The Sesshōseki, or "Killing Stone", is a stone in the volcanic mountains of Nasu, an area of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, that is famous for sulphurous Onsen. In Japanese mythology, the stone is said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it.[
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Legend
The stone is believed to be the transformed corpse of
Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman who was exposed as a
Kitsune working for an evil
daimyō plotting to kill
Emperor Konoe and take his throne. According to the
otogi-zōshi, when the nine-tailed fox was killed by the famous warrior named
Miura-no-suke, her body became the Sessho-seki. Later, a Buddhist priest called Genno stopped for a rest near the stone and was threatened by the spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae. Genno performed
exorcism rituals and begged the spirit to consider her salvation. Tamamo-no-Mae relented and swore never to haunt the stone again.
Split
It was reported on March 5, 2022, that the stone had split into two parts, likely as a result of natural weathering. Some people expressed their fear of the exorcised Kitsune.
On 26 March 2022, the local government had priests host a ceremony to appease the spirit and pacify the beast at the site with prayers, offerings, and waving
haraegushi upon the split rock.
In literature
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A Noh play about the stone, attributed to Hiyoshi Sa'ami.
["Sesshoseki play" Sesshōseki (殺生石) | .Theatre Nohgaku Blog. Retrieved September 11, 2018.]
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It was mentioned in Oku no Hosomichi by Matsuo Bashō as he visited the stone in the 17th century and tells of his visit in his book ( Narrow Road to the Deep North).
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Tamamo-no-Mae, a novel by Kido Okamoto, was based on the legend of the stone. A film adaptation, Kyuubi no Kitsune to Tobimaru (Sesshouseki) followed.
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In chapter 123 of the manga Bakidou the author used the story of the rock breaking to show the kick power of one of the characters.
== Gallery ==
See also
