Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Akao Nyudo
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Akaō Nyūdō was a legendary ruler who lived in the Akaō area of Ōba, in present-day Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was said to have possessed vast lands and employed numerous farmers, making him a powerful figure in the region. His origins remain mysterious, and some traditions claim he was the younger brother of Hachisuka Koroku, a warrior who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. According to local legend, Akaō Nyūdō’s downfall began when a feudal lord preparing to cross Hakone for his required alternate attendance journey attempted to conscript the local farmers as labourers. Akaō Nyūdō intervened, offering the farmers generous wages to work for him instead. Enraged by this interference, the lord ordered an arson attack on Akaō Nyūdō’s residence. His lands and possessions were burned, and his entire family was destroyed, leaving behind a legacy of resentment and tragedy.
Many years later, during the Tenpō era, a man reclaiming land in the Abara area unearthed a large, unglazed earthenware jar. Inside was vermilion ink used for seals. When the man attempted to wash it away, the ink seemed inexhaustible, with more continually appearing no matter how much he removed. Troubled by this strange occurrence, he eventually took the jar home and used it as a water container. However, every night at around three o’clock in the morning, a ladle would mysteriously fall into the jar and rattle around by itself. The unsettling phenomenon continued until the frightened family dedicated the jar to Mishima Taisha Shrine. Because the jar had been found in the very area where Akaō Nyūdō’s residence had supposedly burned, people began to suspect that the vengeful spirits of his family were responsible for the strange events.
The curse was said to persist through subsequent generations. During the Meiji era, a fire broke out at the home of a descendant of the man who had discovered the jar. The flames spread to a distant property belonging to the same family, and one of its members fell to their death from the second floor while attempting to extinguish the blaze. Even more strangely, enormous pumpkins grew in the burned area, frightening the local inhabitants. During the Shōwa era, further misfortunes struck Akaō, including an outbreak of dysentery, strengthening local fears that the spirits had not been appeased. To calm the restless dead, the villagers eventually erected a tomb for Akaō Nyūdō and began holding annual prayers for his soul on September 1st, hoping to bring an end to the disasters associated with his name.
Sources
“阿古入道 (Ako Nyūdō).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1066794960.html