Sunekosuri
Thesunekosuri(meaning "rub against lower legs" ) is aJapaneseyōkai.Stories are told of it inOkayama Prefectureand is said to get in the way of people's paths as they walk.
Mythology
[edit]According to the 1935 bookCurrent Dictionary of Yōkai Nationwide( hiện hành toàn quốc yêu quái từ điển ) natural historian Satou Seimei they appear on nights when rain falls and rub against the crotches (space between the legs) of people who walk on roads at night.[1]The victims have a little difficulty walking, but no other harm.[2]According to Rin Adashino, this book is the oldest record of the sunekosuri.[3]
According to folklore fromIbarain Nankaichi town within this city, sunekosuri would appear beside a shrine called Iryō-dō, and it would move through the space between the legs of pedestrians and would take the shape of a dog.[3]
InYoshii,Shitsuki District,Okayama Prefecture, there are stories of a similar spirit calledsunekkorogashi(meaning "make lower legs fall over" )[citation needed].A legend states that it would slip into darkness at night and pull on people's legs, making them fall over. Children were made to fall over and hurt their noses.[3]
In Media
[edit]They have been given various appearances in fictional works. In Mizuki Shigeru's mangaGeGeGe no Kitarō,it takes on the appearance of a cat rolled into a ball. People who claimed to have actually witnessed one often claim that "it was like a cat". Yōkai researcher Yamaguchi Binatarō claimed that this was because of Mizuki Shigeru's influence.[4]Somenetsukeresemble Mizuki's design,[5]creating the possibility that they referred to Mizuki's design.
In the movieThe Great Yokai Warsunekosuri appeared as yellow and white lumps of hair with cute eyes.[6]
In the 2018 anime adaptation ofGeGeGe no Kitarō,the sunekokusuri takes the appearance of a small, chubby,tabby cat,having forgotten his true form. It appears as abakenekocreature feeding on human lifeforce, forced to leave his dwelling. While the village was thriving he could easily feed from many people and never harm anyone, but with the massivepopulation declinein rural Japan he ended up unwillingly stealing too much lifeforce from the remaining, elderly citizens.
In the 2020 video gameNioh 2,the sunekosuri- localized as "Scampuss" - appears as a helpful yokai that looks like a chubby cat and aids the player.
References
[edit]- ^Tá đằng thanh minh (1935).Hiện hành toàn quốc yêu quái từ điển.Trung quốc dân tục học hội. pp. 28 hiệt.
- ^Cung bổn hạnh giang ・ hùng cốc あづさ (2007).Nhật bổn の yêu quái の mê と bất tư nghị.Học tập nghiên cứu xã. pp. 85 hiệt.ISBN978-4-056-04760-8.
- ^abcHóa dã lân (2005). "Yêu quái nhân loại học フィールドワーク du すましとスネコスリ". In quận tư thông tha biên (ed.).Quái.カドカワムック. Vol. 0018. Giác xuyên thư điếm. pp. 124–125 hiệt.ISBN978-4-04-883912-9.
- ^Sơn khẩu mẫn thái lang giam tu (2005).Bổn đương にいる nhật bổn の “Vị tri sinh vật” án nội.Lạp thương xuất bản xã. pp. 191 hiệt.ISBN978-4-7730-0306-2.
- ^N250708
- ^『 yêu quái đại chiến tranh 』 toàn nhật bổn yêu quái thôi tiến ủy viên hội ・ biên 『 tả chân で kiến る nhật bổn yêu quái đại đồ giam 』 giác xuyên thư điếm 2005 niênISBN4-04-853901-9