Japanese Mountain dweller Mythology

The Snow Woman of the Kintama Curve

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Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: Snow Woman of Hikoya, Yuki-onna of Kintama Curve
Category: Ghost, Mountain dweller

The Myth

Long ago, on a winter day when the snow fell thick and heavy, the headman of the mountain village of Hikoya was returning home from the town of Hashimoto. The mountain road was narrow and winding, and the snowfall was so fierce that each step felt uncertain. As he climbed a steep S-shaped curve along the path, a flicker of white caught his eye.

Thinking he had found another traveler, he called out. From the snow emerged a young woman dressed in a long white kimono that trailed across the ground. Her face was pale as snow, her obvious lips blood-red, her hair deep black, and her eyes shone with an eerie golden light. She looked at the headman with an expression that was both sorrowful and afraid and softly called to him, “Mayor… come with me.”

Entranced by her voice, the headman followed her barefoot into the snow, unaware of the cold biting into his skin. Step by step, she led him deeper along the curve. Suddenly, snow fell from the branches overhead, striking him and breaking the spell. Terror seized him. Realizing something was wrong, he turned and fled back toward the village as fast as he could.

The next day, the headman returned to the bend in the road. There, he found his discarded sandals and the tree from which the snow had fallen. Hanging from one of its branches was the body of a young woman. She was Kayo, a girl from Akatsuka Village, who had been betrayed by her lover from Osaka and driven to despair. Whether she died before or after the headman’s encounter was never known.

The headman would later recount the story again and again, always ending it by saying that the fear had made his body shrivel with terror. From then on, villagers began calling that sharp bend in the mountain road the “Kintama Curve.” To this day, the Snow Woman of that curve is remembered not only as a frightening apparition, but as a sorrowful figure, caught between the world of the living and the dead, wandering the snow in silence.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 雪女 (Yuki-onna / Snow Woman). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1084249383.html

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Yamajiji

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Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: Yamajijii, Yamachiji, Yamajichi
Category: Mountain dweller

The Myth

Deep in the mountains of Shikoku, travelers speak in hushed voices of an old man who belongs not to any village, but to the wilderness itself. He is called Yamajiji—the Mountain Old Man—and those who meet him rarely forget the encounter.

Yamajiji appears as a tall, gaunt elder, sometimes with only a single eye and a single arm or leg, though some say he has two eyes, one so small it is barely visible. He wanders the deep forests, watching those who trespass into his domain. It is said that he can read human thoughts as easily as hearing spoken words, answering questions before they are asked and revealing secrets people believed were hidden in their hearts.

Many tales warn of his cruelty. Yamajiji may harm travelers or horses, mislead them deeper into the mountains, or disguise himself as a spider to slip unseen into a home. In some stories, he lives alongside a Yamauba, and if Yamajiji is defeated or killed, the mountain hag will later appear to avenge him, stalking the one who dared challenge the mountain’s master.

His voice is feared above all. When Yamajiji shouts, leaves fall from the trees as if struck by a storm, stones tremble, and the forest itself seems to recoil. In one well-known tale, a man lost in the mountains was challenged by Yamajiji to a contest of shouting. Knowing he could not match such a voice, the man waited until his turn, raised his gun, and fired it beside Yamajiji’s ear. The thunderous blast sent the mountain spirit reeling, and the man escaped while Yamajiji raged in confusion.

Yet the story does not always end there. In some versions, Yamajiji later returns in another form—often as a spider—seeking revenge for the trick played upon him.

Thus Yamajiji remains a figure of warning and dread: a living embodiment of the mountains themselves, ancient, watchful, and dangerous to those who enter his realm without caution or respect.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 山爺 (Yamajiji). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741578.html

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Hito-jizo

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Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: Kidnapper Jizo
Category: Mountain dweller

The Myth

Long ago, a master marksman, said to be the finest shooter in all of Japan, lost his way while traveling through the mountains. As night fell, he noticed a single house glowing with lamplight and went inside, hoping to find shelter.

Within the house he found a young girl sitting alone, weeping. When he asked what troubled her, she told him of a dreadful fate that haunted the village. Each night at midnight, a mysterious being came to take one villager away. No one knew where they were taken, and now the turn had fallen upon her.

The marksman told her not to fear. He hid the girl inside a closet and resolved to face the creature himself. Through the long night he waited, motionless. Then, at exactly three in the morning, a heavy thud echoed from the doorway. In that instant, the marksman fired his gun.

At dawn, he stepped outside and froze. Standing before the house was a Jizō statue, spattered with blood.

The statue spoke. It said that it had never wished harm upon the villagers. Long ago, it had asked only for a roof to protect it from rain and dew, but no one had built one. Left exposed to the elements year after year, it had decided to repay the neglect by taking the villagers away, subjecting them to the same suffering it endured. Yet it insisted that none had been killed.

The Jizō declared that if the villagers purified themselves and repented, all would be set right. When this was done, the statue raised its left hand, and the missing men returned. When it raised its right hand, the women emerged, unharmed.

Ashamed of their neglect, the villagers begged forgiveness. They built a fine shrine for the Jizō and enshrined it with care and reverence. From that time on, the kidnappings ceased, the harvests were plentiful, and the village prospered.

Thus Hito-jizō remained—not as a kidnapper, but as a reminder that even silent spirits must be treated with respect, lest neglect turn guardians into judges.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). ヒト地蔵 (Hito-Jizō). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077383013.html

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Hiderigami

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Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: Hideri no Kami, Batsu, Hiderimo
Category: Mountain dweller, One eyed

The Myth

Long ago, it was said that drought was not merely the absence of rain, but the presence of a being. Wherever this being lingered, the land dried, rivers shrank, and crops withered under an unforgiving sun. This being came to be known in Japan as Hiderigami, the god of drought.

The origin of this power reaches back to ancient tales from the continent. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there is a goddess named Ni, daughter of the Yellow Emperor. After quelling a great storm caused by the dragon Yinglong and the wind god Feng Bo, Ni lost her place in heaven. Wherever she walked upon the earth thereafter, rain ceased to fall. The land cracked and dried beneath her feet. To protect the world, the emperor ordered her to dwell far to the north, beyond the Red River. Yet at times she escaped, and when people chased after her, they cried out, “God, please return to the north,” knowing that her presence meant ruin.

Other ancient writings speak of drought spirits living deep in the mountains. They are described as strange beings—part human, part beast—with twisted forms. Some had only one arm and one leg, their bodies covered in hair, basking openly beneath the burning sun. Others were said to be small, naked creatures with eyes set high upon their heads, able to run as fast as the wind. When these beings appeared, rain vanished, and severe drought followed.

In Japan, these stories were gathered and given form. The drought spirit was called Hideri no Kami, and it was believed to dwell on remote mountains, descending unseen to spread heat and desolation. Some said the drought god crept into human homes, stealing food and goods, draining not only the land but the fortune of families as well.

People feared Hiderigami deeply. When rain failed and rice fields cracked, offerings were made and prayers spoken, begging the god to depart. It was believed that only by appeasing or driving away this being could the sky be moved to weep again.

Thus Hiderigami remained in memory—not always seen, but always felt—an invisible god of heat and hunger, whose presence turned fertile land into dust and reminded people that drought itself could walk the world.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). 干天神 (Hiderigami). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1076296168.html

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Jubusen-Kikai

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Demon of Mount Jubusen
Category: Mountain dweller

The Myth

Long ago, a man and his companion set out on a pilgrimage to Mount Jubusen. They climbed the mountain together, following the sacred paths until the day began to fade and dusk crept across the peaks. As evening fell, they turned back toward the descent, eager to leave the mountain before darkness fully claimed it.

As they looked toward a distant summit, something unnatural appeared in the sky. Riding upon a cloud, a strange being rose into view. Its form was half-hidden in the mist, its lower body swallowed by the cloud itself, while its upper body loomed above it. The creature lifted its arms and breathed fire as it drifted through the air, moving toward them from the far peak.

The sight struck the two travelers with terror. Without thinking, they fled in panic, tumbling and rolling down the mountain slope as fast as they could, desperate to escape the approaching presence. They did not look back, nor did they stop until they were far from the heights of Mount Jubusen.

No further encounter is recorded, and no explanation is given for what the creature truly was. It is remembered only as a terrifying apparition of the mountain—an omen glimpsed at twilight, rising from cloud and flame, reminding those who walk sacred peaks that not all beings there welcome human eyes.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). ジュブセン奇怪 (Jubusen-Kikai). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1074775095.html

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Ochiyobon

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Yokai, Mountain dweller

The Myth

Long ago, in the mountains of Ushū, there lived powerful monsters known as the Mouryō. Among them was a young Mouryō who had pledged his future to Ochiyobon, the daughter of a neighboring monster. Refusing to submit to the wishes of their elders, the two lovers fled together to the distant mountains of Hakone, hoping to live freely, far from interference.

They settled in a ruined house deep in the mountains and asked a nearby monster named Shirodashi, who lived in a cave, to help them move. At first Shirodashi seemed friendly, but in truth he was a drunken, scheming brute. He began visiting the couple daily, demanding food and money, and soon turned his attention to Ochiyobon. He harassed her with lewd remarks and tried to force himself upon her, laughing when she resisted.

One day, Shirodashi separated Ochiyobon from her husband through trickery. He then lied to the young Mouryō, claiming that he and Ochiyobon had long been lovers and that she had begged to be taken as his wife. The timid Mouryō, terrified of scandal and humiliation, weakly agreed to surrender her. Shirodashi carried off Ochiyobon’s belongings and told her she now belonged to him.

Ochiyobon wept and protested, insisting on her innocence and her love for her husband, but Shirodashi ignored her cries. Their quarrel drew the attention of Momonjii, the master of the cave, who chased Shirodashi away and sheltered Ochiyobon. Momonjii tried to reconcile the lovers, but the young Mouryō, obsessed with appearances, refused to take her back. Brokenhearted and abandoned, Ochiyobon despaired of life itself, but Momonjii promised to care for her, and she remained with him.

Among monsters, beauty is not judged as it is among humans. Though others found Ochiyobon’s face unbearable, Momonjii was captivated by her, and in time he sought her affection. Grateful for his kindness, Ochiyobon accepted him, and the two grew close.

Some time later, turmoil erupted over a political marriage between a monster clan and the fox spirits. A gang of raccoon dogs stole the treasured White Fox Jewel, and it was discovered that Shirodashi had hidden it while aiding them. Monsters and foxes stormed his lair to reclaim it.

Before they could act, a woman’s voice called from within. Ochiyobon emerged, holding the White Fox Jewel in one hand and a bloodstained knife in the other. At her feet she cast the severed head of Shirodashi. She declared that she had been falsely accused, abandoned, and disgraced through his lies. To clear her name, she had lured him, reclaimed the jewel, and killed him as proof that no affair had ever existed.

With Shirodashi dead and the truth revealed, Ochiyobon’s honor was restored. Her tale ended not as one of helpless betrayal, but of resolve and vengeance, remembered as the story of a monster woman who reclaimed her dignity through blood and truth.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). オチョボン (Ochiyobon). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1071896675.html

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Yashawaka

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Ghost, Mountain dweller

The Myth

At a mountain temple, there once lived a young page named Yashawaka. He was an ordinary boy until, around the age of fourteen or fifteen, something about him began to change. He stopped eating and drinking altogether, yet he did not grow weak. Instead, he became increasingly withdrawn. Each night, once darkness fell, he would quietly leave the temple grounds and vanish into the surrounding hills.

As weeks passed, his appearance became unsettling. His face turned deathly pale, his cheekbones jutted sharply from his skin, and his features grew strange and hollow. The monks whispered among themselves, uneasy at his nightly wanderings and unnatural endurance. Suspecting something dreadful, one of them decided to follow him in secret.

Late one night, the monk watched as Yashawaka crept into the temple cemetery. There, beneath the moonlight, he dug into fresh graves with frantic strength. When the earth was pulled away, he uncovered the newly dead—and began to eat the corpses. The watcher fled in horror and reported what he had seen.

The head priest ordered the entire temple to seize Yashawaka. Monks rushed into the night to capture him, but he moved with terrifying speed. He ran as though he could fly, leaping across the ground, then climbing into the treetops where no one could follow. From branch to branch he vanished into the mountains, swallowed by the forest.

Yashawaka was never seen again. Some say he became a creature of the wild, neither living nor dead, while others believe he still wanders the mountains, driven by hunger and darkness, a warning of what happens when the boundary between the human and the monstrous is crossed.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). ヤシャワカ (Yashawaka). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1057282474.html

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Kani Musume

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Crab Girl
Category: Mountain dweller, Crab, Yokai

The Myth

In the late eighteenth century, during the lively days of Edo, crowds gathered in the Asakusa district to see strange and curious spectacles. Among them was a young girl known as the Kani Musume—the Crab Girl. She was said to have only two fingers on each hand, and this unusual trait earned her fame. People came not because she performed any special skill, but simply to look upon her rarity, and her name became well known among the curiosities of Asakusa.

As the years passed and fashions changed, the popularity of such shows faded. In later tales, the Crab Girl’s story took on a darker, more fantastical turn. She was said to have been gathered up by a demon woman who had withdrawn from human society and fled into the remote mountains of Tamba. This demon girl, bitter over her own failures and humiliation, surrounded herself with others like the Crab Girl—along with a Cat Girl, a Heron Girl, a Bear Girl, and a Snake Girl.

Together, these strange women would sit and speak ill of human women, mocking their beauty, their manners, and their lives. The demon girl dreamed of returning to the human world as a terrifying monster, one that would inspire fear instead of ridicule. But when she saw a beautiful human woman named Omiwa, whose face twisted into something truly dreadful from jealousy alone, the demon girl was overcome with fear. Realizing that human emotions could be more frightening than any monster’s form, she fled back into the mountains, abandoning her ambition.

Thus, the Kani Musume remained in legend as a figure caught between spectacle and myth—first a curiosity of the city, later a companion of outcasts and half-monsters—her story reflecting how fascination, cruelty, and fear can transform ordinary lives into something strange and unsettling.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). カニ娘 (Kani Musume). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1052020047.html

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Yamabora

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Mountain dweller, Yokai

The Myth

On the island of Hachijōjima, where steep mountains rise sharply from the sea, people once spoke in hushed voices of something called Yamabora. It was not a creature that could be clearly seen, nor one that left tracks or shadows. Its presence was known by a single, unmistakable sign: an unbearable stench that struck without warning in the depths of the mountains.

In earlier times, Yamabora was said to dwell in the forests of Higashiyama. Those who wandered too far into the slopes would suddenly be overwhelmed by a smell so foul that it turned the stomach and robbed the breath. Panic would seize them, and they would flee downhill without ever glimpsing what caused it. Some said Yamabora was a monster, others that it was a spirit of the mountain itself, angered by human intrusion.

By the early nineteenth century, Yamabora had already become rare, spoken of more as memory than menace. Yet during the Tenpō era, the old fear returned. An exile named Kinzo Bunyamura was traveling deep in the Higashiyama mountains when the air around him suddenly thickened with a stench so intense that he could not endure it. Believing himself to be in the presence of Yamabora, he ran down the mountain in terror, certain that had he lingered even a moment longer, something dreadful would have happened.

Those who claimed encounters with Yamabora all told the same thing. There was no shape, no sound, no movement—only the smell. It came suddenly, filled the forest, and vanished just as mysteriously. Because of this, Yamabora was remembered not as a beast with claws or fangs, but as an unseen warning, a sign that some parts of the mountain were not meant to be entered, and that the land itself could drive humans away without ever revealing its face.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). ヤマボラ (Yamabora). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1042311445.html

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Ku-Nyōbō

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Mei-kuwanu Nyōbō (“The Wife Who Does Not Eat”)
Category: Yōkai, shapeshifter, Mountain dweller

The Myth

There was once a man so stingy that he constantly complained about the cost of food. Again and again he declared that what he truly wanted was a wife who did not eat at all. One day, as if answering his foolish wish, a beautiful young woman appeared before him and said calmly, “I do not eat. Please take me as your wife.” Delighted, the man married her at once.

The woman was everything she promised. She worked tirelessly from morning until night and never once sat down to eat a meal. Yet despite this, something strange began to happen. The rice chest in the house grew emptier by the day. No matter how carefully the man measured it, the rice continued to vanish. Suspicion crept into his mind.

One morning, the man pretended to leave for work but instead hid himself in the attic, peering down to spy on his wife. When he was certain she believed herself alone, the woman set a great pot on the fire and cooked an enormous amount of rice. She shaped the rice into ball after ball, far more than any one person could eat. Then she did something horrifying. Letting her hair fall loose, she opened a hidden opening at the top of her head and began stuffing the rice balls into it, one after another. At that moment, the man understood that his wife was no human being, but a monster in disguise.

That evening, shaken with fear, the man confronted her and dismissed her from the house. Realizing her secret had been discovered, the woman did not protest. Instead, she asked for a large bucket as the price of her departure. The man agreed, eager only to see her gone. But once the bucket was ready, the wife suddenly seized him, shoved him inside, and carried the bucket upon her back as she fled into the mountains, revealing her monstrous strength.

Along the way, the man managed to escape and hid himself among thick patches of mugwort and iris. When the wife pursued him, she stopped short, unable to come near those plants. Snarling in frustration, she turned back and vanished into the wilds.

From that time on, people said that mugwort and iris could ward off such creatures, and they began hanging them from their eaves during the May Festival. As for the wife who claimed she did not eat, her true form was never agreed upon. Some said she was a mountain hag, others a demon, a snake, a spider, a frog, or even a crow. But all versions agreed on one thing: a wife who eats nothing is not to be trusted.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). クニョボウ (Ku-Nyōbō). In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1029983868.html

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