Since this century-old stone broke in two, the Japanese and Internet users have not been stingy with questions. True sacred stone in the land of the Rising Sun, the Sessho-seki would contain an evil spirit.
This stone, Sessho-seki, had been intact for a thousand years. Located in Nasu, a Japanese town in the Tochigi prefecture, on the island of Honshu, the largest in the country, the stone was found, broken in two. A tragedy for the locals.
Registered since 1957 as a “ local historic site ”, this stone, also nicknamed “ killing stone ”, would have contained a demon: a nine-tailed fox , Tamamo-no-mae, writes The Guardian . According to a legend from the 12th century, this fox would have taken on the appearance of a woman in order to be able to kill Emperor Toba, whose reign in Japan lasted from 1107 to 1123. But this demon was killed by the warrior Miura- Nosuke. Since then, the spirit of Tamamo-no-mae would rest in this stone.
Legend has it that anyone who touched this stone constantly spitting toxic gas (the place is located in a volcanic area) would die on the spot.
However, after a thousand years of slumber, the Sessho-seki stone finally broke. To the point of waking up the demon that was locked up? It is a possibility according to some locals. If so, the nine-tailed fox demon, Tamamo-no-mae, would finally be freed.
» I feel like I’ve seen something that shouldn’t be seen ,» one Twitter user even said. Impression or reality, everyone has their own opinion.
For the local media, on the other hand, the explanation would be very simple and rational: erosion. For the moment, no scientific -or mythological- explanation has been given. In addition, government officials and residents would like to reform this highly symbolic stone for the local culture in its original form.