1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the short stuff, Josh heir Chuck here, 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: let's get it up all the way to Japan. 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 2: That's right. We're going to Japan to talk about a 4 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 2: very famous rock in Japan that split in two in 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 2: twenty twenty two. And there was a tweet that kind 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 2: of got big that featured a picture of that broken 7 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 2: rock that said, and this is translated from Japanese, I 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 2: came alone to the Killing Stone where the legend of 9 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 2: the nine tailed Fox remains. If it's a manga, it's 10 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: a pattern that the seal is broken and it's possessed 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 2: by the nine tailed Fox. And I feel like I've 12 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 2: seen something that shouldn't be seen. Let's go, let's talk 13 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 2: about this famous rock. 14 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: Okay. So yeah, This person who tweeted that was a 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: tourist in Togichi Prefecture in Japan, and she was visiting 16 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: this very famous giant rock that supposedly was the dead 17 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: form of the fox spirit Tomamo no Mai, and supposedly 18 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: Tomamo no Maai had been trapped for centuries in this 19 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: rock that people like the tweeter would go visit. The 20 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: thing is, when the tweeter went to visit it this 21 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: rock had been split in two, and that meant possibly 22 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: that Tomamo no Mai had. 23 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 2: Escaped, right, And the idea was that Tomama no Mai 24 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 2: was trapped in this stone called the Shesho siki. Is 25 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 2: that right? 26 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: Uh? Sessho sessho seki, all right. 27 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 2: Which is killing stone. And here's the thing is the 28 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: Internet kind of got it wrong if you look at 29 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: the original lore of the story. Uh, Tomamo no Mai 30 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 2: was actually the stone and not trapped in the stone. Sure, 31 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 2: so let's talk about this, okay, further so doing setups right. 32 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: Tommo no Mai was a very famous spirit of nine 33 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: tailed fox spirit in Japanese folklore, and she showed up 34 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: in a number of different myths and tales in Japanese folklore. 35 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: But there's one in particular that concerns the story, and 36 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: it involved the Emperor Toba, the seventy fourth Japanese Emperor, 37 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: who was a very real person who lived from eleven 38 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: oh three to eleven fifty six CE, and during this reign, allegedly, 39 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: according to folklore, Tmomo Nomai, the fox spirit, showed up 40 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: disguised as a woman and said, I think you're gonna 41 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: like me, check me out. 42 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 2: That's right. The idea was to just sort of preoccupy 43 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 2: and be which this emperor and then overthrow, overthrow the emperor. 44 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 2: What happened, as according to the lore once again, is 45 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 2: that the emperor was enthralled, sort of neglected his duties 46 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 2: and then fell very, very sick around the same time. 47 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 2: So a soothsayer came along and said, wait a minute, 48 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 2: I suspect that you Nomai are behind this whole thing. 49 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 2: And so she fled into you know, the land surrounding there, 50 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 2: basically it's Mountain Nasu, and the legend was that they 51 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 2: caught up to her, she was slain, and that her 52 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 2: body turned into the stone at that very spot, right. 53 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: So it's very significant that it was a group of 54 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: samurai who tracked her down and killed her, shot her 55 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: with an arrow because folklorists believe that this tale of 56 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: Tomamo Nomai enchanting the emperor and basically causing him to 57 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: stop paying attention to his duties is some sort of 58 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: allegory I guess for what's called the Hogan Rebellion, this 59 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: time when the emperor's rule gave way to rule by 60 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: the samurai, which lasted for centuries afterward. And so that 61 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: This was kind of a about that story. Maybe justified it, 62 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: I'm not sure, but the essential ingredients are that the 63 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: emperor was bewitched and helpless and had to be saved 64 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: by the samurai. 65 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it was you know, there were a lot 66 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: of This is just one of many, many stories in 67 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: Japanese folklore wherein monsters would appear, a hero would rise 68 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 2: up to save somebody. It was usually metaphor for you know, 69 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 2: something politically that was going on, right, and maybe I 70 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 2: say we take a break. 71 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: I think I agree with you. Sure, all right, We'll 72 00:04:31,120 --> 00:05:00,239 Speaker 1: be right back, okay, Chuck. So where we left off, 73 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: Tamamonamayi has turned into a giant stone. And this stone 74 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: that people would go visit was something like six feet 75 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: tall and twenty five feet in diameter. It was no 76 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: small stone. It sounds like it was shaped kind of 77 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 1: like Slimer from Ghostbusters. 78 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that was circumference, by the way, 79 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 2: what did I say, diameter circumference? 80 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: Thanks, So people would go visit this and one of 81 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: the reasons why that this stone in particular came to 82 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: be identified as the Sessho Seki the killing Stone, is 83 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: because it really kind of stood out from its it's 84 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: the other stones in the area. You could just pick 85 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: it out and be like that looks cool. And then 86 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: the actual area itself on the mountain what was the 87 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: mountain's name, uh Namatsu Nasu mount Yes, mountain Nasu is 88 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: it's like a volcanic plane. There's active volcanoes in the area. 89 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: So there's like poison gas like spewing up out of 90 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: the earth around the stone. It's quite menacing in that sense, 91 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: especially if you know what the legend is and you're 92 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,160 Speaker 1: looking at the stone as if it were the Killing Stone. 93 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, so there are potentially some poisonous gases, sulfuric gases 94 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 2: that seep out of the ground in that area. While 95 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 2: it's nothing that would hurt a human, if you went 96 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 2: to this you know stone which really stands out and 97 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 2: looks weirdly out of place there and you found like 98 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 2: some dead squirrels laying around, it could lend itself to 99 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 2: the idea that either Josh was nearby no or that 100 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 2: an evil spirit could radiate death from that spot. And 101 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 2: this is a very very well known story. I don't 102 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 2: think we said that it was you know, it was 103 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 2: part of folklore and there are a lot of these stories, 104 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 2: but this seems to be one of the bigger ones, 105 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 2: and it's kind of like a universally known tale in Japan, 106 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:00,080 Speaker 2: so it's a very very famous story. And so you know, 107 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 2: when this thing split, it was, you know, the Internet 108 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 2: goes a little hog wild for a short time talking 109 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 2: about whether or not the evil spirits will be unleashed 110 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 2: and whether or not this is all coming to fruition. 111 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 2: Apparently if you do like on the ground research and 112 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 2: talk to Japanese people, they're like, we don't really think that. 113 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 2: Of course we don't. This is the Internet being the Internet. 114 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. And in addition to that, over the years, initially 115 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: Tamamunamai was depicted as just nothing but evil, a corruptor 116 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: of men and usurper of male power. And then as 117 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: Japanese society kind of softened and progressed, progressed and it 118 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: stands on women, she actually evolved along with that, interestingly, 119 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: so that now today when she's used in like manga, 120 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: anime or something like that, she's usually kind of like 121 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: a proto feminist anti hero. Is how this article from 122 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works put it, I think perfectly. 123 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, totally, And you know, of course nothing happened because 124 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 2: this folklore. But I imagine it's still and apparently this is 125 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 2: a big thing in Japan to like go visit this 126 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 2: thing in the woods, right, yeah, yeah, And that seems 127 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 2: like a dumb down way of saying it, because we 128 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 2: visit plenty of great things in the woods as well, 129 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 2: but you know, smaller things like you know, this rock 130 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 2: in the middle of this national forest becomes like a 131 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 2: pretty pretty standard tourist attraction. 132 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I didn't realize there was a term for 133 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: that kind of tourism, contents based tourism, where it's just 134 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: the one thing that you're going out of your way 135 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: to go see to a place you probably wouldn't have 136 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: otherwise gone, like the Giant Ball of yarn or something 137 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:45,959 Speaker 1: like that. 138 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 2: You know. Yeah, well, except this is in a national park, 139 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 2: which I imagine is beautiful. 140 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: Sure, I think it is too. I have nothing else 141 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: except I want to go on the record as correcting you. 142 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:00,439 Speaker 1: I love the squirrels now, and I don't have years 143 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: and years and years I know. 144 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 2: I'm just kidding. 145 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: Okay, well, Chuck was kidding everybody. That means short stuff 146 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,319 Speaker 1: is out. 147 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 2: Stuff you should know is a production of iHeartRadio. 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