Hairy human-faced serpent leaping from the grass
Kuramushi
Summer grass ripples at your feet. From the coil of a snake peers a human face, hair hanging, teeth bared. It is far too human to call an insect.
Overview
Kuramushi is described as a kind of human-faced snake known from Edo-period rumor. It belongs to the same broad fascination with creatures that bear human faces, such as kudan or heikegani.
Encounter
It hides in deep, dim grass. When someone passes, it springs out with a human-like face, bared teeth, and hair, writhing after the startled traveler.
Lore
Kuramushi is said to be a human-faced serpent, but independent entries in major folklore databases are scarce; it is mostly introduced through Mizuki-style yokai picture books. The name may relate to older terms for snakes as long insects.
Traits
Its strangeness lies in a snake body covered with hair and even head hair. It frightens and attacks from grass, making it one of the rumored human-faced creatures of the natural world.
