Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Iron Horse
Category: Horse
The Myth
Tetsume, the Iron Horse, is one of the infernal creatures that inhabit the Iron Chariot, Iron Ox, Iron Donkey, and Iron Horse Hell, one of the Buddhist hells reserved for monks who have broken their religious vows. This realm is described in the Mahayana Lotus Sutra: Questions and Answers of Bodhisattva Retribution, included in the thirty-volume Buddha’s Name Sutra.
The hell is surrounded by four gates and an immense iron fortress. Within it, blazing fires rage as burning iron chariots race through the infernal landscape. Horse-headed rakshasas, iron oxen, iron donkeys, and the Iron Horse relentlessly torment the damned.
The Iron Horse is covered with a mane and tangled tail as sharp as sword blades. It breathes flames and smoke as it charges through the fiery realm.
Sinners are forced onto the backs of the Iron Horses, where they are cut by the razor-sharp mane and tail. Powerful blows from the creature’s tail crush their bodies. Although the condemned die from these agonies, they are immediately restored to life, only to endure the same punishments again for all eternity.
Sources
TYZ. (n.d.). 鉄目 (Tetsume). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655037.html