What is aosagibi?
Aosagibi is a mysterious fire in which the body of a grey heron (aosagi) seems to glow pale blue at night. Old grey herons were said to start giving off light at night, and there are many stories of night herons glowing too, so it was also called “goi no hi” (night heron fire).
Legends of aosagibi
Stories from many regions tell of people seeing a bird glowing pale blue by the water or in a tree at night. Glowing as it flew, it was sometimes mistaken for mysterious fires such as fox fire or will-o’-the-wisps. The Edo-period artist Toriyama Sekien drew a heron perched in a willow, glowing pale blue, and described how old grey herons glow at night.
What is aosagibi really?
Grey herons and night herons are active at night too, and it is thought that their whitish feathers looked white and glowing in the moonlight or reflected from the water. Another theory says luminous bacteria were on their feathers. The figure of a large bird standing by the water at night must have made a mystical impression on people.
