Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tobin Korogashi, 土瓶転がし
Category: Marten
The Myth
Dobin Korogashi is a mysterious phenomenon associated with a dense thicket of bamboo and trees on the border between Shitami and Hara villages in Hachihonmatsu, Kamo District, Hiroshima Prefecture. Those who passed through the area late at night were said to hear the sound of an earthen teapot tumbling and clattering, making a frightening gacha, gacha noise. People believed that a creature called the Dobin Korogashi lurked in the thicket.
The strange sounds inspired fear among local residents. Children were afraid to take errands along the road in the evening, while even adults found the path unsettling after dark. The creature’s true identity, however, may have been less supernatural than people imagined. One explanation suggests that a weasel had made its nest in a dumping ground for discarded pottery and produced the clattering sounds when startled by approaching footsteps and fleeing.
Sources
“Dobinkoro.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654264.html