Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Mozosu-sama
Category: Plant, Ghost
The Myth
Long ago in Kitsunezuka of Kami Ongata, there lived a farmer named Yamamoto. He was unmarried, gentle in manner, and admired by many of the village girls. Yet his heart belonged to one woman alone, a beautiful lover with whom he had pledged his life.
Near the Yamamoto home stood a temple where a monk called Mozousu lived. He was known throughout the village as a troublesome man — coarse, selfish, and fond of chasing women. He meddled in the lives of widows and flirted shamelessly with visitors to the temple, earning a poor reputation among the people.
Before long, Mozousu set his sights on Yamamoto’s beloved. When Yamamoto was away, the monk began secretly visiting her, pressing her with unwanted attention and making threatening demands. The woman endured this harassment in silence until Yamamoto finally learned the truth.
Furious but troubled, Yamamoto hesitated. The monk was tied to the temple of his own family, and confronting him openly would not be simple. After much brooding, he resolved on a darker course. One night, as Mozousu made his way toward the woman’s house, Yamamoto lay in wait and killed him.
From that night onward, peace left the house. Each evening, the ghost of Mozousu came to Yamamoto’s bedside, whispering bitterly and tormenting him without rest.
At last Yamamoto prepared to face the spirit. He lay down with a sword at his pillow and waited. When the ghost appeared again and began its complaints, Yamamoto struck in a single motion, cutting it down.
The next morning, he went out to check his fields. There he found one of his onions split cleanly in two, as though struck by a blade. From the cut surface seeped a reddish fluid like blood. Only then did he understand that what he had struck in the night had not been a ghost in human form, but something tied to the earth itself.
Afterward, misfortune followed the Yamamoto family. Ill luck and trouble came one after another, and the household believed the dead monk’s resentment had not faded. To calm his spirit, they built a small shrine and enshrined him as Mozousu-sama, praying for his peace.
Even so, the family kept one rule for generations afterward: no onions were to be grown in their fields, lest the spirit remember and return once more.
Gallery
Sources
Tyz-Yokai Blog. (n.d.). Mozōsu. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1071221874.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