Others

Kaiju, Others, Yokai

A single-eyed horse head hangs from a tree

Walking on lonely roads at night is unnerving. Especially in less urban areas, where there are more trees than streetlights. Even more so, in Okayama Prefecture, where a yokai dangles from the trees. It is named sagari, the horse head hanger.

In the past, my grandma always advised me before I leave for school. Among all her advice, there is one caution I always adhere to. “At night, always look forward. Never look up.” Undoubtedly, sagari is one of the reasons for this warning.Unlike dorotabo that strikes from the fields, sagari assaults from the trees. This bizarre one-eyed yokai appears as a horse head from the neck onward. Similar to a bat, it hangs up side down from the trees. But instead, sagari clings to the lower branches with its intestines. If you look closely enough, you can even see the entrails writhing around the tree.

Strange Behaviour

Fortunately, you can easily avoid sagari, the horse head hanger. But only if you are paying attention to your surroundings. Firstly, the horse yokai prefers an enoki tree (エノキの木). The older the tree, the more likely a sagari dwells there. So, take notice of the trees planted along the routes you commonly use.

Secondly, sagari bawls an unearthly cry when it senses humans nearby. The dangling yokai lets out an eerie whinny to warn and threaten all creatures nearby. But, more importantly, if the cries stop, it means that the sagari is very, very close. It is within striking distance. Just gather your courage and move forward. As long as you do not make eye contact, it will not attack and your life is spared.

Nonetheless, it is still unsafe for you to look at sagari from afar. Those who have made eye contact has suffered high fever and cold chills, at the same time. Best to just ignore it and let sagari be.

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Yokai Details

  • name: sagari ( sah-gah-ree )
  • kanji: さがり
  • meaning: hanging down
  • abilities:
    1. pyrexia — give an individual severe fever
    2. body manipulation — elongates its appendages and “limbs”
Others, Yokai

Dorotabo

Have you walked by muddy fields and felt the hairs on your neck stand on end? Do you recall seeing bubbles on the surface of the murky field and stood their waiting for a man to charge out of the waters? But eventually you moved on, reproaching yourself for being silly and superstitious. You, probably, never knew how fortunate you are to being alive. Lucky to have been ignored by dorotabo the mud yokai.

Dorotabo dwells in muddy rice paddies that have been abandoned by their owners for generations. It is commonly drawn as creature of living mud with a single eye staring out. Its three-flawed hands outstretched raking at its victim off screen.

While working in the rice fields, you may feel a tug at your ankles as you trudge through the muddy paddies. Many farmers claim that these are the tell-tale signs of the dorotabo. Such incidents are common and offerings should be made to appease the yokai and ask for the protection against the yokai.

Forgotten Tale

A man even claimed that he was pulled under while working one evening. Apparently, he was held down by an unknown force. Neighbours found him unconscious in his field. The next day, he quit farming, went to Tokyo and became a struggling manga writer.

Based on Toriyama Sekien’s works, the common consensus is that dorotabo is the previous owner of the paddy fields. He came back from the dead realms and laments “Return my paddy fields!” Although, some theorists claim that dorotabo is the muddy paddy itself. Revolting against its current owner for not taking good care of the fields.

Conclusion

Whoever, or whatever, the dorotabo is, one thing is for sure. Be respectful of the fields and land when visiting the countryside. Honour their long-standing traditions and culture, no matter how wierd. Also, do not take a shortcut across land and properties belonging to others, especially abandoned ones. You may never know, one could be lying in wait for his next victim.

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Yokai Details

  • name: dorotabo (doh-roh-tah-boh)
  • kanji: 泥田坊 (どろたぼう)
  • meaning: mudman
  • abilities:
    1. mud form — able to shapeshift into any humanoid form
    2. mass alteration — change its mass and size based on mud availability
    3. earthwalk — able to move underground through the earth