You have no idea how much I hate going to the toilet, especially at night. It’s not the dark, but what’s in the dark that worries me most. Though modern Japanese toilets are bright and clean, yokai or yurei can still reside in these lavatories. Today’s yokai is one that will caress and grope you just as you are doing your private business.
Unlike the more popular urban legend Hanakosan and Ako Manto, this toilet yokai, Kurote, is pretty rare to meet. Kurote is a hand-shaped yokai that is, usually, described as black and hairy. It, patiently, hides in toilet holes waiting for its victim, male or female. Some victims have described it as slimy, or even oily, to the touch.
A tale by the matron of a minshuku (民宿) of a small village, describes a young noble lady who visited her lover’s and stayed overnight. As it was a moonless night, she was warned against using the communal lavatory under any circumstances. But when night came, the young lady felt the pinch and had to, desperately, use the toilet.
As she was relieving herself, she felt a touch on her butt check. The lady peeped in the hole but did not see anything. Even though she was scared, the noble continued her business. Not long after, she had her butt slapped. Startled, she jump up and saw a black hand, Kurote, crawling around and hissing at her, like a spider. Even though it is just a hand, it is able to scurry around really fast and hide in the darkest corner. She ran out of the toilet soiling herself all the way to her bedroom.
Such stories of toilet harassment, is not uncommon in the rural areas of Japan. So if you do have to use the toilet in the middle of the night, take extra precaution. You never know where and when you’ll be touched by Kurote… unless you want to be.
Yokai Details
- name: kurote (koo-roh-teh)
- kanji: 黒手 (くろて)
- meaning: black hand
- abilities:
- morph — change its shape into any form
- hyper agility — able to move and jump with little difficulty
