Ryōtetsu or Ryōshitsu (リョウテツ or 蠪蛭) is a fox yōkai.
Appearance[]
Ryōtetsu is a tan fox with nine tails and eight, small heads, with round or closed eyes, and one, large head more realistic-looking.
History[]
Video Games[]
- Ryōtetsu appears in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Yokochō as a B-Rank yōkai.
Legend[]
Illustration of Ryōtetsu
The Lóng zhì is the name of a creature described in the Chinese Book Shānhǎi Jīng (山海经, Classic of Mountains and Seas).
It lives 500 li south in Fú lì Mountain (凫丽山 or 鳧麗山), a place with no vegetation but plenty of gold and jade, and stones called Jinshi located underground that can be used to make needles. It has nine tails and nine heads (eight small, male heads, and one, large female head) of a fox, and the claws of a tiger. It sounds like a crying baby, and eats humans. Eating its meat can make the consumer avoid evil.
There is a creature with a similar name called Lóng chí (蠪蚳) found 200 li west in Kūn wú Mountain (昆吾山), abundant in copper and red ores that can be used to forge swords strong enough to cut jade. It is a horned, pig-like creature that makes a cry similar to that of a human scream. Eating its meat can make the consumer avoid nightmares.