Bakotsu

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Horse Bone
Category: Horse

The Myth

Bakotsu is a yōkai that appears in the Tosa Obake Zōshi (Tosa Ghost Scroll), an illustrated collection of supernatural creatures from Tosa Province.

According to the legend, Bakotsu is the transformed spirit of a horse that perished in a fire. After its death, the horse returned as a yōkai rather than passing on.

In the scroll, Bakotsu is depicted inside a mosquito net, calmly conversing with the keeper of an inn. Beyond its fiery death and ghostly transformation, little else is recorded about the creature, making it one of the more mysterious yōkai preserved in the Tosa Obake Zōshi.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 馬骨 (Bakotsu). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654261.html

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