Konaki-jijii: The Iya Mountains’ Warning Against Picking Things Up

The Yamashiro area of Miyoshi City in Tokushima Prefecture, known for the gorges of Oboke and Koboke and the remote Iya valley, is home to a legend recorded as an important document in Japanese folklore studies: the yokai known as Konaki-jijii, or “crying old man.” It cries with the voice of a baby, yet its true form is that of an aged old man, a detail unsettling enough on its own.

Origins: The Creature Yanagita Kunio Recorded as “Growing Heavier When Held”

Konaki-jijii’s existence survives as a scholarly record thanks to a 1938 paper, “Yokai Meii” (A Glossary of Yokai), by Kunio Yanagita, considered the father of Japanese folklore studies. According to this paper, Konaki-jijii appears deep in the mountains of Tokushima: it looks like an aged old man, yet cries with the voice of a baby.

If a passerby takes pity and picks it up in the mountains, it instantly grows as heavy as stone, and no matter how hard the person tries, they cannot let go, ultimately losing their life.

The same region also tells of a related creature called “Gogiya-naki,” a one-legged being that wanders the mountains crying “gogya, gogya,” and whose cry was believed to foretell an earthquake.

Current Conditions: The “Village of Konaki-jijii” That Treasures Its Yokai Culture

The Yamashiro area of Miyoshi City is said to preserve legends of more than 60 different yokai, including Konaki-jijii, and is regarded as one of Japan’s three great centers of yokai culture.

Since 2000, a “Yokai Festival” has been held here every November, featuring a parade of costumed yokai characters. Born from life in the rugged Shikoku mountains, these yokai are carefully passed down not merely as entertainment but as a cultural resource of the region.

Reflection: A Mountain Teaching Against Rushing to Pick Things Up

What we find fascinating is how urgent the lesson embedded in the Konaki-jijii legend truly is. In the Iya region, with its steep valleys and cliffs across the Shikoku mountains, the warning “do not rush to help even if you hear a distressed, baby-like cry” may have been practical wisdom directly tied to survival.

This is only our speculation, but for people of that era, approaching an unidentified cry heard deep in a dark mountain likely meant genuine danger, such as falling from a cliff or becoming lost.

Konaki-jijii’s defining trait, that once your sympathy is exploited and you take hold of it, you can never let go, may have been an extremely practical safety lesson, teaching children and travelers, through the shape of a monster, the true terror of mountain terrain itself: once you step in, there is no turning back. The fact that this creature has been passed down for so long may owe precisely to how effectively it conveys the lesson that kindness and sympathy can become one’s undoing, using fear as a memorable vehicle.

This is only our speculation, but we suspect the true horror of Konaki-jijii lies not in its appearance but in the sheer inescapability of the situation: once sympathy draws you in, you can never let go again.

The trait of growing stone-heavy the instant it is picked up may not simply be an expression of supernatural strength, but a symbol of how sympathy or involvement, once entered into, transforms into an irreversible burden. It may be no coincidence that this yokai has continued to be told in the deep, difficult-to-retreat-from valleys of the Shikoku mountains.

An Everyday Face: The Scenic Gorges and Rafting of Oboke and Koboke

Oboke and Koboke, the gateway to the Iya valley where the Konaki-jijii legend is told, are a tourist destination famed for the scenic gorges carved by the Yoshino River’s rapids over long ages. Sightseeing boats offer close-up views of the gorge’s striking rock formations, and the area draws crowds for serious rafting in summer. A nearby roadside rest stop even features yokai-themed monuments, making this one of Shikoku’s leading scenic spots where visitors can experience both legend and the raw power of nature at once.

A Note on Visiting

Oboke, Koboke, and the Iya region are mountainous terrain that includes steep gorges. The sections developed for tourism can be visited safely, but if you venture into the mountains, please pay close attention to weather and trail conditions and enjoy the area only within your own limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Does Konaki-jijii really exist?

A. It has never been confirmed as a real creature; it is a legendary being preserved in Kunio Yanagita’s folklore records.

Q. Where is the “Yokai Festival” held?

A. It takes place every November in the Yamashiro area of Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture. Since details and dates vary by year, we recommend checking Miyoshi City’s tourist information before visiting.

Q. Has KARASU CHANNEL filmed on location in the Yamashiro area?

A. No, we have not filmed there yet; a visit is currently under consideration. Location footage for other haunted spots and kaidan stories can be viewed on KARASU CHANNEL (YouTube).