Kotobuki

 


 The kotobuki was a chimeric beast from Japan which was made of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. It had the head of a rat, the ears of a rabbit, the beard of a ram, the comb of a rooster, the horns of a bull, the neck of a dragon, the mane of a horse, the back of a boar, the belly of a tiger, the front legs of a monkey, the back legs of a dog and the tail of a snake. It’s name in Japanese means congratulations or long life.

 It was said that the kotobuki lived in India, which often features as a place of holiness or goodness in Japanese stories as it’s the homeland of Buddhism. The kotobuki was also said to be able to understand human speech. Other than these two facts there’s little else said about the kotobuki as a creature, no legends or stories about it. The kotobuki was seen more as a luck charm that would grant people luck based on its association with the zodiac. It became popular to carry small woodcuts with images of the kotobuki during the Edo period. The kotobuki was believed to bring wealth, prosperity and protection from disease.


Sources


https://yokai.com/kotobuki/?srsltid=AfmBOoo8RWjix_eDzMfGgGJ64S-cylIt9b-ju2x-I4I1j485rLNI2LBM


https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/06/kotobuki.html  


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