Kasha

The kasha (, , or ) is a Japanese yōkai that steals the corpses of those who have died as a result of accumulating evil deeds. Summary Kasha are yōkai that would steal corpses from funerals and cemeteries, and what exactly they are is not firmly set, and there are examples all throughout the country. In many cases their true identity is actually a cat yōkai, and it is also said that cats that grow old would turn into this yōkai and that their true identity is actually a nekomata. However, there are other cases where the kasha is depicted as an oni carrying the damned in a cart to hell. There are tales of kasha in tales like the folktale Neko Danka, and there are similar tales in the Harima Province (now Hyōgo Prefecture). In Yamasaki (now Shisō), there is the tale of the "Kasha-baba". As a method of protecting corpses from kasha, in Kamikuishiki, Nishiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi Prefecture (now Fujikawaguchiko, Kōfu), at a temple that a kasha is said to live near, a funeral is performed twice, and it is said that by putting a rock inside the coffin for the first funeral, this protects the corpse from being stolen by the kasha. Also, in Yawatahama, Ehime, Ehime prefecture, it is said that leaving a hair razor on top of the coffin would prevent the kasha from stealing the corpse. In Saigō, Higashiusuki District, Miyzaki Prefecture (now Misato), it is said that before a funeral procession, "I will not let baku feed on this (バクには食わせん)" or "I will not let kasha feed on this (火車には食わせん)" is chanted twice. In the village of Kumagaya, Atetsu District, Okayama Prefecture (now Niimi), it is said that a kasha is avoided by playing a myobachi (a traditional Japanese musical instrument).