Spirited Away - Kamikakushi

It refers to a child or other person suddenly disappearing. In the past, this was common in rural areas, and when this occurred, it was said that the child had been kidnapped by a Tengu, and the whole village would search for the child by beating gongs and drums. The child would not be found for a long time, but after two or three days, the child would suddenly return. People often have a hazy memory of the story. In the case of adults, it is often a slightly stupid man who is spirited away. They would say that the child had been kidnapped by a fox, and pray to the Inari Shrine or ask for Inari-sage. It is said that if you pray to the Inari god, the fox will be punished, and the child will be returned immediately. Tengu are said to love children, and will take them with them and fly through the sky or cross rivers. They search for the child who has been spirited away by tapping on the bottom of a measuring box. It is said that Tengu hate the sound of this sound. There are also many stories of spiriting away in Okinawa, and they are called monomai. The mono is a kind of spirit that lures people and makes them walk from place to place. This usually happens between dusk and the middle of the night. If the mono leads people astray, they will pass through places they normally can't walk through. When flying over the surface of water or cliffs, it is dangerous because if they fart they will fall off. If you are abducted by the mono, you will be made to eat red bean rice, which is made of red soil. It is said that if you look at their stool after they return home, it will have red soil mixed in. In the Tohoku region and elsewhere, there are many stories of adults suddenly disappearing. In relatively many cases, these are women, and they are said to have been abducted by a mountain man and become his wife. Such people will appear in the village only once, but then disappear again and their whereabouts become unknown.

[Oto Tokihiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

子供などが急にみえなくなることをいう。以前農村などにはよくあったことで、これを天狗(てんぐ)にさらわれたなどといって、村中総出で鉦(かね)・太鼓(たいこ)をたたいて捜した。なかなかみつからないが2、3日してひょっこり帰ってくることがあった。話を聞いてもうろ覚えのことが多い。大人の場合には、すこし愚鈍の男というのがよく神隠しにあう。狐(きつね)にさらわれたといって稲荷(いなり)神社に願ったり、稲荷下げに頼んだりする。稲荷神に願うと狐が罰せられるので、すぐ返してくれるという。天狗は子供が好きだといって、子供を連れて空を飛んだり川を越したりする。神隠しを捜すのに枡(ます)の底をたたいて捜す。天狗はその音がたいへん嫌いだという。沖縄にも神隠しの話がよくあり、物迷いという。モノというのは一種の霊で、それに誘われてあちこちを連れて歩かされる。多く夕方から夜中にかけてのことである。モノに迷わせられると普段歩けないところも通って行く。水面や断崖(だんがい)などを飛ぶとき、屁(へ)をひると落とされるので危険である。モノにさらわれると赤豆飯(あずきめし)を食べさせられるが、それは赤土である。家に戻ってきた後の便をみると、赤土が混じっているという。東北地方などによく大人が急にみえなくなった話がある。女の場合が比較的多く、山男に連れ去られその女房になったという。そういう者は一度だけ村に姿をみせることがあるが、ふたたび姿を隠して行方が知れなくなってしまうという。

［大藤時彦］

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