Koto-furunushi

The koto-furunushi has the appearance of a traditional koto (a Japanese zither), which grows a demonic face on its front.

He chose Kanzaki as the festive place and he ordered his gardeners to clean and groom the chosen park.

The legend reports that the emperor was so excited about the resulting beauty of the festive place that he left an enchanted koto as a present to the town of Kanzaki.

From this day, it was told for centuries, that anybody who took a rest at the roots of the tree could hear the faint but irresistibly calming sounds of a zither from the treetop.

[1][3] The koto-furunushi belongs to a special group of yōkai: the tsukumogami (Japanese: 付喪神, lit.