Sankai
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In Japanese mythology, a is a
yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and Spirit (supernatural entity) , spirits in Japanese folklore. The kanji representation of the word comprises two characters that both mean "suspicious, doubtful", and while the Japanese name is simply ...
(praeternatural creature) that is born to a woman."幻想世界の住人たち IV 日本編』 新紀元社〈Truth in fantasy〉".
Katsumi Tada is a common Japanese given name used by either sex. Written forms Katsumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *克己, "overcome, self/oneself" *克巳, "overcome, sixth earthly branch" *克美, "over ...
, 1990. pp. 103-104.
According to myth, when due care is not given during pregnancy, a ''sankai'' would emerge instead."妖怪事典". The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.
Kenji Murakami Kenji may refer to: *Kenji (given name), a masculine Japanese given name, and list of people and characters with this name *Kenji (era), a Japanese era spanned from 1275 to 1278 * ''Kenji'' (manga) (拳児), a 1980s manga by Ryuchi Matsuda *''Gyaku ...
, 2000. pp 76–77. .


Oketsu

The story of the comes from
Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...
. From outer appearance, it looks similar to a turtle, and it has hair growing on its back. As soon as it is born, it starts to crawl on the floor and attempts to escape underneath the house. If not captured and killed right away, it is said to crawl underneath the sleeping mother and kill her.


Kekkai

The sankai is known as a in
Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...
and
Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
, and in
Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...
. Legends about its outer appearance are sparse, however it is said to look like cattle and is said to be hairy. Kekkai is also said to bury under the house to kill its mother. In Urawa, a practice existed of surrounding the bottom of a house with
byōbu are Japanese folding screens made from several joined panels, bearing decorative painting and calligraphy, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses. History are originated in Han dynasty China and are tho ...
during childbirth to prevent this maneuver. It is theorized that the etymology may derive from , meaning an area restricted for religious reasons. In the Ashigara region of
Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
, the sankai is said to move immediately while still bloody, the jizaikagi of an
irori An ''irori'' (, ) is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth fired with charcoal. Used for heating the home and for cooking food, it is basically a square, stone-lined pit in the floor, equipped with an adjustable pothook – called a ''jiza ...
, or hearth. If the kekkai successfully escapes, the woman was believed to die. In order to prevent this, someone would have to guard the irori, typically equipped with a
shamoji A rice paddle (, Japanese language, Japanese: , ) is a large flat spoon used in East Asian cuisine. It is used to stir and to serve rice, to dip gochujang, and to mix vinegar into the rice for sushi. Rice paddles are traditionally made from ba ...
. Folklorist Iwao Hino recalls spotting a kekkai at a freak show during childhood. The show stated that it was given birth by a woman at a University hospital, however Hino later believed that it must have been a trained
night monkey Night monkeys, also known as owl monkeys or douroucoulis (), are nocturnal New World monkeys of the genus ''Aotus'', the only member of the family Aotidae (). The genus comprises eleven species which are found across Panama and much of South Am ...
.


See also

*
Ubume are Japanese yōkai of pregnant women. They can also be written as '. Throughout folk stories and literature the identity and appearance of ubume varies. However, she is most commonly depicted as the spirit of a woman who has died during childbi ...
, yōkai of a woman who died in childbirth


References

{{Japanese folklore long Yōkai