Tradition / Region: Chinese-, and Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Kaishojō
Category: Monkey, Alcohol
The Myth
Shojo is a red-haired, red-bodied being that speaks like a human and loves alcohol above all else. Its hair burns like flame, and its blood is said to be so vividly red that cloth dyed with it becomes a special crimson known as shojohi.
Shojo dwell near the sea, and many stories tell of their fondness for sake. Along the coasts, people say that when sake is brought close to the shore, a Shojo will inevitably appear. In one tale, a Shojo rose from the sea after discovering a sake barrel buried in the sand. It drank eagerly until it became so drunk that it toppled into the barrel and could not climb back out.
In another story, a Shojo living beneath the waves heard the sound of a young man’s flute drifting across the sea. Enchanted by the music, she emerged and gifted him a fishing hook tied with strands of her own hair. With this hook, he could catch any fish he wished, without bait, for as long as he lived.
Elsewhere, a castle lord ordered huts to be filled with sake barrels along the shore. When Shojo came up from the sea to drink, they became intoxicated and were easily captured, just as planned.
Some Shojo are said to be female, others male, and some appear as stranger sea beings known as kaishojō, creatures that blur the line between Shojo and ghostly spirits of drowned sailors. In certain regions, kaishojō are feared as ominous sea apparitions, while in others they are playful and generous.
Shojo also appear in ritual and performance. In lion dances passed down in western Japan, a kaishojō leads the procession, commanding the beasts with authority. Because of their bright red color, Shojo became associated with protection against disease, especially smallpox, and dolls and masks in their likeness were used as charms to ward off evil.
Thus Shojo remain beings of contradiction—joyful and dangerous, drunken and magical—emerging from the sea with laughter, red hair streaming, and sake never far from their grasp.
Gallery
Sources
Tyz-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). [Title of entry]. In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654279.html
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