Sinister Spirits of Asia Part II: Legendary Creatures of Japan
"t'ien kou", the name of another mountain spirit in Chinese mythology, which means "celestial hounds".
Rokurokubi, or long-necked goblins, usually appear as ordinary humans (almost always women), and may make their homes in human civilizations and marry into human families. The Rokurokubi's primary monstrous feature is her ability to extend her neck impossibly long distances in order to frighten or spy on others. To enhance this performance, she is also able to distort her human face into that of an ogre-like demon. Although sometimes portrayed as malicious creatures who uses her powers to drain the blood or energy of others, Rokurokubi are actually trickster spirits, who delight in causing fear and chaos, and prefer to frighten, rather than harm, victims.
Many rokurokubi who have infiltrated human society become so comfortable that they do not wish to jeopardize their position by revealing their monstrous nature. However, these urban rokurokubi's urge to occasionally reveal their monstrous nature is so strong that they will sometimes resort to revealing their bizarre necks to blind, inebriated or sleeping persons, thus pulling off their tricks while avoiding undue attention.
Japanese Folklore Information- With conversions for Role-Playing Games
Mangajin Magazine's "Japanese Ghosts" feature article
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