Tonight’s tale is a variation of a common one. I shared a similar tale from Shokoku hyakumonogatari during A-Yokai-A-Day a few years ago. Tonight’s has a much better title though!

The big baddie in this story is once again a night heron, called goisaki in Japanese. I’m not sure why they are so frequently linked to yokai and ghost tales. Aosagibi is another heron-themed yokai. Possibly because they are sometimes active at night, and they are rarely seen? Although they come out in the day too… Or is it the bright red eyes? I think they are rather charming. Especially the little flappy feathers on the back of their heads!

In any case, it gave me an excuse to paint a bird, which I am always happy for the opportunity to do!

How a Ghost was Cooked and Eaten

This happened in the fall of the second year of the Bunka era (1805). A man from Yotsuya was walking along a road in the middle of the night on some errand, when he saw a figure dressed entirely in white walking ahead of him. Looking closer, the figure appeared invisible from the waist down.

Thinking, “Might this be a yūrei?” he followed afterward. When the figure turned around, he saw a single large glowing eye, so he suddenly drew his sword and slashed at it.

It screamed, “Kyaa!” and collapsed. The man seized it, pinned it to the ground, and stabbed it to death—only to discover it was a large night heron.

He carried it home as-is, and a group of his young friends gathered together to season and eat it.

This became the talk of the town—that they had cooked and eaten a ghost.