Ippon-DataraKii–Kumano Tradition Variant

A portrayal of the Ippon-datara based on records from Kii and Kumano through Nara. It is said to be one-eyed and one-legged, but firsthand sightings are rare; in many regions a single large track left after snowfall is taken as proof of its presence. Its most notable trait is appearing on December 20, the “Hate-no-Hatsuka,” a day overlapping taboos of mountain deities and roads, effectively discouraging entry into the mountains. In its link to smithing, folklore explains the one-leg one-eye form as derived from the tatara blower treading the bellows with one foot and watching the furnace with one eye. In the Obagatōge lineage it is equated with the oni-god Inosasao, once a terror of the peak but sealed by a monk and released only once a year. In Kumano and Itsukushima it is said “only footprints appear, not the body,” feared yet seldom directly harmful. While stories of one-legged snow spirits (such as Yuki-nyūdō and Yukibō) have blended with it, this entry centers on the Kumano–Nara stream, emphasizing three points: the taboo day, the single track, and the blacksmith-origin theory.

Yokai with similar personality and characteristics to Kii–Kumano Tradition Variant

Iso-onna (Shore Woman)

Shore-Shadow Devouring Iso-onna (Hamahime Lineage)

93%

Compatibility

Snow Elder

Elder of Snow Standing in the Mountains

92%

Compatibility

Yamabiko

Traditional Figure (Kodama and Mountain-Deity Retainer Interpretation)

91%

Compatibility

Yokai with opposite personality and characteristics to Kii–Kumano Tradition Variant

Hotei

Incarnation of Maitreya, the Laughing Monk, Hotei

54%

Compatibility

Ame-no-uzume

The Laughing Dancer Who Opens the Rock Cave

57%

Compatibility

Kannon

Bodhisattva of 33 Forms and Infinite Compassion

59%

Compatibility