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Kosame-bō (Little Rain Monk)

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Kosame-bō (Little Rain Monk)

Kosame-bō (Little Rain Monk)

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

Basic Description

A monk-shaped yokai seen in Toriyama Sekien’s Edo-period work Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, depicted in the rain. Sekien notes it “wanders the mountains of Ōmine and Katsuragi on rainy nights, begging for alms,” portraying it as an apparition of the shugendō sacred peaks that appears on wet nights to solicit offerings. Beyond the image, its traits and origins are uncertain, and there is little evidence tying it to a specific regional oral tradition. Later writers emphasize a mendicant-monk character, but sources are limited.

Folklore & Legends

Guided by Sekien’s note, the common image is a monkly figure begging for food offerings on rainy nights in Ōmine and Katsuragi. Postwar yokai books often say it asks travelers for small amounts of food or coins, but this is frequently conflated with unrelated “Kosamebō” anecdotes from Tsugaru; scholarship treats the two lineages as unconnected. There are no well-attested tales of curses, banishment methods, self-introduction, or systematic firsthand accounts.

Yokai Cards1

Kosame-bō (Little Rain Monk) across multiple art-style decks

Card gallery

Detailed Analysis

Character Profile

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

Rarity
Rare

For more detailed information and diagnosis results about 大峰葛城の雨夜僧・小雨坊, please click here.

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