Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Toad
Category: Frog
The Myth
Dousai is a supernatural toad said to be capable of taking the form of a beautiful woman. One night, a woodcutter staying in a mountain hut witnessed a mysterious woman spinning thread on a spinning wheel by the light of a lantern. Her presence in the remote hut was strange, and the woodcutter grew suspicious of the apparition.
Remaining awake throughout the night, the woodcutter took aim with his gun and fired at the lantern. The bullet struck the Dousai in the eye, revealing the creature’s true nature. The toad died from the wound, ending its mysterious appearance in the mountain hut.
Sources
“道災 (Dōsai).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655107.html