okuri-ōkami
The okuri-ōkami are feared as a yōkai that stalk you on mountain roads and passes that are said to eat its victims when they fall over, but can actually protect people from danger if they are treated correctly. If you beg for your life without fighting back, the okuri-ōkami will save you from harm from the beasts in the mountain.
When
- First attested
- 0 CE
- Attested period
- 0 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Legends exist from the Kantō region to the Kinki region, along with Kōchi Prefecture.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- okuri-itachi, Okuri-inu, Yama-inu, mukae-inu
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“Yōkai investigator Kenji Murakami, too, has hypothesised that the okuri-ōkami is actually the Japanese wolf, and that tales of strange goings on or protecting people are merely convenient interpretations of the Japanese wolf's nature and traits. The Japanese expression 'okuri-ōkami', which refers to people who gain a person's good will whilst harbouring bad intentions, or a man who follows a woman, originates from these legends.”
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