Tradition / Region: Japan (Amami Ōshima — Yamato Village)
Alternate Names: —
Category: Rabbit / shapeshifter
The Myth
In Yamato Village on Amami Ōshima, there is a legend of a strange and terrifying occurrence that once plagued the island. Every night, an unknown visitor would appear, stealing a set of rice cakes and kidnapping one person. As night after night passed, fear spread through the village and the number of inhabitants steadily decreased.
At last, two courageous villagers decided to uncover the truth. They prepared rice cakes and carried them in a basket, intending to follow the visitor and discover its true form. As they walked, they suddenly saw many white rabbits appear around them. The rabbits gathered together, chanting softly and repeatedly bowing toward the east, as if praying to something unseen.
The two men sought help from an old woman and borrowed her dog. When the dog was brought among the rabbits, it attacked them, killing and devouring them one by one as they ate the rice cakes and continued bowing toward the east.
Afterward, it was revealed that until that time, the rabbit had been transforming into the shape of a monk. In that form, it had been stealing rice cakes and kidnapping people from the village. With the rabbits destroyed by the old woman’s dog, the nightly disappearances ended, and the villagers were finally able to live in peace again.
Thus the rabbit came to be remembered not only as an animal, but as a dangerous shapeshifter whose true nature had long been hidden beneath a human disguise.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
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Esoteric Deep Dive
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