Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Kantarō Fire, Kangoro
Category: Flame
The Myth
Kangoro-bi is a mysterious fire from Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, and other areas.
In Hashizume, Inuyama City, a farmer named Kangoro once lived with his elderly mother. Kangoro was eighteen years old, dutiful, honest, and known for his hard work.
One summer, a long drought caused the water in Kangoro’s rice paddy to dry up, while a neighboring rice paddy still had some water. Before dawn, Kangoro secretly cut down the embankment and diverted the water into his own rice paddy.
When the villagers discovered what he had done, they surrounded him with murderous intent. Kangoro was unable to escape and was beaten to death.
His elderly mother searched for her missing son, but the villagers refused to tell her what had happened. Understanding the situation, she stopped eating and died while continuously calling out Kangoro’s name.
From then on, every summer night, two shadowy flames wandered over the rice fields of Hashizume. For the next 400 years, the Aoki River also flooded many times, causing suffering to the villagers. The river finally calmed when Abbot Taiyo of Inuyama Tokuju Temple prayed for the spirits of Kangoro and his mother.
In Yatsurugi-cho, Iwakura City, the Kangoro fire is said to be the hand lamp of a mother searching for her son Kangoro, who went missing while catching fireflies. It is a bluish-red bare flame that can be seen at any time of year, but was said to be particularly common during the rice-planting season.
Sources
“Kangorobi.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077434933.html