A yokai said to haunt the mountains of the Kii Peninsula. It assumes the form of a young woman, approaches travelers, and drains flesh and vital essence. At night it comes up to people walking mountain paths with lanterns, asking to “borrow a light,” then seizes the lantern and attacks under cover of darkness. Tales from Kumano and the Hatenashi range are especially well known, often warning travelers to carry tinder or slow match. Some records include methods of driving it off, turning these encounters into practical lessons for the mountains.
Folklore & Legends
Minakata Kumagusu recorded a case of a postal runner who met it on a night road and drove it off by striking sparks from his match cord. Near Totsukawa, a hunter suspected a young woman and shot her with a bullet engraved with a Buddha’s name; she fell as a bleached-bone monster. In the Edo-period kibyoshi Hyakki Yakō Ke Monogatari, it appears indoors sucking a man’s life force—suggesting a dual image: a mountain horror and an eroticized urban apparition.
Based on types recorded around Kumano and Mount Kuanashi, this yokai takes the form of a young woman, asks for a light from a lantern, then steals it and slips into the dark to drain the victim’s flesh or vital essence. In encounter tales, brandishing strong flame from a matchcord or fire striker drives it off, and bullets engraved with Buddhist names expose its true form as a skeletal fiend—mountain taboos and carry-on wisdom are emphasized. Although later images show it slipping indoors to steal vitality while nestled close, this version centers on wilderness meetings and warnings for night travel, noting that lanterns, live embers, and recitation of Buddhist names function like protective charms. It avoids conflation with foreign lore and follows Kii oral traditions and records.
Character Profile
This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.
at odds with those who hurry along night roads, at odds with solitary travelers
Abilities
shapeshifting into a young womanapproaching and abducting in darknessdraining flesh and vital essenceusing lantern fire to gauge distance and close in
Weaknesses
strong fire brandished from matchcords or fire strikers, objects engraved with Buddhist names or recited nembutsu, bright light and people traveling in groups
Habitat
mountain paths of the Kii Range, the mountains of Kumano, around Mount Kuanashi
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