Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Gyokukan, 玉環
Category: Monkey
The Myth
Tamaki, also known as Gyokukan, is a supernatural figure who appears in Kokuji Nue Monogatari, an illustrated tale published in 1808. He is one of three siblings born to Ishikawa Yoshitoshi and Ukihashi, and his childhood name is Saeda. After growing into a handsome young man, he takes the name Gyokukan and enters the service of the imperial court. However, he becomes entangled in a political conspiracy involving Bifukumon-in and Han’i. Captured and tortured alongside Han’i, he dies and becomes one of three vengeful spirits whose grudges continue to influence the living.
After the monstrous Nue is defeated by Minamoto no Yorimasa and Inojunta, the vengeful spirits continue their revenge through supernatural transformations. Han’i becomes a snake, while Gyokukan transforms into an old monkey. Together, they manipulate events and bring misfortune upon Yorimasa and his son Nakatsuna. The spirits’ hatred eventually extends to the children of Inojunta and his wife Gunhagi, who have retreated to Nishiyama Village in Harima. Their three sons are named Nueta, Nueji, and Nuesan after monsters their father had defeated, provoking the spirits’ anger.
The revenge unfolds through a series of horrifying incidents. Han’i appears as a phantom to the young Nueta, causing a matchlock to seem to attack the boy. When his father Hayata attempts to cut the weapon away, he accidentally strikes his son, killing him; the supposed matchlock is revealed to be a dead snake. Later, Nueji disappears while playing with a grass tiger. Hayata sees what appears to be a real tiger carrying the child, but it is actually a tiger skin that had disappeared from the family home. Hayata’s arrow triggers a catastrophe, and he is crushed beneath a rock. Finally, an old monkey enters the family grounds and throws the youngest child, Nuesan, into a basin of boiling water, killing him. The monkey is caught and killed, and Han’i finally reveals the truth about the spirits’ revenge before taking his own life. A hidden flame escapes from his wound and flies away.
The deaths expose the chain of vengeance connecting the spirits, their enemies, and the children of those involved. Nobutoshi Amano recognizes his own role in the past crimes that helped create the tragedy and buries his daughter, whose grave becomes known as Ayame Mound. Eventually, Nashinosuke, Yorimasa’s daughter, establishes a shrine at Nishitsu to appease the three sisters’ spirits, enshrining them as Himemiya Daimyōjin. The sisters appear in a lady-in-waiting’s dream, bow respectfully, and depart. The story concludes with the vengeful spirits of the Beast Mound finally being pacified, while protective charms and the blessings of Kannon are said to have safeguarded the surviving children.
Sources
“Tamaki.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1084390218.html