(Video) One of The Scariest Japanese Folklores, Known As ‘Rokurokubi’

Rokurokubi is actually a type of Japanese Yōkai. The term ‘Yōkai’ in Japan is a very common word, mostly used in reference to the supernatural that could possibly play both heroic and demonic roles, depending on the tales being told. Yōkai range from terrible, disfigured monsters that are a nightmare to behold to beautiful beings, glowing with grace.  They look almost completely like humans with one of two differences. Rokurokubi would be the kind of Yōkai whose neck stretches. The Rokurokubi appear in classical kaidan and also in Yōkai works.

This type of Rokurokubi comes from the legends that say that the Rokurokubi have a spiritual string-like object connecting the head to the torso, and it can be said that this type originates from people mistaking the string for an elongated neck. Tales of ‘when people sleep, their necks would stretch’ started appearing in the Edo period and afterwards, in literature such as “Buya Zokuda”, “Kanden Kōhitsu”, “Yasō Kidan” and many others.

@guru_mitologimuJawaban untuk @ichiocha_thaitea #viral #fyp #yokai #monster #movie #fypindonesiaシ #fypberanda♬ little dark age – favsoundds

By day, Rokurokubi appear to be ordinary women. By night, however, their bodies sleep while their necks stretch to incredible lengths and roam around freely. Sometimes their heads attack small animals and sometimes they lick up lamp oil with their long tongues and also sometimes they just cause mischief by scaring nearby people. Rokurokubi are said to be cursed human beings that are neither alive nor dead.

Some entities are aware of their supernatural existence but some are, unfortunately, not aware and still think they are human. At night, after relentlessly wandering around with its serpent-like neck, the creature would wake up in the morning, human again but with disturbing visions of its encounter the previous night, claiming that they are just horrible nightmares. Most Rokurokubi are depicted as female but some tales describe these entities in male versions.

The curse of this wretched life could befall on those who commit sins such as being unfaithful to one’s spouse. Since these creatures are mostly depicted as a woman, it is said that a woman being unfaithful to her husband could cause her to turn into this nightmare. Others claim that even if the sin is done by the husband, the woman would still have to deal with the unfair curse.

Sources: Yokai.Com, TikTok Monsternesia.

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

The First 72 Hours After a Stroke, Crucial for Recovery and Saving Lives

Did you know that you could lose approximately 1.9 million neurons after a stroke hit?… Read More

15 hours ago

Huawei ICT Academy Will Level Up Your Digital Mastery

Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Johor are collaborating… Read More

15 hours ago

Malaysia Faces Rising Dementia Care Burden as Families Struggle Alone

Malaysia Faces Rising Dementia Care Burden as Families Struggle Alone Malaysia’s rapidly aging population is… Read More

22 hours ago

From Oval Office to Silver Screen: Trump Cameo Legacy You Can Never Recreate

From Oval Office to Silver Screen: Trump Cameo Legacy You Can Never Recreate Imagine you… Read More

22 hours ago

Step In, Stand Out, Converse Introduces Malaysia’s All Star Class of 2026

Are you ready to meet your new classmates? Converse Malaysia will bring you into a… Read More

2 days ago

IKEA Malaysia Crowns Three Ultimate Cook-Off Champions

The heat was on and creativity was unleashed. On 4 and 5 October 2025, over… Read More

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.