What is the kudan?
The kudan, written with the character 件, which combines “person” and “cow,” is a creature with a human face and a cow’s body. It is said to be born from a cow, deliver a prophecy in human words and die within a few days. Its prophecies are said to always come true, foretelling epidemics, good harvests and wars.
Edo-period news sheets and Showa-era rumors
In the late Edo period, woodblock news sheets (kawaraban) circulated reporting that a kudan had appeared somewhere and made a prophecy. Some said, “Put up this picture and you will escape disaster,” and they are said to have been sold like charms. Even in the Showa era, rumors spread during the war that “a kudan was born and prophesied the end of the war.” A folk etymology also connects it with the closing phrase of documents, yotte kudan no gotoshi (“as stated above”).
What was the kudan really?
Deformed calves born to livestock are thought to have been linked with the kudan legend, and “stuffed kudan” were even shown at sideshows. In times when fear of epidemics and disasters spread, people’s wish to know the future seems to have given rise to rumors of prophetic beasts, such as Amabie. The kudan has also appeared in literature, such as Komatsu Sakyo’s short story “Kudan no Haha.”
