Tradition / Region: Japanese folklore (mountain regions, Honshu, Izu Islands, Okinawa)
Alternate Names: Kidama-sama, Kodama-sama, Kiinushii
Category: Tree spirit / forest guardian
The Myth
Deep in the mountainous forests of Japan, ancient trees are believed to be inhabited by spirits known as Kodama. These spirits dwell within very old trees, and their lives are inseparably bound to their host. If the tree dies, the kodama perishes with it; if the kodama is destroyed, the tree cannot survive.
Kodama are rarely seen, but their presence is often heard. In forests and mountain valleys, sounds sometimes echo longer than they should, returning with an unnatural delay. This phenomenon, known as yamabiko, is traditionally attributed to kodama responding to human voices. When they do appear visually, kodama may manifest as faint, distant orbs of light, or as small, oddly shaped, vaguely humanoid figures moving through the forest.
Although their bodies may leave the tree temporarily, kodama remain guardians of their groves, tending to the balance of nature. Trees inhabited by kodama are considered sacred. Villagers traditionally mark such trees with shimenawa, sacred ropes, to signal their divine status and warn against harm. Cutting down a tree that houses a kodama is believed to bring a powerful curse, capable of plunging an entire community into ruin. In some traditions, when an ancient tree is cut and blood appears to flow from the wood, it is taken as proof that a kodama lived within it.
The belief in tree spirits is ancient. In early Japanese texts, kodama are closely associated with gods and yōkai alike. The tree deity Kukunochi no Kami, recorded in the Kojiki (712 CE), is sometimes interpreted as a kodama. In the Heian-period dictionary Wamyō Ruijushō, tree gods are listed under the name “kodama.” Classical literature such as The Tale of Genji refers to kodama alongside oni, fox spirits, and gods, indicating their liminal nature between kami and yōkai.
Kodama are said to take many forms. Some appear as ghostly lights, others as animals or humans. One story tells of a kodama that fell in love with a human and left its tree, assuming human form in order to meet them. According to medieval Shinto texts such as the Reikiki, kodama may dwell in groups deep within the mountains and are sometimes heard speaking, particularly at moments of death.
Regional traditions preserve related beliefs. On Aogashima and Hachijō-jima in the Izu Islands, shrines are built at the base of great cryptomeria trees and worshipped under the names kidama-sama or kodama-sama, and festivals are held whenever such trees are cut. On Okinawa, tree spirits are called kiinushii, and prayers are made before felling any tree. Nighttime sounds resembling falling trees are believed to be the cries of kiinushii, followed by the tree withering days later. The Okinawan yōkai kijimuna is sometimes said to be a manifestation of these spirits.
In the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien, kodama are depicted as elderly men and women standing among trees, with the explanation that when a tree reaches a hundred years of age, a divine spirit comes to dwell within it. Through these traditions, kodama remain enduring symbols of the living soul of the forest and the sacred bond between trees and spirit.
Interpretive Lenses
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Esoteric Deep Dive
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