A Sessho-seki, or “killer stone”, was found cracked for half a month now in Nikko National Park, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Tokyo.
Nick Kapur, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, says no one knows exactly what causes the rock to crack, but the cold winter months may have contributed to the crack.
He said: “Every winter, water can seep into the crack, freeze, then widen. Still, many seek guidance from the myth, he added.
The legend has many versions, but it is believed that Tamamo-no-Mae, a nine-tailed fox spirit, has been trapped in the rock for nearly 900 years.
Tamamo-no-Mae was known for her shape-shifting abilities, so she transformed herself into a beautiful woman and caught the eye of the emperor, Kapur said.
Kapur says as she got closer and closer to the emperor, he fell seriously ill. A court astrologer used divination to identify Tamamo-no-Mae as the culprit, he said.
Once her plan failed, she fled into the wilderness, changing shape to try to stay hidden, he said. However, the samurai were sent after she finally caught up with the fox spirit, Kapur said.
When one of the warriors shot her with an arrow, her physical form was killed, so her soul turned to a stone, he said.
Legend has it that if you touch the stone, you will die, hence the name killer stone, Kapur said.
Yoshiko Okuyama, a professor of Japanese studies at the University of Hawaiʻi in Hilo, said there is no evidence of the stone’s supernatural abilities, but its unique location may have been the cause of the rumors.
A spirit that changes hearts
The rock has become a top tourist spot and skyrocketed in popularity, said Okuyama, but compared to the popularity of the spirit it pales in comparison.
Fox spirits have appeared many times in modern Japanese media, often as villain turned hero, she said.
“Recent manga and anime adaptations don’t want to portray women in the wrong way,” said Okuyama.
In Japan’s older myths, stories revolve around malevolent female spirits aimed at subverting male power, Kapur said.
A harbinger of our times
After the stone cracked, everyone quickly grasped the moment of breaking.
Others believed it was a good omen, saying she was released to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, he said.
Kapur said: “If you are in the mood to take this negatively, you can certainly do it, but if you want to take it positively, maybe this fox spirit will help us in this. when necessary,” said Kapur.
