Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Gyugyubo, Gyugyunyudo, Ushikaibo, Ox-Hit Man
Category: Forest Dweller
The Myth
Ushiuchibo is a mysterious yokai from the northern part of Tokushima Prefecture, feared for attacking cattle and horses. Its true appearance is unknown, although it has sometimes been glimpsed as a black, raccoon-like beast. The creature is elusive and difficult to catch, appearing around villages and farm buildings under cover of darkness. Its presence brings misfortune to livestock, making it a feared supernatural threat to farmers and their animals.
Ushiuchibo is said to invade stables and cattle sheds at night, injuring the animals inside. Even a slight wound inflicted by the creature is believed to be fatal, and cattle and horses attacked by it inevitably die. When livestock began dying one after another in the villages of Itano, the elders identified Ushiuchibo as the culprit, and guards were placed around the animal shelters. Although the guards occasionally spotted a suspicious black beast, they were never able to capture it, and its true identity remained a mystery.
To protect their livestock, people developed a ritual intended to destroy Ushiuchibo. After the Tanabata Star Festival, children would construct a temporary hut for the creature using materials collected from local households. On the fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the hut would be burned as a charm to kill the yokai. Any household that refused to contribute materials was targeted by the children, who chanted a curse about driving away the Ox-Hit Man and threw a burnt eggplant at the house along with the hut. It was believed that a household struck by the eggplant would lose its cattle and horses within three days. Through this strange ritual, villagers sought to drive away the creature and protect their animals from its deadly attacks.
Sources
“牛打坊 (Ushiuchibō).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1079440823.html