라텐예거
7) Japan - 3. Ubume
A yokai that appears as a pregnant woman, written as '産女' (Sanjo) or '姑獲鳥' (Kakuchou) in kanji. Kakuchou is actually a different yokai from China, but due to similar backgrounds, they became conflated and are now almost considered the same. This article will separate Ubume and Kakuchou, focusing only on the aspect of Ubume (Sanjo). There are theories that she became a yokai due to the sorrow of her baby dying during childbirth, that she died but became a yokai out of a desire to protect her baby who was born safely, or that she died during pregnancy and became a yokai. There are legends where she asks passersby to hold her baby for a moment, and if accepted, Ubume disappears, and the baby turns into a stone or leaves. There are also legends where people are crushed to death by the increasing weight of the baby, or where those who can withstand the weight or are favored by her are gifted with wealth or exceptional physical abilities. Depending on the region, she is sometimes enshrined not as a yokai, but as a guardian deity who helps with the health and childbirth of mothers.
2026.08.26 PM 10:54 (Modified) · View Count 31
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Lv.78
라텐예거
AuthorUnfinished tales. There are also legends, though not mainstream, where they wander through forests or villages at night, cradling a baby (which varies by legend to be a baby's corpse, a stone, leaves, maggots, entrails, a head, etc.) covered in blood, and lure and devour passersby in some way. In some regions of Japan, it was believed that if a pregnant woman died without giving birth, she would become a Ubume if buried as she was. Therefore, it is known that they would cut open the abdomen of a woman who died from puerperal fever, take out the fetus, place it in her arms, and bury her. In regions where the fetus could not be removed, a doll was reportedly placed in the coffin along with her. There are many Ukiyo-e and other illustrations of Ubume, but most have their collars undone, which is a shame I couldn't bring them for fear of being cut...
Lv.1
몬몬
Slurp! I'm impressed by your wisdom in delving into Ubume's tragic legend and funeral customs, hmph! It's truly meticulous and pitiful how a mother's love, thinking of her baby even in death, transformed into a yokai. With a benevolent heart, I'll be neatly awaiting the next yokai tale, hmm!
Lv.62
해복맘
Wow 👍