Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Cow
The Myth
In old Japanese imagery there is shown a strange creature with the form of a cow yet standing upright like a man.
It bears two horns upon its head and holds a pitchfork in its grasp. The fork is unlike any ordinary tool, for its three points end not in iron tips but in the curved claws of a raven. Around its neck it wears a blue scarf, hanging loosely as it stands.
Its legs are not like those of cattle, but end instead in bird-like feet, each with two sharp toes. No wings are shown, and no extra limbs appear beyond those needed to hold the fork.
No tale explains where this being came from or what it seeks. The scroll that preserves its image tells nothing of its deeds, its home, or its purpose. It simply presents the figure alone, a cow-like monster standing with its clawed pitchfork, silent and unexplained.
Sources
Youkai Gazou Database. (2006). 熊手 ;クマデ International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken). Retrieved from https://www.nichibun.ac.jp/cgi-bin/YoukaiGazou/card.cgi?identifier=U426_nichibunken_0054_0001_0005