Legend has it that long ago, a local maiden, Tatsuko, believing that the spring water would make her beauty last forever, drank so much that she turned into a dragon, and remains in the lake to this day. She was joined by another dragon, formerly a prince, as her lover, and their passionate nocturnal antics are the reason Tazawa-ko doesn't freeze in winter! On the lake's western shore you'll find a large bronze statue of Tatsuko, sculpted by Funakoshi Yasutake.