ろくろ首The Long-Necked Monster

Read a sample in Japanese

What you'll learn

A former samurai turned monk, Kairyō, travels through Kai Province and is invited to a hut by a woodcutter. He discovers the sleeping inhabitants are headless (rokurokubi) and moves the bodies to prevent the heads from returning. He hides in the forest and overhears the heads plotting, then fights and kills the lead head. He is later arrested when found with the head, but a wise magistrate recognizes it as a yokai and frees him. After being honored, he eventually sells the head to a bandit, who later buries it out of fear.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～てしまう N4Indicates completion of an action, often with regret or finality.
  あの旅僧はうちにいません、――行ってしまいました。
• ～という N4Indicates the name or description of something; 'called' or 'that is called'.
  囘龍と云う人がいた。
• ～かもしれない N4Expresses possibility; 'might', 'maybe'.
  妖怪に魅されたか、あるいは自分はろくろ首の家におびきよせられたのだ。
• ～たことがある N5Indicates past experience; 'have done'.
  おれも実際これまで人を殺した事はある
• ～から N5Indicates reason or cause; 'because', 'since'.
  化物の力も暗い時だけに限られている事を知っていた

Cultural notes

• Rokurokubi (Sliding-Neck Spirits)Rokurokubi are yokai in Japanese folklore. They appear human by day but can stretch or detach their necks at night. In this story, they are depicted as headless bodies whose heads fly around separately.
• Sōjinki (Searching for Gods) ReferenceThe monk references a text called 'Sōjinki' (捜神記), a Chinese collection of supernatural tales. This provides instructions on how to deal with rokurokubi: moving the body prevents the head from reattaching.

Try a comprehension question

Topics & grammar

Short Storyghost storysupernaturalkarmaeeriesuspensefulaozora bunko〜からbecause / since〜たことがあるhave done before (experience)〜かもしれないmight / maybe〜てしまうended up (regret)〜という〜called / named