In Hyogo Prefecture, near the Rokko mountain range, there is an urban legend about yokai that chases after loud and noisy vehicles. A police report of a speeder claims that he was speeding because he was pursued by such a creature. The dispatch rider describes the yokai as a female minotaur wearing a kimono. Did he come up with such a lame lie or was he just really drunk?
Ushi-onna is a very obscure yokai describe as a female with a cow’s face, or sometimes cow’s head. It is usually described as wearing a kimono and dressed obscenely like a yakuza. Interestingly enough, no male version of a cow-headed yokai has been recorded in Japan.
Reported Incidents
Most reports show that ushi-onna appears suddenly after a vehicle made a loud noise such as screeching. The yokai will run after the vehicle, as if trying to ram it down. A taxi driver claims that the ushi-onna was matching his speed even at 100 kph. Based on the facts that was available, I believe that the female yokai’s charge is an act of protecting its young. This is very similar to wild boars and rhinoceroses.
There are post-war stories of a single mother who gave birth to a baby girl with a cattle-like face. Such accounts were only heard in Kobe and Nishinomiya, both of Hyogo Prefecture. Could this be the origin story of ushionna, a by-product of the bombing raids of World War 2?
Nonetheless, be respectful of the mountainous regions of Japan and drive carefully. Do not make speed over the road limits and honk unnecessary. Unless, of course, if you want to personally meet the ushionna.
Yokai Details
- name: ushi-onna (oo-she-on-nah)
- kanji: 牛女 (うしおんな)
- meaning: cow woman
- abilities:
- unnatural speed — able to move and react very fast
