殺生石裂开了，九尾狐要出来了？

In Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, there is a place in the mountains where white smoke rises everywhere and it smells of sulfur; nothing grows on the ground. There, there is a large black stone called the Sessho-seki.

Legend says that if you get close to this stone, you will die: birds flying over will fall from the sky; insects and wild beasts that approach will collapse. Actually, it is volcanic gas: hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide seeping from the ground are heavier than air, accumulating in low-lying areas, and can truly suffocate people and animals.

There is a great story about it. Long ago, in the palace of Emperor Toba, there was a maid named Tamamo-no-Mae, extraordinarily beautiful and knowledgeable in everything, deeply favored by the emperor. But from then on, the emperor fell ill and never recovered. The onmyoji Abe no Yasuchika realized it: Tamamo-no-Mae was a nine-tailed fox in disguise. After she was exposed, she fled to the Nasu wilds and was finally caught up with and shot dead by two warriors.

After she died, her resentment did not dissipate, and she became this stone, killing any living thing that touched it.

Until several hundred years later, a monk named Genno came here. He chanted sutras to the stone and struck it hard with a large hammer; the stone cracked open, fragments flew to various places in Japan, and the fox inside appeared, promising not to harm people anymore. It is said that the Japanese word "Genno" now means a large hammer, originating from this monk.

In March 2022, Japanese news reported that the Sessho-seki had split into two halves from the middle. The internet exploded at once with things like "the seal is broken" and "the nine-tailed fox is coming out." Local people and experts said the stone originally had cracks, and with wind, rain, freezing and thawing, it was not strange that it split.

That area still has volcanic gas to this day; signs stand on the roads of the scenic spot reminding tourists not to stay for long periods, and not to bring children and patients close.

#Ghosts #网络转载 #日本怪谈