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Hallowie29 — Chapter LXXXIII - Nukekubi

#asian #classic #copic #copicmarkers #curse #demon #drawing #evil #female #folklore #ghost #girl #head #horror #japan #japanese #karma #kimono #legend #markers #monster #mythicalcreature #mythology #rokurokubi #scary #sleeping #traditional #traditionalart #yokai #youkai #nukekubi
Published: 2020-03-07 03:56:07 +0000 UTC; Views: 6609; Favourites: 145; Downloads: 0
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Description Nukekubi (抜け首): Similar to the less harmful Rokurokubi ((轆轤首; see also Chapter XVIII - Rokurokubi ), Nukekubi are people who were cursed by their karma. They live normally as human on day but when the night comes, their head would detach and travel for long distance to find food; human's or animal's blood. 

One of the famous stories by Lafcadio Hearn (Kwaidan - Ghost Stories and Strange Tales of Old Japan) is written about a Buddhist priest, named Kairyou, encountering five Nukekubi (sometime also referred as Rokurokubi). An ex-warrior became a traveling Buddhist priest after he lost his lord in the war and named himself, Kairyou. One day, he traveled to the Kai Province (an old province in Sengoku era), passing the deep forest, he met a woodcutter who warned him of monsters and offered to take him to his house overnight. In the house, he met another four women and men who were family members of the woodcutter. Later he learned that the woodcutter and his family were used to be people from the upper class family but due to their bad deeds, they were exiled and since then they lived in the mountain by themselves. Kairyou told the woodcutter that he would recite the sutras for him and his family in the night. Then he took the priest to a small room. In the night when they all went to sleep, Kairyou walked out to take a break from praying. He then found five decapitated bodies with no blood and no head. After seeing this strange scene, he remembered that he once had read a work about malicious and harmful Nukekubi. In the book, it was written that the way to destroy Nukekubi, was moving or hiding the headless body of the Nukekubi, so that when the head returned on the next morning, it couldn't find its head and would die. Kairyou decided to move the body of the woodcutter away from the room and then he found the floating heads of five outside the house. They were talking about how to eat the priest tonight. Kairyou hid himself behind a tree and held a big wooden stick. When those heads returned to the house, they found neither the woodcutter's body nor Kairyou. That was when one of the heads saw the priest hide himself behind the tree. All five came to attack him but he was able to beat them away with the wooden stick. Not long the sun was rising. The four hurried to return to their body and out of fear that the priest would kill them, they ran away into the forest. Only the woodcutter who couldn't find the body. The vengeful head came to attack Kairyou again and again until it was able to break the defense and bit the priest's sleeve before his death. Kairyou couldn't remove the head of the woodcutter from his sleeve, so he let it attach there while he traveled to the next town.

Characters: Nukekubi
Series: Water-well's Moonlight
Colors: Copic markers
Date: 06-03-20
By Hallowie29

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Comments: 25

RainyCloudWalker [2020-03-26 18:13:30 +0000 UTC]

OMG I just read that, Literally, I have the book in My Hand !!!!!!!!!  I sent you a photo in a DM on Instagram on your gardening account !


My favourite stories so far are : "Yuki-Onna" and "The Story of Aoyagi" !!!!

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Hallowie29 In reply to RainyCloudWalker [2020-04-02 04:01:54 +0000 UTC]

I have seen it That's sure a cool book you have. These two story are beautiful and unique. I like Yuki-Onna as well. Anyway, today I'll continue painting the next story since I got two days off. Gonna post it on dA soon.

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RainyCloudWalker In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-04-02 20:19:28 +0000 UTC]

 Thank YOuU !!!! Can't wait !

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43MIO [2020-03-11 11:34:14 +0000 UTC]

It's really interesting. Monk mental strong!!XXDD

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Hallowie29 In reply to 43MIO [2020-04-02 04:02:32 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much! XD 
He used to be a warrior, so it's nothing for him to fear. Hahaha!

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AlexArgentin [2020-03-08 03:49:29 +0000 UTC]

Nice!

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Hallowie29 In reply to AlexArgentin [2020-04-02 04:02:37 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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AlexArgentin In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-04-02 04:10:17 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome!

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CutsieRay [2020-03-07 22:42:27 +0000 UTC]

Lovely.

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Hallowie29 In reply to CutsieRay [2020-04-02 04:02:45 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!

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CutsieRay In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-06-09 20:05:28 +0000 UTC]

Glad to make ur day.

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JustALittleAmerican [2020-03-07 21:42:55 +0000 UTC]

Huh, what nice paper did you use?

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Hallowie29 In reply to JustALittleAmerican [2020-04-02 04:03:49 +0000 UTC]

I use 150 g/m2 sketch papers for my artworks

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JustALittleAmerican In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-04-02 07:32:56 +0000 UTC]

That sounds small.

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Davicu [2020-03-07 21:32:10 +0000 UTC]

Spooky but great story!   Also great artwork my friend!

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Hallowie29 In reply to Davicu [2020-04-02 04:04:12 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much  

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Davicu In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-04-03 09:12:24 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure

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sissyroberta [2020-03-07 16:13:25 +0000 UTC]

Simply Fabulous !

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Hallowie29 In reply to sissyroberta [2020-04-02 04:04:25 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

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sissyroberta In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-04-02 05:05:09 +0000 UTC]

You're Welcome !

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Cranash64 [2020-03-07 04:12:10 +0000 UTC]

Interesting story!

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Hallowie29 In reply to Cranash64 [2020-03-07 05:17:30 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

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LaReforma1857 [2020-03-07 03:57:19 +0000 UTC]

This looks really cool. 

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Hallowie29 In reply to LaReforma1857 [2020-03-07 04:06:58 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

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LaReforma1857 In reply to Hallowie29 [2020-03-07 04:09:47 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome.

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