Japanese Horse Mythology

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

Hiroshima Tenmachō no Kaibutsu

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Tradition / Region: Japanse Mythology
Alternate Names: Hiroshima Tenmacho Kaibutsu
Category: Horse

The Myth

In Tenmacho, Hiroshima, it is said that a strange monster was born to the wife of a horseman named Yukimatsu. The birth took place in February, in an area associated with the land of the dead.

The creature was described as about eighteen inches tall, with very short limbs measuring only three to four inches. It possessed three legs instead of two. Its body was entirely red and horse-like in form. One of its most disturbing features was an enormous scrotum, said to be as wide around as the creature was tall.

The being did not resemble any known animal or human. It was regarded as an unnatural birth and was spoken of simply as a monster, remembered for its unusual shape and disturbing appearance rather than for any actions it took.

The story survives as an account of a bizarre and unsettling creature that briefly entered the human world and became part of local memory.

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 広島伝馬町の怪物 (Hiroshima Tenmachō no Kaibutsu). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1062856281.html