Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Mountain dweller
The Myth
Omoshiro is a mysterious supernatural presence associated with a strange cry heard in the mountains of Tōno, Japan. Its appearance is unknown, and it is remembered chiefly for a startling voice that echoes through a secluded valley beneath the moonlight.
One moonlit night, a young man named Kikuchi Yanosuke was crossing Sakaiki Pass with his companions on the way to the coast. As they passed through Ōtani-chi, a deep valley filled with birch trees, thick vegetation, and a stream below, Yanosuke played his flute. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the bottom of the valley, shouting, “Interesting!” The men were overcome with fear, turned pale, and fled.
Yanosuke later experienced another strange event in the mountains, when he heard a woman’s scream. At the same time, his sister was being murdered by her own son. The connection between these events remained mysterious, leaving Omoshiro as an unexplained presence associated with eerie voices, fear, and ominous happenings in the mountains.
Sources
“Omoshiro.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1074589312.html