The Water Transportation in the Kanto Plain and the "Piracy" there (8)

     Although we don’t have enough records or written documents to talk about river pirates, I believe we can find some tips in kappa folklore.  So, let me stray from the main subject here.  Although kappas' appearances vary from region to region, the most common feature includes a plate (sara), or a flat hairless region, on the top of the head, and a shell.  The first feature reminds us of that of ochimusha.   Ochimusha is a defeated warrior that fled the enemy.  The iconography usually represents ochimusha with the crown of his head shaved and the rest of the hair long and loose, a dissolved chonmage.  The feature of ochimusha's head resembles that of kappa with a plate.  If ochimusha wears a worn-out armor, his body will look like the second feature of kappa, a shell.

     In Northern Kyushu, a kappa tale tells us:  The Taira Clan lost in the battle of Dan-no-ura.  Some remnants fled from the Minamoto Clan in disarray across Kyushu.  They were pursued and killed one by one.  Their souls were said to have become kappas.  They ransacked fields and dragged people, cows, and horses into rivers.

     The area along Chikugo River, which runs in Northern Kyushu, is rich with folklore and even written records of troubles between local people and kappas, and troubles even among kappa groups.

     Kyushu has another interesting folklore story:  In the 4th century, 9,000 kappas arrived at Harima River in Yatsushiro from Yangzi River in China, and settled in the river.