![]() ![]() When the governor of Inaba's retinue dragged it down, it turned out to be the corpse of an old woman. "A Kasha Seizes and Takes Away an Avaricious Old Woman" from the "Shin Chomonjū", Chapter Fourteen "Calamities" When a feudal lord of Hizen, the governor of Inaba, Oomura, and several others, were going around the seacoast of Bizen, a black cloud appeared from afar, and echoed a shriek, "ah, how sad (あら悲しや)," and a person's feet stuck out from the cloud. When it was cut off by a sword, it was said that the arm had three dreadful nails, and was covered by hair that looked like silver needles. "Cutting the Hand of an Ogre in a Cloud at the Place of Funeral" from the "Shin Chomonjū", Chapter Ten "Strange Events" When a warrior named Matsudaira Gozaemon participated in the funeral procession of his male cousin, thunder began to rumble, and from a dark cloud that covered the sky, a kasha stuck out an arm of one like a bear, and attempted to steal the corpse. It is said that, ten days later, his lower body started rotting and he died. By the time the family rushed to him, he had already lost his sanity and was unable to listen to anything said to him and fell asleep. ![]() One time, a man named Yasubei who ran an alcohol shop suddenly ran off down a path, shouted "a kasha is coming," and collapsed. "Looking at a Kasha, Getting Sore at the Waist and Legs, and Collapsing" from the "Shin Chomonjū", Chapter Ten "Strange Events" It was at the village of Myōganji near Kisai in Bushū. This kasha was not an envoy of hell, but rather an envoy of the pure land, and thus here the appearance of a kasha depended on whether or not one believed in the afterlife. "Holy Priest Onyo Himself Rides with a Kasha" from the "Shin Chomonjū (新著聞集)," Chapter Five "Acts of Prayer" In Bunmei 11, July 2, at the Zōjō-ji, Holy Priest Onyo was greeted by a kasha. It is said that this kasha appeared together with harsh lightning and rain, and in the book's illustration, like the raijin, it wears a fundoshi made with a tiger's skin, and is depicted possessing a drum that can cause lightning (refer to image). In classics "Concerning How in the Manor of Ueda, Echigo, at the Time of Funeral, a Lightning Cloud Comes and Steals Corpses" from the "Kiizō Danshū" (奇異雑談集), author unknown "Kuhashiya" (魍魎) from the "Bōsō Manroku" (茅窓漫録) by Chihara Kyosai "Concerning How in the Manor of Ueda, Echigo, at the Time of Funeral, a Lightning Cloud Comes and Steals Corpses" from the "Kiizō Danshū" (奇異雑談集) In funerals performed in Ueda, Echigo, a kasha appeared during the funeral presence, and attempted to steal the corpse. Kashas are said to travel the world on burning chariots or barouches, stealing the corpses of recently deceased humans, which were not yet buried and who had been sinful in life. They are similar to other demons such as Nekomata and Bakeneko and get often interchanged with them. Japanese folklore often describes the kasha as humanoid cat-demons with the head of a cat or tiger and a burning tail. In the village of Kumagaya, Atetsu District, Okayama Prefecture (now Niimi), it is said that a kasha is avoided by playing a myobachi ( Japanese: 妙八) (a traditional Japanese musical instrument). In Saigō, Higashiusuki District, Miyzaki Prefecture (now Misato), it is said that before a funeral procession, "I will not let baku feed on this (バクには食わせん)" or "I will not let kasha feed on this (火車には食わせん)" is chanted twice. Also, in Yawatahama, Ehime, Ehime prefecture, it is said that leaving a hair razor on top of the coffin would prevent the kasha from stealing the corpse. Īs a method of protecting corpses from kasha, in Kamikuishiki, Nishiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi Prefecture (now Fujikawaguchiko, Kōfu), at a temple that a kasha is said to live near, a funeral is performed twice, and it is said that by putting a rock inside the coffin for the first funeral, this protects the corpse from being stolen by the kasha. In Yamasaki (now Shisō), there is the tale of the "Kasha-baba". There are tales of kasha in tales like the folktale Neko Danka, and there are similar tales in the Harima Province (now Hyōgo Prefecture). ![]() However, there are other cases where the kasha is depicted as an oni carrying the damned in a cart to hell. In many cases their true identity is actually a cat yōkai, and it is also said that cats that grow old would turn into this yōkai and that their true identity is actually a nekomata. Kasha are yōkai that would steal corpses from funerals and cemeteries, and what exactly they are is not firmly set, and there are examples all throughout the country. 'burning chariot' or 'burning barouche', or 化車, 'changed wheel') is a Japanese yōkai that steals the corpses of those who have died as a result of accumulating evil deeds. ![]() Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Japanese yōkai "Kasha" from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien, ca. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |