The Tale of the Hitotsume-kozou

The Disappearance

It was late autumn when the village began to notice something was wrong. The nights grew colder, and a strange fog descended upon the land, lingering over the fields and streets long after the sun had risen. At first, it seemed like nothing more than a change in the weather, but soon, small things started to go missing. At first, it was just trinkets—old coins, tools, a piece of clothing. But as the days passed, more valuable items began to disappear: an heirloom necklace from a local merchant's home, a set of fine silverware from the village inn, even food from the storage huts.

The villagers were baffled. No one had seen anything, and there were no signs of a break-in or struggle. Some whispered that it was the work of thieves, others suggested it could be a hungry animal. But as the incidents continued, a different kind of fear began to spread—a fear rooted in the old stories that had been told around the hearth for generations. Could it be the Hitotsume-kozou, returning once again to their quiet village? The elders, who remembered the creature from their own childhoods, grew uneasy, and the children, always prone to superstition, became afraid to leave their homes after dark.

The village decided to take action. A group of young men, led by a man named Takashi, a skilled hunter, set out into the forest to find the source of the trouble. Takashi was brave, strong, and unafraid of the old legends. He did not believe in yōkai and was certain that some trickster was behind the thefts. Armed with bows and arrows, the group ventured into the misty woods, determined to catch whoever, or whatever, had been plaguing the village.

For hours they searched, calling out to each other as they trudged through the thick underbrush. But the deeper they went, the more oppressive the forest became. The fog seemed to grow thicker, muting their voices and hiding the path back home. Shadows moved in the corner of their vision, and strange sounds echoed from unseen places. The men began to feel uneasy, but Takashi urged them onward. He would not return empty-handed.

Then, just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, they saw it—a figure moving between the trees, small and fast, darting in and out of the mist. Takashi signaled for the others to follow, and they crept forward, bowstrings taut, ready to strike. But as they drew closer, they realized that this was no ordinary person.

Standing before them was a small creature, barely the height of a child, with a round, bald head and a single, large eye in the center of its face. It wore a tattered red robe, and its mouth was stretched into a wide, mischievous grin. The Hitotsume-kozou had returned.

Before they could react, the creature let out a loud cackle and disappeared into the mist, leaving the men frozen in shock. Takashi, ever the skeptic, refused to believe what he had seen. But the others knew—they had seen the yōkai with their own eyes, and there was no denying it now. The Hitotsume-kozou was back, and it was up to them to stop it before things got worse.

The Encounter

Back in the village, the men gathered at the town square to share their story. The villagers listened in silence, their faces pale with fear. Some of the elders nodded knowingly, recalling tales of the Hitotsume-kozou from their own youth. Others muttered prayers under their breath, hoping to ward off the mischievous spirit. Takashi, however, remained unconvinced. He believed there was a logical explanation for what they had seen, perhaps a trick of the light or a prank by some local children.

But despite his skepticism, the village could not ignore the growing sense of dread that hung in the air. The thefts continued, and now strange happenings were reported as well. Children would wake in the night to find their bedsheets twisted into knots, doors and windows that had been securely locked were found wide open in the morning, and eerie laughter could be heard echoing through the streets when no one was around.

Desperate for answers, the villagers decided to consult the local priest, a wise and kind man named Kenji, who lived in a small shrine on the outskirts of the village. Kenji had studied the ancient texts and knew more about the yōkai than anyone else in the village. He listened carefully as Takashi and the others recounted their tale, nodding thoughtfully as they described the creature they had seen.

"It is indeed a Hitotsume-kozou," he said at last. "They are mischievous, but not dangerous. However, they thrive on fear and chaos. If we let this continue, it will only grow bolder. We must find a way to appease it before it causes real harm."

The villagers were unsure of how to proceed. Some suggested setting traps, while others proposed offering gifts to the creature in the hopes of winning its favor. But Kenji had a different idea. He believed that the Hitotsume-kozou could be reasoned with, and that if they could find it and offer it a sincere apology for disturbing its home, it might leave them in peace.

Takashi scoffed at the idea, but with no better plan, the villagers agreed to try. Kenji prepared a small offering of rice cakes and sake, and a group of villagers, led by the priest, ventured into the forest once again. This time, they did not bring weapons, but instead carried lanterns and the offering in the hopes of peacefully resolving the situation.

After several hours of searching, they found the creature again, this time perched on a low branch of a tree, watching them with its single eye. It did not flee, but neither did it approach. Kenji stepped forward, bowing deeply before the yōkai, and offered the food and drink.

"We are sorry if we have disturbed you," he said humbly. "We did not mean to cause you any harm. Please, accept this offering as a token of our respect and leave our village in peace."

For a long moment, the Hitotsume-kozou said nothing. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, it hopped down from the branch and approached the offering. It sniffed the rice cakes, glanced at the villagers, and then, to their surprise, it began to eat.

The villagers watched in awe as the creature devoured the food, its wide mouth chomping noisily. When it had finished, it let out a satisfied burp and looked up at Kenji with its gleaming eye. Then, with a nod of approval, it turned and vanished into the mist once more.

The villagers were overjoyed. It seemed that the Hitotsume-kozou had accepted their apology and would no longer trouble them. For the first time in weeks, they returned to their homes with a sense of relief, believing that the nightmare was finally over.

A New Threat

But the peace did not last long. Just as the villagers began to relax, a new and more sinister presence made itself known. It began with whispers, barely audible at first, but growing louder and more insistent with each passing day. People started to see shadowy figures lurking at the edges of the forest, and the once-friendly animals of the woods grew aggressive and unpredictable.

At first, the villagers thought it was simply their imagination, lingering fear from the Hitotsume-kozou’s visit. But soon, strange and terrible things began to happen. Crops withered overnight, livestock fell ill, and the village well, once crystal clear, became murky and undrinkable. The people began to grow sick, their faces pale and gaunt, their bodies weak and trembling. No one knew what was causing these misfortunes, but one thing was clear: something far worse than the Hitotsume-kozou had come to their village.

Kenji, deeply concerned, returned to his shrine to search through the ancient texts for answers. He pored over scrolls and scriptures, looking for any mention of a creature that could cause such havoc. After days of research, he found what he was looking for. The creature haunting the village was no mere yōkai, but an oni—a powerful and malevolent demon that thrived on suffering and despair.

The

villagers were horrified. An oni was far more dangerous than the Hitotsume-kozou, and its presence meant that their village was in grave danger. Oni were known to bring destruction and death wherever they went, feeding on the fear and misery of those they tormented. There was no reasoning with an oni, and no offering could appease it. The only way to rid the village of this terrible threat was to banish the demon through a powerful ritual—one that required great skill and strength of spirit.

Kenji knew that he could not perform the ritual alone. He needed help, but there was only one person in the village who had the strength and courage to face such a formidable foe—Takashi.

Though Takashi still did not fully believe in the supernatural, he could not deny the suffering of the village. When Kenji came to him with the request, he reluctantly agreed to help. Together, they would prepare for the battle that lay ahead.

The Ritual

The ritual to banish the oni was a complex and dangerous one, requiring precise timing and the right combination of sacred objects. Kenji and Takashi worked tirelessly for days, gathering the necessary items—holy water, a blessed sword, and sacred scrolls inscribed with protective prayers. The villagers, though terrified, did what they could to assist, offering food and supplies to help them in their efforts.

On the night of the ritual, the village was silent, save for the howling of the wind through the trees. A heavy fog had settled over the land once again, and the air was thick with tension. Kenji and Takashi stood at the center of the village, surrounded by the sacred objects they had gathered. The villagers watched from their homes, praying for the success of the ritual.

As the clock struck midnight, Kenji began to chant, his voice low and steady, reciting the ancient prayers that would call forth the oni and trap it within the circle of protection. Takashi stood beside him, the blessed sword in hand, ready to strike if the demon appeared.

For a long time, nothing happened. The village remained eerily quiet, and the fog seemed to press in around them, thick and suffocating. But then, a low growl echoed through the streets, followed by a gust of wind that nearly knocked them off their feet. From the shadows, a massive figure emerged—a hulking, horned creature with glowing red eyes and skin as dark as night. The oni had arrived.

Kenji continued to chant, his voice growing louder as the demon approached. The air crackled with energy, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. Takashi gripped the sword tightly, his heart pounding in his chest. He had never seen anything like this before, but he knew that their lives—and the fate of the village—depended on what happened next.

The oni snarled, baring its sharp teeth as it lunged toward them. But as it crossed the threshold of the protective circle, it let out a deafening roar of pain. The sacred objects glowed with a blinding light, and the demon was forced back, unable to penetrate the barrier. Kenji's prayers had worked—the oni was trapped.

Now, it was up to Takashi.

With a shout, he raised the sword and charged at the demon. The blade, blessed with holy power, cut through the air with a brilliant flash. The oni roared in fury as the sword struck its flesh, but it was not defeated yet. The battle raged on, the demon lashing out with its claws, but each time it tried to strike, the protective circle repelled it.

For what felt like hours, Takashi fought the demon, his body aching with exhaustion, but his resolve never wavered. He knew that if he failed, the village would be lost. With one final, desperate strike, he plunged the sword deep into the oni's heart. The demon let out a final, earth-shattering roar before collapsing to the ground, its body dissolving into smoke and shadow.

The village was saved.

Peace Restored

In the days that followed, the village slowly began to recover. The crops flourished once more, the livestock regained their health, and the well water became clear and pure. The villagers, though shaken by the ordeal, were grateful for the peace that had been restored.

Takashi, once a skeptic, had seen the power of the yōkai and the strength of the human spirit. He had faced an unimaginable threat and emerged victorious, not just for himself, but for his entire community. Though he had never sought to be a hero, the villagers regarded him as one, and they would tell the story of his bravery for generations to come.

As for the Hitotsume-kozou, it was never seen again. Some say it returned to the forest, content to live in peace after the villagers had shown it respect. Others believe it still watches over the village from the shadows, ready to appear again if the need arises. But one thing is certain—the villagers would never forget the lesson they had learned: that the world is full of mysteries, both frightening and wondrous, and that sometimes, even the smallest creature can hold great power.