What is the yamanoke?
The yamanoke is an unidentified supernatural being said to appear in the mountains. It is described as whitish, with a single leg growing from a limbless torso and a large face in the middle of its body. It is said to approach hopping, muttering the meaningless words “ten… sou… metsu…”
The yamanoke as an internet ghost story
The yamanoke story is based on an account posted around 2007 to “Share-kowa” (short for “Let’s collect deadly unfunny scary stories”), a thread on an internet message board’s occult section. A father and daughter are driving on a mountain road when the car stops, and the yamanoke appears and possesses the daughter. The possessed girl keeps repeating “ten, sou, metsu,” and the father is told that unless the yamanoke leaves her within forty-nine days, she will never return to normal.
A lineage of mountain horrors
The mountains have long been a border with the other world where many supernatural tales are told. The yamanoke is known as one of the representative “countryside and mountain horrors” of the internet age, alongside Hasshaku-sama and Kunekune. The fact that its true nature and origin are never revealed stirs readers’ imaginations.
