#aosagibi

[nekulines]

Day 8 - Aosagibi

[further-up]

Aosagibi 2021

https://ivanbelikov.com/portfolio/aosagibi

A luminescent night heron, yokai from Japanese folklore. A mysterious phenomenon, when the herons' feathers fuse into shining scales that give off an iridescent blue light in the dark of night.

[cryptids-of-the-world]

The Aosagibi is a heron-like Yokai found in Japan. The Aosagibi is described as a Black-Crowned Night Heron that started to glow as it got older in age. The Aosagibi is said to breathe ball of bluish-white fire that don’t burn or cause any damage. The Aosagibi are said to be peaceful and are easily frightened by people.

Art by: Matthew Meyer

[ridermatsu]

Yokaitober Days 16-20!

Day 16: Aosagibi

Day 17: Baku

Day 18: Chochin Obake

Day 19: Kappa

Day 20: Nure Onna

[icebergish]

Yokaitober Day 16: Aosagibi

[yokaizin]

Aosagibi

青鷺火 あおさぎび

TRANSLATION: blue heron fire ALTERNATE NAMES: goi no hikari (night heron light) HABITAT: rivers, wetlands; wherever herons and other waterbirds can be found

APPEARANCE: Many birds transform into magical yokai with eerie powers when they reach an advanced age. Aosagibi is the name for a bizarre phenomenon caused by transformed herons – particularly the black-crowned night heron. Other herons and wild birds, such as ducks and pheasants, are able to develop this ability as well, though it is most commonly attributed to the nocturnal night heron. This heron is found all along the islands and coasts, preferring remote areas with heavy reeds and thick woods. Aosagibi is most commonly seen at night in the trees where the herons roost, by the rivers where they hunt, or as the birds fly in the twilight sky.

BEHAVIOR: Long-lived herons begin to develop shining scales on their breasts, which are fused together from their feathers. They begin blow a yellow iridescent powder from their beaks with each breath, which scatters into the wind. During the fall, their bodies begin to radiate a bluish-white glow at night. Their powdery breath ignites into bright blue fireballs, which they blow across the water or high in the trees. These fireballs possess no heat and do not ignite anything else, eventually evaporating in the wind.

INTERACTIONS: Like most wild birds, night herons are very shy and usually flee from humans. Even after transforming into yokai, they retain their shyness. While the sight of a colony of wild birds breathing blue flames and making strange calls on a cool autumn night can be rather disconcerting, aosagibi does not post any threat to humans. However, because it appears very similar to other fireball-like phenomena, caution should be taken to avoid confusing aosagibi with oni-bi or other supernatural lights.

taken from Yokai.com IG - Twitter - FB Support Matthew Meyer and Yokai.com on Patreon

[yokaizin]

鳥山石燕《今昔画図続百鬼》中的「青鷺火」

Toriyama Sekien's Aosaginohi.

[akimotokiyomori-blog]

Ancient Oaths

<“O-Aosagibi..” >The weak elderly voice of Lord Akimoto rose in a whisper beckoning his visitor to his bedside. His shaking frail hand rising off the silk sheets of gold to offer his palm to the one he spoke to. <“..why have you returned now? Am I to fade from this world?”>

Iridescent blue claws reached out from the darkness that clung to the bedchamber, taking the frail hand of the mighty Lord. The air grew damp as if the marshlands had made their way inside. The faint glow of unworldly blue flames began to pop in existence and cast their luminescence upon everything. Even the visitor that had now came to sit on the edge of the bed. Ebony skin adorned with the high contrast of raen scales and a togi trimmed in shimmering black feathers. The sound of his voice rose with a hushed baritone of reassurance.

Long before The Empire had invaded The East, Lord Akimoto had craved strength and power for his people. It had begun as a quest to protect his clan and his territories from rival lords and bandits. Wealth and power not only would allow him to retain Samurai but also enrich the weight of his voice in the royal courts.

At first, he had done so in noble and honor means. Farmlands and merchants, trade routes and alliances, even marrying his daughter off to a rival lord to keep the peace. One day that changed as a rival clan was blamed for setting a farm on fire and killing the family that tended to it. Akimoto sent out Samurai to the rival village to pay the blood debt against his family. Before doing so, his samurai came upon a shrine of sorts and upon it a relic to a protective kami or spirit of the clan. His samurai took it brought it back to their master without shedding a single drop of blood. At first Lord Akimoto was furious that such dishonor and shame would be left standing. Then, the cries of his enemy could be heard within him as the power of the relic was devoured in a blue flame that had consumed the relic in his hand, but not burned him. He had thought he had magic and that it was he who would curse his enemies and took their coveted power for himself. He was wrong of course. Eight months later his wife bore the answer. Twins.

<“You still have time left on this world, Masakado-san. Your son is not yet ready to take your place. He is still questing after knowledge of Kami and Oni.. “> He chuckled and tapped the Lord’s hand gently as if a father to a son, not a Samurai to his master. <”Do I need a reason to come back to -my- home?”> The reassurance of his voice had fled in an instance and the gentle grasp of his hand became a cage, causing the tips of his claws to prick the old man’s skin like rice paper.

In the instance of pain, the Lord panicked slightly in surprise. For all his life he had never known O-Aosagibi to cause harm to any of the Akimoto. In that same instance, the samurai noticed his rage and cast the man’s hand away in horror and quickly went to the floor. His hands outstretched upon the wood and his head hovering above it. A growl rumbled within. It was an unspoken apology and oddly it scared the Lord more than the momentary pain he had felt in his hand. Using all the strength he could muster, the Lord rolled to his side and hesitantly reached out to touch the horn of the man before him.

<”What rage has awoken and what is it we must do?”> The Lord asked in earnest and fear of the answer.

Silence held for a half a breath before the Samurai’s gaze lifted back to see the blind gaze of the man he had once called ‘father’. <The blood of people has soaked the earth and within it’s bathing it has been cursed. Shadow of men walks the world and spirits among them. In the chaos and vacuum left behind the worthy rise to take power and none will stand to contest it.”> He began to chuckle and shook his head away from the hand, standing once more. <”It is not what you must do, but I. Balance comes at a price. A choice has to be made.”>