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The Seven Companions

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The Seven Companions

The Seven Companions

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

Basic Description

The Seven Companions are a group of seven ghosts from Sanuki. Human in appearance, they line up single file and appear at night on roads and at crossroads. Said to be the restless dead, encountering them brings calamity or illness. Normally invisible, they can be seen by peering between a cow’s hind legs, or by those who can move their ears freely. They are often compared to the Seven Misaki found across Shikoku.

Folklore & Legends

In Kagawa, tales tell of a cow halting at a crossroads; looking through the space beneath its belly revealed seven figures passing in a line, allowing the witness to avoid misfortune. Other accounts speak of the “Seven Children” appearing at the witching hour at crossroads, and the “Seven Comrades” seen in straw raincoats during evening showers; meeting them dampens one’s spirit, so people have someone fan them with a winnowing basket before entering home. In Tokushima, a headless horse brought along seven children down to the foothills, but the villagers pacified them by erecting a Jizō statue.

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The Seven Companions across multiple art-style decks

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Detailed Analysis

An amalgam of seven-in-a-row ghost tales found across Shikoku. Its core traits are threefold: seven figures advance in single file without a word, they appear at crossroads, on night roads, or at rainy dusk, and an encounter portends misfortune. Names, time of appearance, and garb vary by locale. In Sanuki they look human but are usually invisible, perceptible only through a ritual vantage—peering from beneath a cow’s hindquarters. A subtype limited to crossroads at the dead of night is called Shichi-nin Dōji, and certain once-busy junctions are remembered for their passage. The Shichi-nin Dōshi, who appear in rain wearing straw raincoats and hats, are linked to executed souls; a folk remedy to dispel the gloom after meeting them is to fan oneself with a winnowing basket. In Tokushima, seven child spirits accompanying the Headless Horse are said to have faded after Jizō statues were erected for their repose, reflecting a regional belief that memorial rites quell calamity. Though sometimes conflated with Shichi-nin Misaki, local names and functions differ; Shichi-nin Dōkō are identified by the outward feature of seven spirits marching in a line.

Character Profile

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

Rarity
Uncommon
Personality
taciturn, cold, relentless
Compatibility
bad with travelers, bad with night watch, bad with mountain pass crossers
Abilities
manifesting as a procession of seven, hiding from ordinary sight perceived only by specific viewing methods, auguring illness or calamity in those who encounter them
Weaknesses
memorial services and the erection of Jizō statues, simple purifications such as fanning with a winnowing basket, avoiding direct gaze and changing one’s route
Habitat
crossroads, field ridges and village paths, mountain passes, thoroughfares at rainy dusk

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