An eight-day monk

Once upon a time, Konandai was still called "Miyagaya Village."
There was a shrine of Sanno Shrine in Shimo-Bane.
Sanno was feared as a god of fever in this village.
The fever is smallpox, which is now called, and in the past many children died of such a disease. Adults made stories about youkai so that children would not approach or mischief the gods.
The youkai is a small and very weak youkai, but before the dawn of December 8th, I came to the village out of nowhere and looked into each house.
"Do you have any bad children?"
While saying, he walked in search of the house with the child, and was said to bring various disturbances.
The people of the village were afraid of the youkai. The children in the house where the youkai came have fever or got sick.
Therefore, the villagers shared their wisdom together, and on the evening of December 7, the day before the youkai passed in front of the house, "Zaru" and "back squid" with more eyes than the youkai. I decided to put it on the tip of a long stick and stand out at the eaves of the house.
He pretended that there was a sobery youkai than a youkai, and tried to be fooled.
But the yokai who came to Noba had the book, and looked up the houses that had no "zaru" or "back squid" and attached them to the book.
Then, on February 8th, when the new year came, I came to the village again, looked around the house on the book I checked in my life, and again, when there was no "Zaru" or "back squid", I really went to the trouble of disaster and illness.
So, the adults of the village called the "Yoka Monk" so that they would not forget the "Yoka" .
This custom is still handed down and preserved throughout Konan Ward.

It is a story recorded in "Old Story of Hometown Konan 50 Episode".
Each folk tale is available free in principle only for non-commercial purposes.
Please contact the Konan History Council for details.
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