The Mythic “Killing Stone” of Japan Splits in Half, Potentially Freeing the Spirit of a Fox Demon

When word spreads that the “Killing Stone” has been split in half, it can’t be a good sign. It’s an even worse omen when you learn that this Killing Stone is said to contain the spirit of a demonic fox. Unfortunately, the news is true: Japan’s Sessho-seki, also known as the Killing Stone, has broken up.

Sessho-seki is a stone set into volcanic mountains near a hot spring in Nasu, Japan. The stone, which can only be seen from a distance due to toxic sulfur fumes, is said to have been used to trap the vengeful spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.

Tamamo-no-Mae was a nine-tailed fox who disguised herself as a beautiful woman in order to assassinate Emperor Toba (1107 – 1123). The fox’s body became Sessho-seki after it was killed by a warrior named Miura-no-sake. It was thought that the fox was responsible for the poison that killed anyone who approached the stone.

The ghost haunted the area until a Buddhist priest named Genno came to rest near the stone. He performed a ritual that trapped the demon inside Sessho-seki because he was bothered by the spirit. If the legend is to be believed, the fox may have escaped.

Local officials confirmed that a small crack had been forming for years and had now split in half. Images on Twitter clearly show a large chunk of the rock on the ground. So keep an eye out for a nine-tailed fox spirit.

The Killing Stone, Sessho-seki, is said to house the spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.

She was a nine-tailed fox dressed as a beautiful woman who attempted to assassinate the Emperor.

According to legend, the demon-haunted Sessho-seki haunted him after he was killed—until it became trapped inside.

h/t: [IFL Science!, Spoon & Tamago]