On March 5, 2022 a Sessho-seki, or “killing stone,” which connected to the legend of the Nine Tailed Fox Demon which sealed inside it, was found cracked in half, sparking dread and fear among locals and social media users alike who believe that the splitting portents the escape of the evil spirit.
Located near volcanic mountains of Nasu, an area of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, the stone was registered as a historical site in 1957.
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| The Killing Stone splitted in half. March 2022 (Image credit: Wikipedia) |
There are multiple versions of the legend, but it was believed Tamamo-no-Mae, a nine-tailed fox spirit, lay trapped inside the rock for nearly 900 years. According to literature from the Muromachi period (室町時代) (1336-1573), Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman who was exposed as a nine-tailed fox working for an evil daimyō plotting to kill Emperor Toba who reigned from 1107-1123 and take his throne.
As she grew closer to the emperor, the emperor fell gravely ill. A court astrologer used divination to determine Tamamo-no-Mae was the culprit.
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| Tamamo-no-Mae confront by a Japanese Warrior. From The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. H. O. Havemeyer Collection (Image credit: The Guardian) |
Once her plan was foiled, she fled into the wilderness, changing shapes to try and stay hidden. However, several warriors sent after her and eventually caught up to the fox spirit.
When one of the warriors shot her with an arrow, her physical form was killed, however her spirit believed to have been trapped inside the Sessho-seki. The stone is said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it. The stone was named “Sessho-seki ” (Killing Stone) because many creatures died from the poisonous air it emitted. This place has been designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty.
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| Sessho-seki in 2020. (Image credit: CNN) |
On March 2022, its separation into two roughly equal parts, believed to have occurred within the past few days, has spooked online users who noted that, according to folklore, the stone continually spews poisonous gas – hence its name. Visitors to the area, a popular sightseeing spot, recoiled in horror at the weekend after witnesses posted photos of the fractured stone, a length of rope that had been secured around its circumference lying on the ground.
Even though there is no proof of the stone’s supernatural abilities, but its unique location may have given substance to the rumors, said Yoshiko Okuyama, professor of Japanese studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
On 26 March 2022, the local government had priests host a ceremony to appease the fox spirit at the site with prayers, offerings, and waving haraegushi upon the split rock.
Local authorities have pointed out that the stone had a crack over the years and may have split open due to cold weather. Japanese news website Yomiuri Shimbun got in touch with the Nasu Town Tourist Information Centre , which confirmed the splitting of the rock and said that it may have cracked because of rain and freezing temperature.
Masaharu Sugawara, the head of a local volunteer guide group, told the Yomiuri Shimbun it was a “shame” the stone had split because it was a symbol of the area, but agreed that nature had simply taken its course.
Many took the event as a bad omen, considering the pandemic and the war between Ukraine and Russia. While others believed it was a good omen.
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