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