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Traditional Yokai

Kihachi

Kihachi

Basic Description

Kihachi, sometimes called Kihachi Hoshi, is a savage retainer deity slain by Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto, the pioneer god of Aso. According to myth, Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto would sit atop Mount Ojo and shoot one hundred arrows a day at a massive boulder called Matoishi, and it was Kihachi's duty to retrieve and return them. Originally a remarkably swift and powerful man, Kihachi grew so exhausted from fetching arrows that, upon retrieving the hundredth arrow, he used his toes instead of his hands to kick it back. This was deemed highly disrespectful and incurred the wrath of his master. Fleeing for his life, Kihachi was chased all the way to distant Takachiho in Hyuga Province, where he was finally slain. As a vengeful spirit bringing devastating frost and cold damage to Aso, he was later enshrined at Shimo Shrine to appease his wrath. He is the iconic demon of Aso, the Land of Fire, belonging to the lineage of "unruly ones" who are struck down only to be worshipped as deities.

Folklore & Legends

Legend says that no matter how many times Kihachi's severed head and torso were chopped apart, they would attempt to reconnect and revive, forcing his slayers to cut his body into three pieces and bury them separately. With his dying breath, Kihachi laid a curse: "I will make frost fall upon the Aso Valley." From then on, unseasonal early frosts and snow plagued the region, withering the crops. To quell this disaster, Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto deified Kihachi to beg for his forgiveness, which is said to be the origin of the Shimo Shrine (Shimomiya). Because Kihachi had pleaded in his final moments that his severed body was cold and aching and begged to be warmed, a sacred fire has been kept burning day and night for fifty-nine days starting on August 19th every year. This is performed by a young maiden known as the Hitaki Otome (Fire-Lighting Maiden). This "Hitaki Shinji" (Fire-Lighting Ritual) continues to this day and is designated as a Nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property as an agricultural rite of Aso. Furthermore, the Kihachi legend remains deeply rooted in Takachiho (Miyazaki Prefecture) as well, bridging the spheres of worship between the Aso Shrine and Takachiho Shrine.

Detailed Analysis

Kihachi was a savage deity who served as an arrow retriever for Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto, the pioneer god of Aso. Exhausted from his duties, he kicked an arrow back with his foot, enraging the god, who chased him to Takachiho and struck him down. Yet his severed body attempted to knit itself back together to revive, and even when buried in three separate pieces, he laid a curse, swearing to "make frost fall upon the Aso Valley." Left with no choice, Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto enshrined Kihachi as a deity at Shimo Shrine, where every year for fifty-nine days, a young maiden keeps a sacred fire burning day and night to warm his cold, severed body—a ritual that continues to this very day. A demon that brings the chill of frost to Aso, the Mountain of Fire. Slain only to become a god, he is the embodiment of the deep, complex layers of mythology woven into this land.

Character Profile

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

Personality
Originally a remarkably swift and powerful man who served as a retainer to the gods. However, after feeling slighted and drawing the god's wrath, he was slain, transforming into a violent deity who curses the land with frost and cold damage. He only calms when enshrined and warmed by the sacred fire—a divine aspect born of anger and freezing cold.
Compatibility
He shares a relationship of both master-and-servant and mortal enemies with Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto, the pioneer god of Aso. He is appeased when warmed by fire and sacred flames, but becomes violent and unruly when subjected to cold and neglect.
Abilities
Brings devastating early frost and cold damage to the Aso ValleyPossesses an immortal nature where his body attempts to reconnect and revive even when severedPossesses the divine running speed of a Skanda
Weaknesses
His curse can only be appeased by being warmed with a sacred fire and worshipped as a deity. His revival can be sealed by chopping his body into three pieces and burying them separately.
Habitat
The area encompassing Mount Ojo, Matoishi, and Shimo Shrine in Aso. His legends also extend to Takachiho in Hyuga Province.

For more detailed information and diagnosis results about Kihachi, the Savage God of Aso's Frost, please click here.

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