Horror Haiku Club Prompt

September 18 - Hime uo & Kudan

Hime uo and Kudan are creatures in Japanese folklore that influence harvests and health. Hime uo is a fish with a woman’s head, and Kudan is a bull with a man’s head. While they aren’t linked in the folklore, their stories are so similar, I decided to combine them for this prompt.

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Your prompt is HIME UO & KUDAN

You spurned my image

Refused your gaze my visage

My curse you’ll harvest

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There are several versions of stories for each creature, but the essential components are that they are each seen by an artist, Hime uo on a beach and Kudan in the mountains. Each creature tells the artist that if he draws their image and shares it with as many people as he can, all those people will have good health, and harvests will be profitable. Hime uo is unique in that she can affect the harvest of fish, not just crops. Anyone who refuses to display an image of the creatures is visited by disease and disaster.