Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Killing Stone, Sesshoseki
Category: Fox
The Myth
The Sesshōseki, meaning “Killing Stone,” is a mysterious and poisonous stone found in the Nasu region of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It is the transformed remains of Tamamo-no-Mae, a nine-tailed fox who disguised herself as a beautiful woman and gained the favour of Emperor Toba. When her true identity was discovered, the warriors Miura-no-suke and Kazusa-no-suke hunted her down and killed her. Yet the fox’s death did not end her evil influence. Her vengeful spirit transformed her remains into a deadly stone that emitted poison and killed birds and animals that approached it.
According to legend, the spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae continued to seek revenge against the descendants of those who had destroyed her. In 1390, Tsunoda Tsunatoshi, a descendant of Miura-no-suke, was hunting in Nasu when a beautiful woman appeared before him. When he took her hand, she transformed into a demon, seized him, and attempted to carry him into the sky. Tsunatoshi fought back with his sword and managed to escape. News of the encounter reached Ashikaga Ujimitsu, who requested Buddhist monks to subdue the dangerous spirit. One monk, Daitetsu, travelled into the mountains and discovered the enormous Killing Stone, which measured approximately seven feet long. The stone began to sweat when he approached it and sank into the ground when he touched it. Recognizing that the spirit had responded to Buddhist teachings, Daitetsu returned home.
The final destruction of the Sesshōseki came when the monk Genno travelled to Nasu after receiving a spiritual dream. He performed Buddhist rites to release Tamamo-no-Mae from her curse, then smashed the stone with his staff. The fox spirit emerged from the shattered rock, but Genno struck it down and brought its supernatural terror to an end. Tamamo-no-Mae was subsequently mourned and enshrined as Shinohara Inari Daimyōjin. According to another tradition, fragments of the shattered stone scattered across Japan, giving rise to further legends of Killing Stones in distant regions. The Sesshōseki remains a symbol of the dangerous supernatural power that endured even after the death of the legendary nine-tailed fox.
Sources
“殺生石 (Sesshōseki).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654430.html