Kijimuna, spirits of the banyan trees

Okinawans tell of the kijimuna, red-haired child-sized spirits living in old banyan trees; a court compilation of 1745 already notes that an old tree had 'become a monster'.

1745 CE · 26.70, 128.15 · status: legend

The account

Kijimuna help fishermen and take only the fish's eyes, but turn on those who harm their tree. In Ōgimi a related spirit, the bunagaya, gave the village its mascot, and kijimuna stories still come up in Okinawan accounts of night-time paralysis.

The sceptical view

The legend expresses respect for old trees and fishing luck; 'kijimuna pressing on the chest' matches sleep paralysis.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Kijimuna
2. University of the Ryukyus Library: column on the kijimuna (PDF)