Takabozu yokai monster Shikoku

- Yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - - ABC-Index -
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Takaboozu 高坊主 Takabozu yokai (Large Priest)
Takataka Bozu タカタカ坊主

source : youkai.tou3.com

Takabozu is a Yokai.
It has the figure of a very large monk and appears on crossroads and in the mountains, to take people by surprise.
Kurobozu　黒坊主 is also used as an alternate name for other yokai like the Umibozu and Takabozu.

. umibōzu 海坊主 Umibozu, "sea monk", "sea bonze" .

Takabozu Daimyojin 高坊主大明神

In some regions he is also called Takanyuudoo 高入道 Takanyudo, Taka-Nyudo

source : たかにゅうどう...

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Kuro Boozu 黒坊主 Kuro-Bozu, Kurobozu, Black Monk Yokai
APPEARANCE:
A kuro bōzu is a dark, shadowy yokai which looks somewhat like a bald-headed Buddhist monk—however, its exact appearance is vague and difficult to make out. It’s entire body is black, and it wears black robes. Its face has somewhat bestial features. It has a long tongue, and it reeks of rotting fish. Its hands and feet are said to be indiscernible. It can change its height rapidly, becoming a towering monster in an instant. It is extremely fast, and can run as fast as if it were flying.
source : yokai.com/kurobouzu...

source : cromagnon.jp/gallery/kurobouzu...

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

............................................................................ Ehime 愛媛県

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Ehime 北条市 Hojo city

source : daitoshijonawate.goguynet.jp...
Takataka boozu タカタカ坊主 Takataka Bozu Tanuki
. kawauso 獺魚 / カワウソ river otter .
A kawauso カワウソ otter liked to shapeshift into a Nobiagari monster or a タカタカ坊主 Takataka Bozu.
One lived in 横谷 Yokodani became ever larger if people looked up to him, but when they looked down at him, he shrank and disappeared.
The Takabozu from 丹原町 Tanbara town appeared on lonely evenings.
The Takabozu from 魚島村 Uoshima village and 重信町 Shigenobu town was really very small, 小坊主. When people looked at him, he grew large but soon disappeared.

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The Nobiagari (のびあがり, ノビアガリ, Nobiagari)
is a yōkai that can take many forms, most commonly in that of a priest or a living shadow.
The Nobiagari is known for creeping up behind people and, as soon as they turn around, growing quickly to a great height. This usually causes the person to look up too high and therefore fall over.
Although the Nobiagari is mostly harmless and does this as a prank, some may take this opportunity to attack the victim's neck.
- source : yokai.fandom.com/wiki... -

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Ehime 松山市 Matsuyama city

. Hōkigami 箒神 Hokigami, Legends about the Broom Deity .
Takabozu comes instead of Hokigami to help with a birth.

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Until about 30 years ago in a place named 草場 Kusaba, children were told never to go playing there, since 高坊主 a Takabozu lived there.

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Ehime 越智郡 Ochi district 宮窪町 Miyakubo town

In 友浦 Tomoura a 高坊主 Takabozu appears sometimes.

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Ehime 越智郡 Ochi district 玉川町 Tamagawa town

Around 1870 there was 高坊主 a Takabozu, who scared the people on the road. If they gave him some food, he disappared.
This place is also called ウト Uto.

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Ehime 温泉郡 Onsen district 重信町 Shigenobu town

A man walked along a narrow path in a bamboo brove, Suddenly a young priest in white robes appeared. He grew bigger and bigger and eventually disappeared in the sky.

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A 高坊主 Takabozu appeared along the river 重信川 Shigenobugawa.
A man saw him from afar, stopped walking and closed his eyes. But he became curious and peeked a bit.
Every time he opened his eyes a bit, the person became bigger. When he was close to the river, the Takabozu changed into a kawauso カワウソ otter and disappeared.

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Ehime 東温市 Toon city

Shrine 飛梅天神社 Hibaiten jinja
In the bamboo grove of this shrine there is a small path, where sometimes the features of a young man (a 高坊主 Takabozu monster) in whige robes can be seen.
If someone sees it, the boy suddenly begins to grow and finally disappears.

飛梅天神社 (とびうめてんじんじゃ) Tobiume tenjin sha, 806 Kitanoda, Toon

............................................................................ Ishikawa 石川県　
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白山市 Hakusan city 河内町 Kawachi town

Tere is a slpoe in the village called 高坊主（タッカンボ） Takkanbo (local dialect for Takabozu).

............................................................................ Kagawa 香川県

The master of the pond 山大寺池 Yamadaiji Ike is a huge higoi 緋鯉 red carp.
He had special powers and grew into 高坊主 a Takabozu to frighten the people.
He also shape-shifted into a beautiful woman and made mischief.
During strom storms he became quite wild.
During droughts he changed shape and flew up to heaven.

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Kagawa 木田郡 Kita district

The 高坊主 Takabozu of this area is really large. He often appears at road crossings.

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Kagawa 長尾町 Nagao town

At the local pass there was 高坊主 a Takabozu haunting the people.
One night a brave man tried to cross the pass. He saw one leg on each side of the mountain. When he looked up at the legs, he saw a huge man laughing. He tried to cut one of the legs. Since then nobody has met a Takabozu on this pass again.

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Kagawa 寒川町 Samukawa town

The 高坊主 Takabozu appears at night and chases people from behind.
If people try to run, the Takabozu runs too. If people go very slow, the Takabozu moves very slow too.
At a certain point the Takabozu always disappears.
The Takabozu does no special harm to people, but when they come home, they often fall ill from fear.

............................................................................ Nara 奈良県
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橿原市 Kashihara city

. Atago Jinja 愛宕神社　Atago shrines of Japan .
Three children went to the festival at Atago Shrine but came running home in fear.
From a bamboo grove 高坊主 the Takabozu monster had come out and then disappeared into the nearby field.
This Takabozu did not have any legs and was clad in a white robe. It had disheveled yellow hair.

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. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢－ racoon dog, badger legends .
A man was walking home in the evening when he saw two black 高坊主 Takabozu near the river.
Then he raalized it was only a Tanuki 狸 which had shape-shifted.

............................................................................ Tokushima 徳島県
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Takanyuudoo 高入道 Takanyudo
In Awa in the 山城谷 Yamashirodani valley area the large Takabozu is called 高入道 Takanyudo.
In the valley 正夫谷 Shobudani (Ikawacho Iuchihigashi, Miyoshi, Tokushima) people can look down at him and then he will shrink.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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