ROkurokubi

ROKUROKUBI

Legend says that restless women wander in their dreams.

There was once a Shogun [1] who lived in a great castle. He had hired a maid from a neighboring land that had come to him under strange circumstances. According to her previous employer, the maid suffered from “sleeping troubles,” but was an otherwise excellent employee. Eager at the thought of good help, the Shogun hired the girl. 

By the end of her first day, the Shogun was very content. The maid had prepared an exquisite meal that left him full and tired. That night, he went to bed pleased. 

On the second day, the Shogun tasked the maid with cleaning the floors. Without protest, she swept and rinsed the wood until there wasn’t a speck of dust. That night, he went to bed happy. 

On the third day, the Shogun requested the maid perform a dance. Enraptured by her performance, the Shogun requested encore after encore. That night, he went to bed charmed. 

On the fourth day, the Shogun noticed the lamps were half-empty. This was a mystery since they were to be filled each morning. Demanding the culprit reveal themselves, the Shogun was left with no suspects. That night, he went to bed worried. 

On the fifth day, the Shogun woke to further disappointment. The lamps had lost more oil and there was still no one to blame. That night, he went to bed angry. 

On the sixth day, the Shogun was paranoid. Once again, more oil had disappeared, and still, no one was caught. That night, he never went to bed. Instead, he hid where the lanterns were kept and surveyed the activity of the surrounding area. What he found horrified him.  

The maid was a Rokurokubi. 

These yokais [2] were said to be women who had faced much trauma and were unable to ever truly rest, even in sleep. Their misfortune had caused their minds to wander, and at night, their heads to wander as well. Slithering with their lengthy necks, these women acted in mischievous, and sometimes violent ways, and had been left on the earth to wander aimlessly forever. 

On the seventh day, the Shogun was found with blood at his throat. Caught by the maid he had spied on, the Rokurokubi had ruthlessly attacked. These women don’t like to be watched in the dark. 

[1]  Shogun was the highest noble class of the Japanese feudal system. They were also military and political leaders and held the most power. The shoguns were appointed by the emperor originally as ‘generals’, however, the shoguns gained the highest rank due to their physical strengths and gained power that rivaled even the emperor. Shoguns were Japan’s rulers until their abolishment just before the beginning of the Meiji period in 1868.

[2] Yokai(s) are phantoms, ghosts, and strange apparitions that appear in Japanese mythology. 

Story researched and written by Maxine S.