JapanPool

Kasha

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Cat

The Myth

The Kasha is a cat-like yokai associated with death and the punishment of wrongdoers. It is said to carry away the corpses of those who committed crimes, and is often depicted grasping a body while connected to a flaming chariot or fire.

The Kasha appears when a person who has committed wrongdoing dies. It takes the corpse and carries it away, acting as an agent of karmic consequence rather than human judgment. It is portrayed as a cat-like being that may stand upright and seize the body, sometimes shown with a chariot of fire. Images of the Kasha appear in works such as death scrolls and mandalas, where it is shown taking the dead away. Its form varies by region, sometimes more monstrous and sometimes more cat-like, but it is consistently associated with the removal of sinful corpses and the inevitability of moral consequence.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ Yokai Blog. (2014). 火車 (Kasha). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655129.html

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Yama-Otoroshi

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Tradition / Region: Japanse Mythology
Alternate Names: Otoroshi
Category: Mountain dweller, Ogre

The Myth

Yama-Otoroshi is a yokai said to inhabit Mount Tsurugi in the Tateyama mountain range. It is described as resembling an ogre with a red face and body and lacking iron bars. It was believed to wait on rocky outcrops and attack climbers.

It was said that before 1907, climbers failed to reach the summit of Mount Tsurugi because the Yama-Otoroshi waited on the rocks, seized them by the collar, and threw them to their deaths. After the Meiji period, the being was said to descend from the mountain and take up residence at temple gates such as Zenkoji Temple. There it grabbed non-believers by the collar and stopped them from passing through. In this form, it was also called simply Otoroshi. An illustration shows the red-faced, two-horned ogre throwing away a climber.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ Yokai Blog. (2016). 山おとろし (Yama-Otoroshi). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1058924391.html

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Torakoishi

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Tradition / Region: Japanse Mythology
Alternate Names: Toramishi, Tiger Stone
Category: Tiger, Stone

The Myth

Torakoishi is a legendary stone associated with Tiger Gozen, a courtesan of Oiso-juku known from Soga Monogatari as the lover of Soga Juro Sukenari. A stone kept at Entaiji Temple in Oiso is said to have been given through the power of Benzaiten, and is believed to possess protective and miraculous qualities. It became known as a local curiosity and was publicly shown at certain times.

According to tradition, the stone was connected to a girl born on the Day of the Tiger who grew as she aged through Benzaiten’s power. When assassins sent by Kudo Suketsune attacked, the stone took the form of Soga Juro, blocking the arrows and saving them. The stone at Entaiji Temple is said to ward off evil, grant children, and fulfill wishes when touched, and it was displayed to the public each May. During the Edo period it was known as a roadside attraction and was said that only handsome men could lift it. An 1859 print by Utagawa Yoshikazu depicts the stone with tiger legs and a tail startling passersby, in the style of local monster caricatures.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ Yokai Blog. (2022). 虎子石 (Torakoishi). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1080024030.html

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Kubiore Neushi

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Sleeping Cow with a Broken Neck
Category: Cow, Statue

The Myth

Kubiore Neushi is remembered as a stone cow statue connected to Takimiya Hachiman Shrine in Sanuki.

In the year 888, the land of Sanuki suffered a terrible drought. Rivers dried up, rice fields withered, and the villagers feared famine. Sugawara no Michizane, then governor of the province, fasted, purified himself, and climbed Mount Shiroyama to pray for rain.

At first, the heavens sent firestones and then pebbles, which frightened the people, but Michizane continued his devotions. On the final night of his ritual, the god of Mount Shiroyama appeared to him in a dream and told him that if he offered even a single drop of water to the heavens, a heavy rain would come.

Michizane threw his ink-soaked brush into the sky. At once, black clouds gathered, thunder rolled, and rain poured over the land. The dying crops revived and the villagers rejoiced. They gathered at Takimiya Hachiman Shrine and danced in celebration.

It is said that the joy of that day was so great that the stone cow statue before the shrine joined the dance. In its enthusiasm, the cow broke its neck and became known as the Sleeping Cow with a Broken Neck. The villagers preserved their celebration as the Takimiya Nembutsu Dance in memory of the rain and the event.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ Yokai Blog. (2021). 首折れ寝牛 (Kubiore Neushi). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1078437894.html

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