Akateko (folklore)
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An akateko (赤手児, lit. "red handed child") is a yōkai, or Japanese monster, from the folklore of Aomori Prefecture, specifically in the city of Hachinohe.[1][2] The monster is also a legend local to Kagawa and Fukushima prefectures.[1]
Mythology[]
The monster is described as the red hand of a small child descending from a tree. It is accompanied by the specter of a young woman at the base of the tree whose beauty lulls unsuspecting passersby into a trance or fever state. the hand will then grab the traveler by the neck and rip them apart. limb by limb. [1] In Kagawa and Fukushima prefectures, the spirit will travel in pairs, resembling moving feet or legs.[3]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Kizen Sasaki (2007). Tōno no Zashiki-warashi to Oshirasama. Chūkō. Chuokoron-Shinsha. p. 71. ISBN 978-4-12-204892-8.
- ^ Kenji Murakami, ed. (2000). Yōkai Jiten. Mainichi Shinbunsha. p. 7. ISBN 978-4-620-31428-0.
- ^ Hencho, Konno Ensuke (1981). Nihon kaidanshū : yōkai hen (Shohan. ed.). Tōkyō: Shakai Shisōsha. ISBN 978-4-390-11055-6.
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Categories:
- Yōkai
- Japanese folklore
- Mythological monsters
- Japanese mythology stubs