Ethereal Chronicles

A Japanese urban legend tells of the horrifying Rokurokubi, an apparition whose head can detach from the neck and wanders the night. In other interpretations, the Rokurokubi is depicted with an unnaturally long neck, coiling around the creature.

Appearance and nature

Rokurokubi are generally evil in nature, seeking out unsuspecting victims to murder and devour them, roaming the world to hunt for human flesh. In the daytime, they conceal their identity, showing no sign of their true forms and appearing as beautiful human women.

While the Rokurokubi is commonly portrayed as a female entity, some accounts also mention the existence of male Rokurokubi.

These creatures have the ability to either elongate their necks to extraordinary lengths or detach their heads entirely. The latter are much more volatile in nature, and much more deadly.

The Rokurokubi are sometimes likened to individuals deemed impure and lacking souls, believed to be undergoing punishment for crimes they had committed in life.

To get rid of a Rokurokubi, it was said that you had to hide the body from the separated head, so that the head had no place to return to, and would perish in the sunlight.

A popular folk tale tells of a priest called Kwairyo, who came across a woodcutter on his travels spreading his beliefs.

As darkness enveloped his surroundings, Kwairyo, feeling vulnerable on his path, sought refuge within the trees, hoping that they would provide enough shelter from the impending rain. In the shadows, he noticed a woodcutter tidying his belongings, getting ready to head home. The woodcutter, who wore a benevolent countenance, spotted Kwairyo in his moment of unease and generously extended an invitation to spend the night in his humble cottage. Kwairyo, eager to escape the cold and wind, agreed to follow the woodcutter to the nearby, weathered cottage.

Inside, Kwairyo was greeted with the warmth of a hearth surrounded by two men and two women with outstretched fingers, protecting themselves from the bitter waves of cold that seeped through the cracks in the walls. As the priest crossed the threshold, the occupants of the cottage stood to greet their unexpected guest, inviting him to partake in the food and drink they had been preparing.

After eating a hearty meal and concluding his evening prayers, Kwairyo made his way to the designated room for a night’s rest, falling into a peaceful slumber. The rain drummed against the windows as distant conversations wafted from the adjoining room.

When he awoke, it was still a while before daybreak would breach the night’s sky, but a serene calm had replaced the earlier storm. Feeling his throat was dry, Kwairyo slipped out of bed for a cup of water.

Upon entering the room, he saw five bodies on the floor, silently sleeping. As his light flickered over their forms, a gasp of horror escaped his lips. All five lay headless, the stumps at their necks so precise, so clean, it defied any conventional explanation. Kwairyo immediately recognised what he was looking at. These were Rokurokubi, demonic entities of the night. Knowing he needed to act fast, Kwairyo seized the woodcutter’s lifeless body and dragged it from the house, burying it into a hastily dug pit to keep it separated from the head. As he did so, he heard a unsettling shuffling from the vacant space behind him, accompanied with low voices. The priest retreated into the protective cover of the shrubbery in front of him, bracing himself before he looked back.

There in the clearing, were five heads, floating above the surface. Their soulless eyes stared vacantly, while their mouths dribbled with the bloody remnants of small animals they had greedily devoured from the forest floor. The woodcutter was speaking, his raspy voice cutting through the darkness, engaging in a gruesome discussion, deliberating on the distribution of Kwairyo’s body parts; eyes, arms, heart. One of the women decided to venture back to the cottage, checking to see if Kwairyo had fallen asleep yet. It took only a few moments before she returned with a fiery demeanor, revealing that he had escaped, taking the woodcutter’s body with him.

The woodcutter, consumed by rage, unleashed a torrent of screams, his face contorting into a monstrous expression of fury as he vowed vengeance. Sensing that he was no longer safe in his position, Kwairyo attempted to distance himself further, but the woodcutter’s malevolent gaze locked onto him with a sinister satisfaction. In a heartbeat, all five heads surged towards Kwairyo with alarming speed. Without hesitation, Kwairyo scrambled frantically for something he might be able to use as a weapon, seizing a long branch from the ground, battering each head with all the force he could muster.

Four of the Rokurokubi fled, knowing they could return to their bodies and avoid death. The woodcutter, however, pressed on, driven by an unrelenting rage. With hideous groans and hisses, he lunged at Kwairyo, deftly evading his strikes. The woodcutter managed to sink his sharp teeth into Kwairyo’s sleeve, narrowly missing flesh and gnawing at the material. Kwairyo cried out and grabbed the woodcutter’s hair, holding the head in place. He landed repeated blows on the creature’s head. The struggle seemed endless, but gradually the woodcutter’s resistance waned, and the monster succumbed to death.

The priest tried desperately to pry the woodcutter’s head from his sleeve, but the jaw remained clamped shut despite his efforts, refusing to open. Reluctantly abandoning his attempts, Kwairyo returned to the cottage, where the bruised and bloodied heads had rejoined their bodies. When they caught sight of Kwairyo, they shrieked and fled, back out into the forest. Kwairyo left to continue his travels, with the wretched head still stuck to his arm.

REFERENCES

The Enchanted World: Tales of Terror (By the editors of Time-Life books, 1987)

Rokurokubi, the Long Neck Yokai | Japan Avenue (japan-avenue.com)

Japanese Urban Legend Rokurokubi Yokai: Unveiling the Dark Secrets – Old World Gods