Old Japanese records uncover plague-warding folklore creature with sinister visage

Japanese folklore creature Amabie, said to ward off plagues, has caused a sensation during the coronavirus pandemic. But in the shadow of the popular "yokai" creature's resurgence, research continues into historical records of "Kitai no doji," another plague-fighting folklore creature characterized by sharp fangs and glowering eyes.

Kitai no doji is said to have emerged from Kanda Myojin Shrine in the heart of Edo, now Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, in 1858 toward the end of the Edo period (1603-1867). The year was one of political instability for Japan and marked the beginning of the Ansei Purge, in which a major crackdown on dissenters by the Tokugawa shogunate's "Tairo" chief minister Ii Naosuke took place. In addition, a cholera epidemic raged across the country in a way similar to the current coronavirus crisis.

Material included in a historical record stored at the University of Tokyo's General Library contains the following passage:

"Now a very mysterious, evil spirit has risen, and it does harm to humans. If a wind of sinister nature touches water, it becomes poisonous water, and if this touches fish, they become poisoned fish. It is said that those who eat them die instantly. But then, Kitai no doji appeared at Kanda Myojin Shrine, and announced, 'To escape this calamity, draw my image and place it inside the house. If it is done, misfortune will surely not visit you,' before vanishing into the ether."

Despite the creature's frightening appearance of pointed fangs and glaring eyes, it came to cholera-ridden Edo to tell people how to avoid the disease.

Amabie, who shot to fame in the coronavirus pandemic, appeared before Kitai no doji -- in 1846 in Higo province, now southwest Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture. The creature is said to have announced, "The country will from this year have bountiful harvests for six years. But a disease will spread. Please immediately make a copy of me and show it to the people," before disappearing.

Amabie is one of the "yokai" creatures that predicts plagues and harvest outcomes, as well as imparting knowledge on ways to ward off diseases. Other plague-foreseeing folklore creatures include "Jinjahime," which resembles a mermaid, and monkey-like creatures called "Amabiko."

Although Kitai no doji's prophecy did not clearly state a disease would spread, Eishun Nagano, a Fukui Prefectural Archives employee who researches plague-predicting creatures, says that factors including its bestowing on people the same method of drawing copies of it to ward off evil diseases mean that Kitai no doji can be thought of as "either part of the plague-predicting folklore creatures group, or strongly influenced by them."

Until now, Kitai no doji had received hardly any recognition. A public relations representative for Kanda Myojin Shrine said, "Within the shrine too, only a few people were aware of the creature's existence, and the coronavirus crisis created an opportunity for the shrine to give it attention once more." Amabie's popularity has brought greater attention to other yokai creatures believed to drive away diseases, thereby giving rise to rediscoveries and analysis of related historical material.

An ancient document stored in the Yokohama Archives of History also includes an illustration of Kitai no doji. It emphasizes its large, fanged mouth and its grim expression. The accompanying text reads, "Those who look to me in the morning and evening will be able to escape the plague (cholera)."

Nagano said, "Little historical material shows how contemporary people viewed plague-predicting folklore creatures. The Kitai no doji in the Yokohama records was hung at entrances to homes during the cholera epidemic, which indicates the creature was actually accepted as a talisman for warding off diseases. They are extremely valuable records."

While various candidates for the kanji characters corresponding to the folklore character's name exist, including ones denoting "expectation," "strangeness," and a "demonic body," Nagano speculates that "Kitai" is represented using characters for "rare." He said, "Its identity may be related to Abe no Seimei."

Abe no Seimei is a legendary divination specialist from the Heian period which ran from 794 to 1185. The phrase "Kitai no doji" is closely linked with Seimei, whose mother is believed to have been a white fox. He is described as "Kitai no doji (rare child) protected by a genuine fox" in Joruri puppet plays and Kabuki.

Looking at the Yokohama records again, one can see the illustrated creature's foxlike face, with what appears to be ears growing out of its head and a large, fanged mouth. The creature's clothing and its "gohei" stick-like object traditionally used in Shinto rituals to exorcise evil spirits apparently also resemble conventional images of ancient divination specialists.

Nagano said, "The story of Abe no Seimei, also known as Kitai no doji, was well known to people in the Edo period. Although we cannot make conclusions at present, research may progress if new historical records emerge in future."

(Japanese original by Riki Iwama, Fukui Bureau)