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Penghou

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Penghou

Penghou

Their soul is listening — speak, and they will answer.

Basic Description

A tree spirit from Chinese lore, said to inhabit venerable old trees. In the Soushenji, it emerges from a camphor tree, bleeding and appearing like a dog with a human face. In Japan, Edo-period natural histories and yokai picture scrolls present it as a Chinese entity akin to kimyō or kodama—tree spirits. Linked to beliefs about echoes in the mountains, it has been discussed as an antecedent to the dog-shaped image of Yamabiko.

Folklore & Legends

Gan Bao’s Soushenji records that during the Wu period, when Jing Shu felled a giant camphor, blood gushed forth and a Penghou—dog-shaped with a human face—appeared; when boiled, it tasted like dog. In Japan, the Wakan Sansai Zue cites the Bencao Gangmu and introduces it as a kind of kimyō/kodama. The name appears in Kokon Hyakumonogatari Hyōban and Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, and early modern sources note that dog-shaped depictions of the echo spirit Yamabiko were influenced by the Penghou.

Yokai Cards2

Penghou across multiple art-style decks

Card gallery

Maya Calendar Guardian KINs

Displaying the Maya calendar KINs that Penghou protects.

Detailed Analysis

An Edo-period rendering of Penghou, organized within the Japanese concept of kodama after scholars and painters absorbed Chinese narratives. It is depicted as a dog with a human face, tied to venerable camphors and other old trees. Echoes in the mountains were taken as the work of tree spirits, and notes on Penghou informed dog-shaped variants within yamabiko imagery. Early modern natural histories cite Chinese texts explicitly, layering foreign entries atop local lore rather than reporting concrete regional怪談, so place-specific tales are scarce. Japanese accounts treat it as a “tree spirit,” equating kimoki with kodama, linking it to taboos on felling and the cult of ancient trees. Details vary across sources, but two elements persist: it appears bleeding from an old tree, and it bears a human-faced canine form. This version eschews embellished fiction to show how Chinese originals were received in Japanese encyclopedias.

Character Profile

This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.

Rarity
Uncommon
Personality
taciturn, highly wary, manifests when its trees are harmed
Compatibility
harms little to those who revere ancient trees, incompatible with those who fell trees recklessly
Abilities
dwells within ancient trees and conceals its presence, appears before those who cut trees, works behind mountain echoes as understood by tradition
Weaknesses
loses its abode when old trees are felled or burned, tends to withdraw when exposed to public view
Habitat
mountain forests rich in ancient trees, shrine groves and stands of old camphor

🔮Yokai Compatibility Test

For more detailed information and diagnosis results about Edo-Period Scholarly Edition (Bibliographic and Picture Scroll Tradition), please click here.

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