The *Yatsuka-son Shi* (History of Yatsuka Village), which records the folklore of the Hiruzen region, contains a story about the *Suiton* [1]. One winter day, a villager who had come to gather firewood was warming himself by a bonfire when a *Suiton* appeared. Although it read the villager's intention to flee and threatened him, it was startled by the "pop!" of a piece of bamboo bursting in the fire. Believing that "I cannot match a human who commands thunderous sounds," it fled in a panic [1]. This anecdote reveals an unexpected side to this supernatural monster: while it can read minds, it is vulnerable to unexpected noises.

Today, monuments depicting the *Suiton* stand throughout the Hiruzen Highlands, where it is affectionately regarded as a local yokai watching over the land [2]. Its hopping on one leg resonates with other one-legged monsters (such as the *Ippon-datara* or mountain ogres) passed down in mountains across the country, suggesting a background rooted in the deep mountains of the Chugoku region, which people penetrated for ironmaking and hunting.