Tenka (atmospheric ghost light)

It is written about in the collection of fantastic stories, the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari from the Edo period and in the essay Kasshi Yawa by Seizan Matsuura and other writings, but it is also told as the folklore of various areas.

In the Atsumi District, Aichi Prefecture, when one's path ahead when on a road at night becomes bright like at noon, it is called a "tenbi" (天火),[1] and in the Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture, the mysterious fires that make a great noise in the evening sky in the summer and fly are called "tenpi" (天火).

[2] In the Higashimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, the weather became better once a tenka appeared, but the homes it entered were stricken by illness, so it is said that they are beaten by a kane and driven out.

[1] In the Tamana District, Kumamoto Prefecture, it is a mysterious fire that falls from the heavens and has a size about that of a paper lantern.

[1] It is said that tenka were once thought of as a type of vengeful spirit (onryō), and in the document on folk customs "Amakusatō Minzokushi" from the Amakusa islands, Kumamoto Prefecture, there is the following legend.