Japanese Horse Mythology

Kubiki-uma

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Headless Horse, Head-cutting Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

Kubiki-uma is a yōkai that appears as a horse without a head. It is known throughout various parts of Japan, although the traditions of Shikoku, particularly Tokushima Prefecture, are the most famous.

While the details differ from region to region, the stories generally agree that the headless horse appears at a specific place and time, wandering silently through the night. Sometimes it appears alone, while in other tales it carries a deity, a headless person, or a yōkai known as Yakō-san.

Encountering a Kubiki-uma is generally regarded as a sign of misfortune. However, in some areas, such as Tamagawa Town in Ehime Prefecture, seeing the headless horse is considered a good omen instead.

Various legends explain the origin of the Kubiki-uma. Some say it is the spirit of a horse that was loved by a princess but was killed out of jealousy. Other traditions claim it is the ghost of a horse slain together with the monk riding it, or of a horse killed by thieves after they broke into a temple.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). クビキ馬 (Kubiki-uma). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655026.html

Giba

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Horse Demon
Category: Horse

The Myth

Giba is a yōkai described in the Sōzan Chōmon Kishū, where it is blamed for the sudden and mysterious deaths of horses. In the provinces of Owari and Mino, the fatal disease known as Teima was instead believed to be the work of this horse demon.

According to tradition, Giba enters a horse through its nostrils and leaves through its hindquarters, causing the animal to collapse and die almost instantly.

One account recorded by Miyoshi Sōzan comes from Yoshimatsu, a former horse handler from Mino Province who claimed to have encountered Giba twice. Local people believed that the demon was the spirit of the daughter of an Eta family from Ōtsu in Ōmi Province, who became a Giba after her death and wandered the countryside killing horses.

The demon was described as a woman dressed in scarlet robes and wearing a golden necklace while riding a small horse with an iridescent golden sheen. She descended silently from the sky like a kite. As she approached, the horses in nearby stables would begin to neigh strangely. Her small mount would leap upon a larger horse, pressing its forelegs against the victim’s mouth while its hind legs gripped the ears and mane. As the creature clung tightly to the horse’s face, the demon smiled before vanishing. Immediately afterward, the horse would turn three times to the right, collapse, and die.

Experienced stable hands were said to know how to save a horse from Giba. They wore their work jackets loosely without fastening them. As soon as the demon seized the horse, they slipped the right sleeve from the jacket, draped it over the horse’s neck together with the invisible demon, forced the horse to turn left instead of right, and pierced the spine above its tail with a needle. If performed in time, these actions were believed to drive away Giba and save the animal.

The Sōzan Chōmon Kishū also records other stories of horses dying in succession because of Giba, making the creature one of the most feared supernatural causes of disease among horses in regional Japanese folklore.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). ギバ (Giba). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655041.html

Bakotsu

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Horse Bone
Category: Horse

The Myth

Bakotsu is a yōkai that appears in the Tosa Obake Zōshi (Tosa Ghost Scroll), an illustrated collection of supernatural creatures from Tosa Province.

According to the legend, Bakotsu is the transformed spirit of a horse that perished in a fire. After its death, the horse returned as a yōkai rather than passing on.

In the scroll, Bakotsu is depicted inside a mosquito net, calmly conversing with the keeper of an inn. Beyond its fiery death and ghostly transformation, little else is recorded about the creature, making it one of the more mysterious yōkai preserved in the Tosa Obake Zōshi.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 馬骨 (Bakotsu). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654261.html

Baki

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Horse Demon (馬鬼, Baki)
Category: Horse

The Myth

Baki is a modern yōkai described by Ariyuki Sato in his Yokai Encyclopedia (1980). According to Sato, it is born from the curse of a horse that suffered cruel treatment at the hands of humans. After death, the animal’s resentment transforms it into a supernatural horse demon.

The creature is not based on an older traditional legend. Its illustration in the encyclopedia uses a still photograph of the Uma-oni from the 1968 Daiei films Yokai Hyaku Monogatari and Yokai Daisenso. However, that film monster was originally depicted as a prison guard and has no traditional connection to the yōkai called Baki.

For this reason, Baki is generally regarded as a modern yōkai created by Ariyuki Sato rather than a creature from classical Japanese folklore.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). バキ (Baki). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655032.html