Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Cow Lady
Category: Cow
The Myth
Ushigozen is a cow-like monster associated with an ancient incident at Asakusa. It is described as a monstrous creature resembling a cow-demon.
In 1251, during the third year of the Kenchō era, a strange creature resembling a cow appeared near Asakusa in Musashi Province. It suddenly ran toward Sensō-ji Temple, where approximately fifty monks had gathered in the temple’s refectory.
As the creature appeared, twenty-four of the monks immediately fell ill and became unable to rise from their beds. Seven others died instantly.
Another account tells that, around the same period, a monstrous creature resembling a cow demon emerged from the Asakusa River. It ran about wildly before suddenly disappearing by jumping into a shrine on the opposite bank.
The shrine was Ushigozen Shrine, now known as Ushijima Shrine. According to the tradition, when the creature entered the shrine, it dropped a sacred treasure known as the cow-jewel onto the altar.
Ushigozen Shrine itself was traditionally founded during the Jōgan era, between 859 and 879. The monk Jikaku Daishi Ennin is said to have received an oracle from an old man who was an incarnation of Susanoo-no-Mikoto. The figure commanded him to build a shrine and promised that, whenever unrest threatened the land, he would protect it by appearing in a form capable of subduing demons, wearing the head of a bull around his neck.
Because of this tradition, the creature that attacked Sensō-ji has sometimes been interpreted as the fierce spirit, or aramitama, of Ushigozen. Another interpretation identifies it as an incarnation of Susanoo-no-Mikoto, with the attack possibly reflecting a religious conflict between the traditions associated with Sensō-ji and Ushigozen Shrine.
The creature that appeared at Asakusa is regarded as one of the earliest recorded examples of the Japanese ox-demon, or ushioni. In later retellings, the name Ushigozen itself came to be treated as the name of the supernatural creature.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “牛の首 [うし‐くび] (Ushi-kubi).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). April 19, 2021.