Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Mountain dweller, yōkai
The Myth
On the wide uplands of the Hiruzen Plateau, where the wind moves across open fields and the mountains stand watch at the border of Okayama and Tottori, there is said to dwell a fearsome being known as the Suiton.
The Suiton does not roam idly, nor does it trouble the innocent. It waits.
It is said that the creature can read the hearts of men. It knows when someone harbors malice, when a traveler plots harm, when deceit or cruelty takes root in the mind. The moment such thoughts grow strong, the Suiton appears.
Without warning it swoops down before the wrongdoer, blocking the path. It stands balanced on a single leg, towering and terrible. Before the guilty can flee or beg for mercy, the Suiton tears them apart and devours them.
There is no escape from it, for one cannot hide one’s thoughts.
Because of this, the people of Hiruzen say that there are no wicked men in their land. For anyone who intends evil knows that the Suiton is listening, and that the mountains themselves will judge them.
Thus the plateau remains peaceful—not by law or by sword, but by the silent vigilance of the one-legged guardian who feeds only on wicked hearts.
Gallery
Sources
TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 水遁 (Suiton). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010653984.html
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Suiton