Rokurokubi is a type of Japanese yōkai (apparition). They look almost completely like humans with some differences. There is a type whose neck stretches and another whose head detaches and flies around freely (nukekubi). The Rokurokubi appear in classical kaidan (spirit tales) and in yōkai works. The word rokurokubi may have derived from the word rokuro which refers to a potter’s wheel, a water well’s pulley (since it elongates) or an umbrella handle (which also elongates). The nukekubi are rokurokubi whose heads come off and float about. These were the last of the rokurokubi whereas the other kind came before. Nukekubi sometimes perform bad deeds such as attacking at night and drinking their victims’ blood. It is theorized that the nukekubi has a weakness when it is sleeping and the head is floating around: if the body moves, then the head cannot be re-united to the body. Classical literature about rokurokubi describe tales of people witnessing and encountering floating heads at night time.
Alias Rokurokubi (ろくろ首, 轆轤首)
Real Names/Alt Names “Potter’s wheel”, “Water well pulley”, “Umbrella handle”; Alt: Nukekubi
Appearance List Bakemono Zukushi Monster Scroll (Edo Period), Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (画図百鬼夜行, “The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons” or The Illustrated Demon Horde’s Night Parade, 1776) Vol. 2 “Yang”
Sample Read Bakemono Zukushi Monster Scroll (Edo Period) [Internet Archive]
Description Rokurokubi is a type of Japanese yōkai (apparition). They look almost completely like humans with some differences. There is a type whose neck stretches and another whose head detaches and flies around freely (nukekubi). The Rokurokubi appear in classical kaidan (spirit tales) and in yōkai works. The word rokurokubi may have derived from the word rokuro which refers to a potter’s wheel, a water well’s pulley (since it elongates) or an umbrella handle (which also elongates). The nukekubi are rokurokubi whose heads come off and float about. These were the last of the rokurokubi whereas the other kind came before. Nukekubi sometimes perform bad deeds such as attacking at night and drinking their victims’ blood. It is theorized that the nukekubi has a weakness when it is sleeping and the head is floating around: if the body moves, then the head cannot be re-united to the body. Classical literature about rokurokubi describe tales of people witnessing and encountering floating heads at night time.
