Mythological Trees - Jubokko

 Credit - Jubokko by Julie Sakai

Hi Guys,

Thank you to Cat for yesterday's Flora Friday, I must admit that I didn't realise Jimson Weed had so many names!!

To today's post. I was unsure whether or not to put this as a Flora Friday or not, but decided t just shoehorn it in somewhere else in the end.

This tree is highly popular in Japanese culture, but it is undecided exactly when it first appeared in the consciousness.

It is classed as a yokai, which is one of many spirits or supernatural entities in Japanese folklore. 

So, Jubukko is a seemingly ordinary tree at first glance, except that it is vampiric! Which is why it has ended up being in our Hallowe'en section!

Said to grow upon battlefields where that has been much bloodshed, and much loss of life, the tree becomes yokai by sucking up vast quantities of human blood.

This makes it dependant on blood for further growth.

By appearing to be an unobtrusive, ordinary tree, it can have many people pass it by. At this point, it captures a person, and changing its branches into a tube, it sucks the blood of its captive. This keeps the tree looking fresh.

As an inference there, I would assume (do correct me if I am wrong) that if the Jubokko is deprived of blood that it must be seen to wither and eventually die.

It is said that when a Jubokko is cut that it will ooze blood rather than sap. I also now wonder if this is connected to dragon's blood resin??

It isn't all bad, though!

It is said that the branches of a Jubokko can heal too, and that they can clear any disease or contamination of a human.

It makes me wonder if the Jubokko takes on the attributes of those it consumes?

Obviously, growing on a battlefield, not much is going to be benevolent!!

Please do let us know if we have got anything incorrect here, or add into the myth if you know any more details!

I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Kerenza x

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