage of his only daughter to a common hunter. The chief and his advisors forcefully separated the two lovers and warned Minabe to stay away. Many nights later, Senato managed to slip past her guards and meet Minabe in the woods. The guards set off an alarm when they found Senato missing. A team of warriors spotted the pair hiding in a thicket of giant ferns. As the warriors slashed through the trees toward Minabe and Senato, the pair saw no choice but to run into the icy lake. The guards halted by the shore, daring not to step into the forbidden water. Minabe and Senato swam until they were taken by cold and exhaustion. In a final embrace the pair slipped from view into the depths of Lake Akan.
When the spirits awoke, they found themselves in a magical realm. It was Senato who first noticed the green filaments that floated in the watery sky. Much like aurora borealis danced in the atmosphere above, fine strings of blue and green swirled above their heads. Senato suggested that Minabe capture the threads to be spooled together and used to weave cloaks and garments to keep warm. Manibe caught and wound the algae into spheres. Senato used some of the thread to weave a tapestry, after laying her creation on the cool jade floor, it sprung to life as a meadow. Senato then used the magical string to sew a blanket. As the quilt spread over the rock, the ground transformed into a nursery bed. As Minabe whirled the fibres together, his touch magically gave life to the orbs. The couple named their miracles Marimo and nestled them into the garden.
Minabe and Senato celebrate the anniversary of their eternal love by releasing the Marimo from the garden as gifts to the lake. Freed like fireworks, marimo burst into the watery sky and bob to the surface. Some of the tokens drift ashore while others fill with water and sink back to the nursery. It is considered a blessing to find a marimo ball. The orbs are considered gifts of everlasting friendship and love.
