Many scholars assure that heikegani is just Heikeopsis japonica, also called samurai crab. A normal crab with a shell that happened to look like a face. However, there are yokai also called heikegani. They are similar to funayūrei in their grudge against the living. However, they are more targeted. They focus their vengeance on the descendants of the Genji clan. Such is the resolve of heikegani, the crabby avenger.
Heikegani scower the Kammon Straits (関門海峡) looking for revenge. They purposefully walk into fishermen’s nets. Eventually, these fishermen will make eye contact upon heikegani. The crab yokai stares the fishermen into a trance and looks for the Genji blood. When detected, heikegani pours out his grudge and scorn into soul of the fisherman.
Madness and insanity swell in the victims’s head. His limbs bend in awkward angles. His body twists into bizzarre forms. Consequently, heikegani pulls the fisherman into the sea. His screams and threshing attracts more heikegani. In the end, they drown the victim. And then, the heikegani slowly feed on the deceased.
War of Thrones Origin
During the Heian period, there was a power struggle between the imperial rulers of Japan. A struggle between House Taira (Heike clan) and House Minamoto (Genji clan). Henceforth, the civil war between the great houses is known as the Genpei War (源平合戦).
Eventually, in 1185AD, the war climaxed in a great sea battle called the Battle of Dan-no-ura (壇ノ浦の戦い). Although House Taira had the initial advantage of the morning tide, they lost the battle due to treachery. Because, a Taira general defected. Furthermore, he attacked the rear guard. As such, hundreds of Taira warriors and noblemen perished in the fight.
Legend says that these begrudging souls roam the traits ever since. Evidently, the most scornful of these samurai souls corrupt the local crabs. As such, their warrior scorn is forever etched onto the crab’s shell. Such is the origin of heikegani, the crabby avenger.
Yokai Details
- name: heikegani ( hei-kay-gah-nee )
- kanji: 平家蟹 (へいけがに)
- meaning: crab of House Taira
- abilities:
- detection — sense the presence of Genji clan
- corrupt manipulation — corrupts an individual into madness
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