This year for #ayokaiaday we are looking at the bizarre occurrences which took place at the Ino residence in Miyoshi, Hiroshima, during July of 1749. These occurrences all revolve around a young boy named Ino Heitaro. His story is collected in Ino mononoke roku, a collection of scrolls, books, and legends which collectively form the narrative of a supernatural phenomenon that took place 270 years ago.

After Ino Heitaro’s test of courage on Mount Higuma, there was no indication of any strangeness. Heitaro quickly put the whole thing out of his mind and carried on with his daily life. However, that one night had set into motion a series of supernatural encounters that would change him forever.

The strangeness began one month later, on July 1st, 1749.

Heitaro was asleep in his bed. All of a sudden, he awoke to a bright light pouring into his room from the shoji doors leading to his garden. Heitaro got up to see what the strangeness was. He tried to open the doors, but they wouldn’t budge.

Suddenly, the doors opened and a massive, hirsuit arm reached into the room and grabbed Heitaro. The arm was attached to a hairy, one-eyed giant, who was reaching over Heitaro’s garden wall and into his house!

Somehow, Heitaro managed to keep his cool. He wriggled out of the giant’s arm and back into his room, and grabbed his sword. Heitaro returned to his window just in time to see the giant wriggling underneath of his house. So the brave Heitaro thrust his sword through the tatami mats on his floor. But the giant had gotten away…

At the same time, Gonpachi was visited by a yokai as well. He awoke to see a hitotsume kozo in his room. Gonpachi was afflicted with kanashibari, and could not move. He cowered, frozen in his bed as the little yokai had its way with him…