Legend says that when the area around Nara Basin was a lake, in a battle between the snakes in Taima on the opposite shore and the catfish in Kawahara, sucked the water by Taima caused Kawahara area to be dried up and all the turtle in the lake to be killed.
言い伝えによれば、奈良盆地一帯が湖であった頃、対岸の当麻（たいま）のヘビと川原のナマズの争いの結果、当麻に水を吸い取られ、川原あたりは干上がってしまい、湖の亀はみんな死んでしまった。