Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Omoshiroi zo
Category: Mountain dweller
The Myth
This strange incident is said to have happened in the youth of an old man named Kikuchi Yanosuke.
One night, under a faint, pale moon, Yanosuke and several companions were crossing Sakaiki Pass, a mountain path leading toward the coast. Yanosuke was known as a skilled flute player, and as they traveled, he played his flute while walking.
As they passed through a place called Ōyachi, they entered a deep valley. White birch trees grew thickly there, and below the path ran a marshy ravine filled with reeds and tall grasses.
While they were crossing this valley, a high, piercing voice suddenly rose from the depths below. From the darkness of the ravine, something unseen cried out:
“Omoshiroi zo—!”
(“This is interesting!”)
At the sound of the voice, everyone turned pale with fear. Without seeing any figure or source, the group fled in terror, abandoning the path and running from the valley.
Later in his life, Yanosuke experienced another unsettling event deep in the mountains, when he heard the scream of a woman echoing through the forest. It was later discovered that, at the very same time, his sister had been killed by her own son.
The voice calling “Omoshiroi zo” was never explained, and no form was ever seen. It remains remembered as one of the many eerie, disembodied presences said to dwell in the mountains and valleys of the region.
Gallery
Sources
TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 面白いぞ (Omoshiroi zo). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1074589312.html
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Omoshiroi zo