Have you any Liver? Another creepy Yokai! This one is one of the most famous demon women in all folklore and goes by several names. 黒塚 (くろづか) or Kurozuka is what she's known as in Fukushima. She is also known as the witch of “the black mounds,” is the most famous one, but she is also known as the Demon of Adachigahara, or even just simply Onibaba, “the demon hag.”
Another long tale that I shan't edit. (Much)
"Long ago, a wealthy noble couple had a daughter whom they loved very much. However, their daughter was sickly, and by the age of five she had still never spoken a single word. The worried couple consulted with priests and doctors, until finally one doctor told them that the only way to cure their daughter was to feed her a fresh liver from an unborn fetus." (I think they need a new physician!)
"The couple summoned their daughter’s nanny and put the task of
retrieving the liver to her. Expecting that it would take some time to
find someone willing to give up their baby’s liver, the nanny prepared
for a long journey. She gave the daughter a protection charm and
promised not to return without the liver, then left." (That's one loyal nanny!)
"The nanny traveled for days, months, and eventually years without finding any family willing to give up their baby’s life. Eventually, her travels brought her to the moors of Adachigahara, in Fukushima. Despondent, she decided that if nobody would give her a liver, she would have to take one. She made camp in a cave off of the road and decided to wait for a pregnant woman to pass by."
"Many more years passed, and finally a lone pregnant woman came walking by on the road. The nanny leaped out of the cave and slew the traveler with her knife, carving her belly open, killing the fetus, and taking its fresh liver. Only after the deed was done, the nanny looked down at her victim, and noticed the young woman was wearing a very old but very familiar protection charm: the very same one that she had given the daughter so many years ago! The knowledge of what she had done weighed so heavily on her that the nanny went insane, and transformed into a Yokai." (Nice O. Henry ending there.)
It just so happens that I've paid a visit to Adachigahara a few years back and encountered the Onibaba (or YanBaba as she was known there.) This touristy joint was called Furusatokan.
She doesn't get around as well as she used to and uses a motorized wheelchair to aid her.
I bought some cookies off her, it didn't seem right to leave empty-handed.
Hey Liver-Flavoured! (Just kidding.)
It was nearly Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) so there were several different dolls displayed.
We popped into a nearby pagoda at the Furusato Village
I may also have visited the actual burial site of the Old Hag (The Black Mounds) but I can't find any photographic evidence right now.
Here for a snippet of Junji Ito is a short story that I'm NOT going to copy for you. Check out The Neighbor's Window for a story involving an old woman who is a little too neighbourly.
Comics about creepy old hags? Let's see.
Well, it DOES have a witch in it.
No UFO Catch crap or good Gatcha with a hag, so here is some creeps from the bookstore aisle!
You're sure to find some witches at Lady M's Haunted Parlour so click around to see if there's anything you'd like.
That's it for now, I have a mini party tomorrow night. I can't get too wild, but let's see what trouble I can get into.
