Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Dobukara Hebi, 溝から蛇, Straw Snake
Category: Object
The Myth
Dobukara-ja is a strange supernatural creature depicted in the Japanese illustrated work Bakemono Wahonso. It appears as a snake made of golden-yellow straw, resembling wheat straw in color. The creatures come in various sizes, make plenty of noise, and wrap themselves around people, but they are described as entirely harmless and not frightening.
According to the account, these straw snakes emerge from the sides of roads every year after the festival held on the first day of the sixth month. One depiction shows them appearing behind people walking with umbrellas in the rain, calling out, “Young lady, come along with me! It’s me, it’s me!” Their appearance closely resembles the straw snakes used in traditional Japanese insect-repelling processions, in which straw figures are carried as part of rituals intended to drive pests away from crops.
The creature’s name comes from the expression dobu kara hebi, meaning “a snake from a ditch.” The saying describes something unexpected appearing from an unlikely place. The Dobukara-ja embodies this idea through its sudden appearance beside the road, turning an ordinary straw object into a peculiar but harmless supernatural being.
Sources
“Dust-Covered Snake.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654364.html