If you have ever felt intense neck pain at some point in your life, with no known causation, chances are you may be a Rokurokubi or a Nukekubi. By breaking down the name Rokurokubi (ろくろ首 ), the description of the creature itself appears. ろくろ is loosely translated into Pulley, or wheel, while the second half, -首 kubi, means neck/head (Foster 263.) Nukekubi (ぬけ首 ) has quite a similar definition, comprised of one of the same Kanji. Nukekubi is a combination of ぬけ, which comes from Nukeru meaning to prowl or creep and -首 (kubi) again meaning neck/head (Hearn 63.) Both the Rokurokubi and the Nukekubi are quite similar creatures. Each having their own defining qualities, but still sharing similar familial traits. The adaptation of the Rokurokubi and the Nukekubi have changed over time, once taking a more intimidating form, now has widen to take a more comedic and endearing presence within Japanese Culture.

The defining characteristics to a Rokurokubi include a long, winding, snake-like neck (Yasui 4.) Able to peer over objects and around bookcases, it makes it a hard to have a conversation without feeling like something is watching and listening. In traditional Japanese Literature, the Rokurokubi tend to primarily be women (Foster 263.) They are usually products of either their own wrongdoings, or their husbands. A couple reasons why one may become a Rokurokubi include: infidelity to their husbands, prostitution, too much eavesdropping/snooping on others' lives, or their husbands have done something out of what ordinarily be acceptable in Japanese/Chinese tradition. Unfortunately, if you are turned into this yokai, there is absolutely no way to reverse it. Once you are cursed, it will last until you die; which is what happens to most people who are turned into them. There was a story involving a woman who was cursed but tried to reverse it. In this story, she was turned into a Rokurokubi. Her husband was told in a dream that she would be cured if he killed their pet dog and fed her the liver. Naturally he did, and his wife ended up dying in childbirth while birthing a Rokurokubi, which was then killed by the ghost of their dog. The Lesson to be learned—don’t kill innocent animals, and once someone is turned into a Rokurokubi, there is no way to reverse it.

The Rokurokubi are not known to be scary or violent creatures, but pivot more-so around the lines of a dishonorable creature. When one is turned into this yokai, it is considered to be shameful to not only the woman, but also her family. There are many stories involving Rokurokubis where they were prostitutes in their former human form, or they became prostitutes after transforming (Hearn 425.) In the Japanese culture, prostitution is looked down upon, and families may even disown their children who become one. There are many ways in which the stories of Rokurokubi are integrated into the views of Japanese culture. In some ways, they are used to implicitly to deliver a deeper ethical agenda. There is a story detailing a man's sexual experience where he ended up sleeping with a Rokurokubi because he had done something wrong. In "Rekkoku Kaidan Kikigaki Zōshi" by Jippensha Ikku (written in the late Edo period), a monk named Kaishin and a woman named Oyotsu got married. Oyotsu ended up getting very sick and they didn't have the money to take care of her so Kaishin killed Oyotsu. After his experience with Oyotsu, he ended up finding a woman that he liked and they slept together in a Ryokan. After sleeping together, the girl's neck started to stretch and her face molded into Oyotsu's face and scolded him for killing her. If the girl did not have sex with the man, even if he was the one in the wrong, she wouldn't have turned into a Rokurokubi. Rokurokubis in these stories serve a more warning-like purpose. You do not give into these sexual desires because it does not align with Japanese ethical and moral values, so your punishment includes being used as a vessel to exploit male transgressions.

Does one know if they have changed into a Rokurokubi? It may be initially hard for someone to recognize that their loved one has formed into this creature. Rokurokubis usually only transform after sunset, making them nocturnal creatures. When an individual goes to sleep is when they mutate into what they truly are. Some people have absolutely no idea that they are becoming a Rokurokubi at night. Although, there are signs one can look for. They say that Rokurokubis tend to have stretch marks on their neck which they hide with scarves during the daytime. The physical transformation is not the only change that these beings incur, legend says that it is also a mutation of the soul. Once an individual has committed a misdeed of great magnitude, they say that their soul has permanently changed. The negative expansion of their soul is what helps to characterize the Rokurokubi; someone of impure decisions . Pretty harsh analysis, I know.