Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Jusuheru, Jusher, Djosferatu
Category: Demon
The Myth
Jusuheru was one of the seven leaders of the tens of thousands of angels created by Deus, the God of Heaven. He possessed a rank of 100 marks and an appearance of 32 marks. Jusuheru had a long nose, a wide mouth, scales on his hands and feet, and horns, giving him a terrifying appearance.
Deus created heaven and earth, the twelve heavens, the sun, moon, and stars, and summoned tens of thousands of angels. He later created the first humans, Domeigosu no Adan and Domeigosu no Ewa, from earth, water, fire, wind, tide, oil, and his own bones and flesh. Adam and Eve lived in Koroteru, the mortal world, but went to Baraiso, heaven, each day to worship Deus. They had two children, Chikoro and Tanho.
One day, while Deus was away, Jusuheru gathered the tens of thousands of angels and declared that he was equal to the Emperor of Heaven and that they should worship him instead. The angels began to worship Jusuheru. When Adam and Eve were asked to worship him as well, they refused, insisting that they worshipped Deus.
When Deus returned, Adam, Eve, and the angels bowed before him. Their remorse over what had happened became the origin of the orasho called “Koukai Konchirisan.” Deus warned Adam and Eve that although they might bow before Jusuheru, they must never eat the fruit of the Masan tree.
Jusuheru then descended to Koroteru to deceive them. He took fruit from the Masan tree and went to Adam and Eve. Adam was absent, serving at the gate of Baraiso, so Jusuheru approached Eve alone. He claimed to be a messenger from Deus and showed her the fruit.
Eve recognized it as the forbidden fruit and asked whether she was really allowed to eat it. Jusuheru deceived her, saying that the nuts belonged to both God and himself, and that eating them would make them like God. Eve accepted the nuts and ate them. When Adam returned, she told him what had happened and gave him the nuts. Although suspicious, Adam also ate them.
Jusuheru pretended to leave but remained nearby, watching them from the shadows. Soon Deus revealed to Adam that the nuts were evil. Adam tried to spit them out, but the nuts became stuck in his throat. As a result, Adam and Eve lost the pleasures of heaven.
The couple cried out toward heaven and fell to the ground, shedding tears of blood and deeply regretting what they had done. Their lamentation became the beginning of the “Ka no Orassho.” They begged Deus to allow them to experience heavenly pleasure once more, but Deus told them that if they did so, they would regret their actions for more than 400 years.
Adam and Eve’s descendants therefore remained in the mortal world. They ate animals, worshipped the moon and stars, and lived with the memory and regret of their fall.
Jusuheru himself then bowed before Deus and begged to experience heavenly pleasure again. He claimed that his evil heart had caused his terrible condition and feared what would happen to him. His plea was rejected, and he was banished from heaven.
Because Eve’s descendants were now living in the mortal world, Jusuheru was given a rank of ten marks and descended to the middle heaven, where he became the god of thunder. The angels who had worshipped him were likewise cast down and became tengu.
Later, as Eve’s descendants multiplied, three evil beings appeared: Unyoku, representing the desire for fortune, Greed, and Selfishness. They stole the food of good people. Deus became angry and bound the three together. They became a terrifying creature with three faces, each bearing horns, but continued their wickedness. Deus eventually kicked them to the bottom of the sea and commanded them to become tengu.
Their monstrous transformation was believed to have been caused by Jusuheru.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “じゅすへる (Jusuheru).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). December 13, 2014. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1015477601.html
