Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: 墓の火 (Haka no hi)
Category: Flame

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The Myth

Haka no hi are mysterious supernatural fires, or kaika, that spout forth from the base of graves.

The cause of Haka no hi is unknown. It is commonly believed to result from the failure of the grave’s owner to reach enlightenment and pass on to Nirvana. The flames are thought to be residual energy from worldly attachments, or feelings of grudge or resentment, coming from the remains interred in the grave.

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Sources

“Hakanohi.” Yokai.com: The Database of Japanese Folklore. https://yokai.com/hakanohi/

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Kantarō Fire, Kangoro
Category: Flame

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The Myth

Kangoro-bi is a mysterious fire from Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, and other areas.

In Hashizume, Inuyama City, a farmer named Kangoro once lived with his elderly mother. Kangoro was eighteen years old, dutiful, honest, and known for his hard work.

One summer, a long drought caused the water in Kangoro’s rice paddy to dry up, while a neighboring rice paddy still had some water. Before dawn, Kangoro secretly cut down the embankment and diverted the water into his own rice paddy.

When the villagers discovered what he had done, they surrounded him with murderous intent. Kangoro was unable to escape and was beaten to death.

His elderly mother searched for her missing son, but the villagers refused to tell her what had happened. Understanding the situation, she stopped eating and died while continuously calling out Kangoro’s name.

From then on, every summer night, two shadowy flames wandered over the rice fields of Hashizume. For the next 400 years, the Aoki River also flooded many times, causing suffering to the villagers. The river finally calmed when Abbot Taiyo of Inuyama Tokuju Temple prayed for the spirits of Kangoro and his mother.

In Yatsurugi-cho, Iwakura City, the Kangoro fire is said to be the hand lamp of a mother searching for her son Kangoro, who went missing while catching fireflies. It is a bluish-red bare flame that can be seen at any time of year, but was said to be particularly common during the rice-planting season.

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Sources

“Kangorobi.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077434933.html

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Ghost Fire, Onibi
Category: Flame

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The Myth

Onibi, meaning ghost fire, is a mysterious supernatural flame said to appear in various regions of Japan. It is most often described as a blue fire, sometimes resembling a burning torch, although accounts also describe flames of other colours. These strange lights appear without an ordinary source and are associated with spirits and the lingering presence of the dead.

According to the Wakan Sansai Zue, which cites the Chinese Bencao Gangmu, onibi are formed from the blood of fallen soldiers or cattle and horses that seeps into the earth and transforms over time. This account distinguishes them from will-o’-the-wisps and shadow fires, which are also described as transformations of spirits. Onibi are said to gather together and separate as they approach people, absorbing their life force. However, they can reportedly be made to disappear by producing a sound, such as striking them with a horse’s stirrups.

The name onibi is also used more broadly for mysterious flames of uncertain origin. Depending on the account, it may refer to foxfire, fires born from the resentment of the dead, or other unexplained supernatural lights. These varying descriptions make onibi a broad category of eerie flames associated with spirits, death, and mysterious occurrences.

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Sources

“鬼火 [おにび] (Onibi).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010652578.html

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Flame

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The Myth

Nojukubi is a mysterious supernatural fire that appears along country roads, highways, and in the mountains of Japan. It manifests in places where no people are present, burning briefly before suddenly going out, only to appear again somewhere nearby. Unlike ordinary fires, it seems to arise without any visible cause, illuminating lonely and deserted places before vanishing into the darkness.

The Nojukubi is distinguished from foxfire and other natural-looking mysterious flames. Its appearances are unpredictable, and it is sometimes accompanied by strange sounds, including the noise of people talking excitedly or singing. These unexplained voices, heard alongside the flickering flames, give the phenomenon an eerie quality, as though an unseen gathering were taking place in the wilderness.

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Sources

“Nojukubi.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010653472.html

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