Good grief, it’s October 30th! Back in New Jersey we always called this Mischief Night, although I’ve recently learned that’s not a thing in other places. Of course here in Japan it’s just October 30th, and much to my dismay the stores are already putting up Christmas decorations! At least wait until November, for the sake of Halloween!
Two quick reminders before tonight’s tale:
First, my Kickstarter ends on October 31st at midnight! This is your last chance to join and get your name listed as a backer in the book! So don’t miss out on your chance to back this amazing collection of never-before-seen folktales from Old Fukui. These are the last 48 hours, so check it out now if you haven’t already!
Second, A-Yokai-A-Day ends tomorrow, so after tonight there is only one story left! For members of my Patreon, that won’t change much, as I will continue to post regular updates there (albeit at a more reasonable pace). However, the number of free, public blog posts I make will decrease. If you’re not already a Patreon member, now’s a perfect time to join so you don’t lose access to deeper discussion about each yokai (plus other cool benefits, like the monthly postcards and high res artwork). You can join up here.
Alright, now let’s take a look at tonight’s penultimate story! This tale is #700 from Negishi Yasumori’s Mimibukuro — the final story from volume 7. This was a particularly tricky one to envision. The creature is so sparsely described, and its dimensions are totally unbelievable. It almost sounds a bit like a pangolin, except that pangolins have arms and legs, and of course are not native to Japan. And they’re not 9 meters long either… Or else it sounds like an anaconda, but these are also not found in Japan, nor are they hairy with a weasel-like face — and yokai stories generally have no trouble identifying when a creature is a snake, as snakes have long been thought to have supernatural powers. So snake-like, but not a snake. Yet what else could it be? The final line in the tale satisfies me in the way vague yokai tales often to: “Nobody had any idea what kind of creature it was.” Negishi is just as confused as we are!
The Monster Under the Veranda of the Hikosaka House
In the third year of Bunka (1808), the year of the tiger, a minor construction manager named Hikosaka Kyūbei was assigned to Sunpu Castle and had to relocate. While preparing for the move, a strange creature emerged from beneath the veranda.
Its head was like that of a weasel, it had no legs or arms like a snake, and it was around two shaku (60 cm) in girth. Its entire body was covered in hair like palm bark, and it was probably around three jō (9 meters) in length. It came out from under the veranda and entered the garden, formed a ring and circled around the garden for a while, then it went back underneath the veranda. Nobody had any idea what kind of creature it was.
