Yokai Supplement: Kudan | Social: Wasurenai Shikumi

The small bottle that you leave at your doorstep on Tuesdays is called "Yokai Supplement."
This is a series that will raise your sensitivity to everyday life by taking a closer look at yokai stories. We will introduce them in a relaxed manner, adding our own unique perspective as a yokai specialist.

Well, first of all, an apology.
In the previous preview, I wrote that I would introduce the "monster that follows you on the road." I had prepared a story about the dog that follows you on the road, but this time I'm going to change my plans a little.

Because tomorrow is March 11th.

On a day like this, rather than a ghost on the road at night,
A monster that appears before disasterI think I'll leave one here.

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[Monster name] Kudan

Yokai Nutrients: Social: Forgetfulness

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What kind of monster?

The matter in question is,A cow with a human faceIt is a monster that is said to be born in

According to legend, a cow in a rural cowshed gives birth to a strange baby that can speak human language.
And after telling him what would happen in the future,He will soon dieIt is said that...

This yokai became widely known in the late Edo period.
Especially during the Tenpo era,Newspaperbecame popular.

Kawaraban was like what we now call breaking news.
Illustrated reports of fires, earthquakes, and strange happenings were spread, and people read them to learn about what was happening in the world.

In other words, rather than a ghost story set deep in the mountains,
Yokai that spread through the information media at the timeIt is also true.

The contents of the prophecies vary, but they often talk about plagues, famines, and changes in the world.
It was also said that hanging a picture of it in one's home would ward off evil spirits.

Rather than a terrifying monster,
A being that brings news of disasterIt is a monster that has been spoken of as such.

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efficacy

This is when the supplement in question comes in handy.

・When you think, "It's still okay."
・When disasters are only seen in the news
When you feel that something that happened in the past is over.

It is said to be a monster that can predict the future.
However, if we think about it a little more realistically, we can read it differently.

Many disasters are not completely accidental.

The river overflows in the same place,
The sea reaches the same lowlands,
Mountains collapse on the same slopes.

In other words, many future disasters
It happens again where it happened before.

The prophecy in question is not so much the ability to see the future,

Past experiences as warnings for the future

Maybe that was it.

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Where will it appear?

The story spread throughout the country through woodblock prints and rumors from the late Edo period through the Meiji period.

In the society of that time, information about disasters did not reach people as quickly as it does today.
As a result, people gauged the mood of the world through rumors and events.

The incident that spread through the media called Kawaraban,
In other words

Disaster news takes on the appearance of monsters

It can also be read as:

And what's unique is that

Appears only once and dies immediately

That is the point.

It is not a monster that stays around for a long time,
An entity that disappears once it has said what needs to be said.

It's like a monster that sends messages.

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Considerations from a Yokai Shop

Here, as a yokai lover, I read it like this.

The matter is more like a prophetic apparition
Recording MonsterI think that's the case.

People in the past experienced disasters
It was not possible to record it as a hazard map or data.

So instead,

It was left in the form of a story.

The yokai may have been a container for this.

I once visited Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto,
I saw with my own eyes the remains of the Kuma River flood.

The towns along the river clearly showed signs of flooding.
Traces of the water level remain on the walls of houses, the remains of washed-away buildings, and a quiet shopping district.

It has a different significance than what you see on the news.

When I saw that scene,
It reminded me of the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

And I felt that very strongly.

It takes just a moment to break, but a very long time to get it back.

The town, the lifestyle, the scenery.
It will take years, even decades, to recover.

That is why the matter is,
Perhaps he is not saying this to predict the future.

"It's happened before."

Don't forget that fact.

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A casual observation by Yokai-ya (Memory is a disaster prevention tool)

The prophecy in question is not so much the power to predict the future as

A mechanism for transporting memories to the future

I think that was the case.

The experience of disasters fades over time.
The town was developed, levees were built, and the scenery changed.

Then people think.

"This is a safe place."

But in reality, things may be different.
It's not safe,

I just happen not to be awake for long.

There is also a place called this.

Yokai are sometimes more real than humans.

The incident was surely not a glimpse into the future,
I just tried not to forget the pastIt may be that.

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3-line summary (today's amount)

・Kudan is a monster that is said to be born in the form of a cow with a human face and die after recounting the events that occurred.
・It spread through woodblock prints in the late Edo period and was spoken of as a being that brings news of disaster.
Today's Yokai Nutrients Social Studies: Unforgettable ClassesIt's a grain that will preserve your memories for the future.

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Next Yokai Supplement Preview

Well, this has been postponed
The story of the "monster that follows you on the road."

A presence that silently follows behind people walking down the street at night.
Next time Send-off dog One grain.

また火曜日の戸口に、小瓶を置いておきます。 🏮