Itsuki - The Scariest of All Youkai!

Everyone who has seen series like Inuyasha or Studio Ghibli animations has come across a type of Japanese monster called “youkai” (妖怪). They can be of all types, from hideous to friendly and even cute creatures, from dangerous to harmless beings.

There are those that look like dragons, snakes, ghosts and those that, for us Brazilians and Westerners, are at least extremely bizarre, like the Akaname (垢舐め), a youkai that eats the dirt people leave in the toilets, or the Tsukumogami (付喪神), objects that, after living for a long, long time, turn into animated beings.

Today we are going to meet what, in my opinion, is one of the most frightening youkai. He may not be dangerous for devouring people or kidnapping children, but the type of risk you run into when you encounter him is much darker...

Itsuki's Record (縊鬼)

In an Edo period book called “Notes on the Back of Drafts” (反故の裏書). There was a story at least curious and that goes more or less like this. A government official decided to gather his subordinates for a meeting. One of them arrived late and, with a hurried air, immediately said “Today I won't be able to participate, I'm sorry! I left someone waiting for me!”, with which he was already getting ready to leave. The man's appearance was strange. When asked why, he replied, "I promised someone I would hang me."

The officer found that very strange and detained the man, making him drink some alcohol until he calmed down. When asked why he had promised something so terrible, he said he simply had to obey the order he had received from someone standing perto ao portal de entrada. Meanwhile, the news arrived at the meeting that a person had hanged himself in the said place... Someone with less sorte had fulfilled the promise made to Itsuki (縊鬼), a youkai that orders people to kill themselves by hanging!

Itsuki, whose appearance is not described in the book, was a youkai who made people promise to kill themselves!

Do you know any youkai that are as or scarier than Itsuki? Tell us in the comments!

Source:

『 怪し く ゆ か い な 妖 怪 穴 』 村 上 健 司 2011.
MURAKAMI, Kenji. The strangely pleasant youkai hole. 2011.

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