The Akashita: Unveiling Japan’s Red-Tongued Storm Spirit
Japan’s folklore is a dense forest of the strange and the supernatural, populated by creatures known as yokai. While some are cute and mischievous, others are ominous forces of nature given form. Among the dark clouds of Edo-period imagination hides the Akashita (赤舌), a mysterious entity whose name literally translates to “Red Tongue.” For travelers and culture enthusiasts fascinated by the eerie side of Japan, understanding the Akashita offers a glimpse into how ancient agrarian society personified their fears of the weather and the unknown.
Introduction: The Face in the Black Clouds
Imagine standing by an ancient rice paddy as the summer sky suddenly darkens. The air grows heavy, and thunder rumbles in the distance. In Japanese folklore, this isn’t just a storm front; it might be the arrival of the Akashita.
Depicted as a monstrous, hairy beast hiding within dark, ominous clouds, the Akashita reveals only its terrifying face. Its most defining feature is a massive, gaping mouth with a long, bright red tongue. Unlike ghosts that haunt houses, the Akashita is an atmospheric monster, looming over the landscape like a bad omen. But is this creature a malicious demon, or a misunderstood guardian of the waters? To understand the Akashita, we must look back to the ink paintings of the 18th century.
Origins: From Astrology to Art
The most iconic image of the Akashita comes from Toriyama Sekien, the legendary ukiyo-e artist and folklorist. He featured the creature in his 1776 masterpiece, Gazu Hyakki Yagyo (The Illustrated Night Parade of One Hundred Demons). Sekien depicted the beast with a clawed hand reaching out of a thunderhead, its mouth agape.
However, the concept of the “Red Tongue” likely predates Sekien’s artistic interpretation. Scholars believe the Akashita is derived from the Shakuzetsujin (Red-Tongued God), a deity found in Onmyodo (traditional Japanese cosmology and esoteric astronomy). In this astrological context, the Red Tongue God guarded the western gate of Jupiter and was associated with bad luck and discord. Sekien, known for his wit and playfulness, likely took this abstract astrological concept of bad fortune and gave it a literal, monstrous form: a beast with a giant red tongue that brings misfortune.
The Legend: Guardian of the Floodgates
Unlike many yokai that have specific stories of haunting travelers, the Akashita is more of a phenomenon than a character. In rural legends, it is closely tied to water—specifically, the irrigation of rice paddies.
Water was the lifeblood of feudal Japan. During droughts, farmers would fight over water rights, sometimes stealing water from a neighbor’s field by opening sluice gates (floodgates) at night. Legend has it that the Akashita would appear at these floodgates.
Some interpretations suggest the Akashita acts as a punisher. If a farmer attempted to siphon water unfairly, the dark clouds would swirl, and the red-tongued beast would swoop down, snatching the thief or cursing them with terrible luck. In this light, the Akashita serves as a moral enforcer, a supernatural manifestation of the community’s need for fairness. However, others view the creature simply as a harbinger of bad weather or drought, a chaotic spirit that disrupts the delicate balance of agriculture.
Modern Culture: From Scrolls to Screens
Today, the Akashita has migrated from the rice fields to pop culture. It is a recurring character in the vast universe of GeGeGe no Kitaro, the beloved manga by Shigeru Mizuki that revitalized yokai culture in the 20th century. In modern media, it is often depicted as a boss character or a summonable spirit in video games such as the Shin Megami Tensei series, Nioh, and Yokai Watch.
In these modern iterations, the Akashita is usually stripped of its agricultural moral nuances and emphasized for its striking visual design—the storm cloud and the tongue—cementing its status as a classic “monster” in the Japanese pantheon.
Traveler’s Tips: Seeking the Spirit
If you are planning a trip to Japan and wish to immerse yourself in the world of the Akashita and other yokai, here are the best destinations:
- Mizuki Shigeru Road (Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture): This is the ultimate pilgrimage for yokai lovers. The street is lined with over 170 bronze statues of spirits from Mizuki’s stories, including the Akashita. It is a playful, photo-friendly immersion into folklore.
- Yokai Street (Kyoto): Located on Ichijo-dori, this street claims to be the path of the original “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.” Local shops decorate their storefronts with homemade yokai monsters.
- The Tono Valley (Iwate Prefecture): For a more authentic, rural experience, visit Tono, the city of folklore where many legends were collected. While famous for the Kappa, the atmospheric landscape evokes the perfect setting for an Akashita sighting.
Sources & Further Reading
For those interested in diving deeper into the history of Japanese spirits and the texts that defined them, consider exploring the following:
- Gazu Hyakki Yagyo (The Illustrated Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) by Toriyama Sekien.
- The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki: While these ancient chronicles focus on Shinto gods, they provide the foundation for the spiritual worldview that allowed yokai folklore to flourish.
- Japandemonium Illustrated: An excellent English translation and annotation of Toriyama Sekien’s works by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt.