〜It bore a human-like form, though somewhat taller and more muscular in build.
Its appearance was said to resemble that of a robust ape, its entire body densely covered in fur.
It was also reported to have reddish hair extending all the way down its back.〜
This is the opening passage of a section written in the book ’Hokuetsu Seppu’ some 190 years ago. Upon reading it, did you perhaps picture a Cryptid?
（Hokuetsu Seppu＝Chronicles of the Northern Snow Country）
Quite so, this tale records a legend passed down in the region of Echigo (present-day Niigata Prefecture) in Japan’s Tōhoku region.
A hairy, humanoid creature dwelling deep in the mountains of a snow country… In other words, it’s the story of Japan’s Yeti. Let’s read on.
〜One day, a kimono wholesaler in Echigo received an urgent order.
Shop assistant Takesuke shouldered a large bundle and set off over the snow-covered mountains to deliver it.
By the time he reached the pass, the sun was high in the sky. Just as he thought he might settle down for lunch…
He suddenly sensed a presence and turned. From the thicket emerged a giant, hairy man.
Takesuke was nearly knocked off his feet with fright, but the giant showed no sign of attacking him. He merely stared intently at the rice balls Takesuke held in his hand…
Takesuke timidly offered one of the rice balls to the giant. The giant ate it with obvious relish.
Takusuke breathed a sigh of relief. After finishing the last of his rice balls, he rose to depart, thinking he should leave before anything stranger happened.
Then the hairy giant suddenly snatched the large bundle Takusuke had been carrying and hoisted it onto his own shoulders. He pointed Takusuke towards the path ahead. And then, wouldn’t you know it, he began walking slowly along it.
Was this his way of thanking Takesuke for the rice balls?
Once they crossed the mountain and reached where the path opened up, the giant returned the load to Takesuke and vanished somewhere…〜
The hairy snowman that appears in the snowy mountains.
When it comes to snowmen, famous examples include the ‘Yeti’ of the Himalayas, the ‘Bigfoot’ spoken of in the deep mountains of North America, and the ‘Armas’ of Siberia in Russia. It seems Japan had one too.
In Japan, it is called the “Yuki-Otoko”.
From what I’ve read, Japan’s “Yuki-Otoko” seems to have a rather amiable character.
Was it truly a “Yuki-Otoko”?
It could just as easily have been some old chap who’d abandoned society to live deep in the mountains… (^_^;)
The collection in which this tale appears, Hokuetsu Seppu, is not solely devoted to cryptid lore.
As mentioned earlier, it records various aspects of life in the snow country (Echigo) and presents them for a general audience. This book contains not only text but also numerous illustrations by the author themselves.
The Author, Suzuki Bokushi, and “Hokuetsu Seppu”
Within its pages, it details customs, daily life, dialects, and industries unique to snow country regions. The story of the snow man is introduced as one such strange tale passed down in that locality.
The author’s name was Suzuki Bokushi, a merchant born in Echigo who was also an essayist. Why did he write such a book?
Suzuki Bokushi was born in 1770 in Uonuma, Echigo.
The Suzuki family had been a prominent merchant house dealing in kimono fabrics for generations.
As the heir to this merchant house, he was cherished from childhood and simultaneously received a varied education.
His father, Bokusui, was himself a man of culture, associating with the prominent haiku poets and calligraphers of the time. Within such an environment, Bokushi naturally developed an interest in essays and painting.
The birthplace of Suzuki Bokushi, which still stands today
Bokushi first engaged in business as a practical undertaking at the age of nineteen.
He took eighty bolts of kimono fabric to Edo (present-day Tokyo). His aim was to expand his sales channels.
The 18th century was still the age of the samurai. There were no televisions as we know them today, nor were newspaper advertisements commonplace. (Though there were occasional special editions.) In such an era, expanding sales channels required visiting customers one by one and repeatedly negotiating deals.
Bokushi seemed to possess considerable business acumen, successfully concluding many deals and expanding his sales channels. However, something about this particular job greatly surprised him.
Though his business partners were all reasonably well-educated individuals, they possessed almost no knowledge about snow country.
They knew there was a place called Echigo, and that it was a cold place where much snow fell, but that was about the extent of it. They possessed no knowledge whatsoever of the life or customs there.
This was true not only of his business partners, but even of the doctor and private school teacher he met in town.
They showed almost no interest in life in the snow country or the grandeur of its nature.
Unlike our modern society, where information abounds, it was perhaps inevitable in an age of limited knowledge. Yet the fact that no one knew the circumstances of the snow country, inseparable from his own upbringing, must have been a kind of culture shock for Bokushi.
‘To let people know about the life and culture of the snow country through books.’ This may well have been the moment when Bokushi, who had long harboured an interest in essays, found a new goal.
Upon returning to his homeland after completing his work, Bokushi immediately set about drafting the content for his book.
This involved not merely writing down what he knew, but systematically gathering anew the topography, customs, and hearsay from across the entire province of Echigo, progressing with the work by adding his own hand-drawn illustrations.
Bokushi appears to have been a rather meticulous character, placing great importance on understanding the fundamentals of things. After all, the very first chapter of his book explaining the conditions of a snow country was entitled “The Formation and Properties of Snow, Sleet, and Hail”…
In a way, it’s so meticulously precise you might think, ‘From there?!’.(^_^;)
A grand vision to make the world aware of the climate of snow country. Now then, will Bokushi’s aspirations be realised…?