Unknown night-road thrower of stones

Shibakaki

On the empty night road, one pebble falls at your feet. Then another. Behind you, short grass only scratches in the dark.

Shibakaki figure art

Danger and Rarity

C
Combat

Causes fear, obstruction, falls, or minor harm.

C
Hostility

Frightens or misleads people, but rarely pursues deeper harm.

A
Rarity

Strongly tied to a narrow place, time, or region.

Overview

Shibakaki is a yokai from Nankan, Kumamoto. At night it suddenly throws stones from the roadside. No one sees its form, and Yanagita Kunio linked the name to brush or short grass being scratched.

Encounter

A traveler on a dark road is pelted by small stones. Looking around reveals no person, only a rough scratching sound from the grass.

Lore

Shibakaki first appears in Yanagita Kunio's Yokai Dangi and is later included in Murakami Kenji's Yokai Jiten. It belongs to a family of unseen throwers such as tengu-tsubute and sunakake-baba.

Traits

It throws stones without showing itself. The harm is usually minor, but the invisible thrower remains unknowable, preserving the fear.

Shibakaki cover image
At night, while walking outside, stones are thrown from the roadside.

Yanagita Kunio, Yokai Dangi