Akaguchi 赤口

Akaguchi (赤口), also widely known as Akashita (赤舌), is a formidable yokai associated with water, agriculture, and the consequences of human dispute.

Meaning and Origin

The names Akaguchi (“Red Mouth”) and Akashita (“Red Tongue”) refer to the creature’s most terrifying feature.

Its origin lies in the vital importance of irrigation in ancient Japan. Water was a precious and often scarce resource for rice farmers, and disputes over the opening and closing of sluice gates were common. The Akaguchi emerged as a personification of the bad luck and violence that arose from these conflicts. It is also linked to the “Red Tongue God” (Shakuzetsujin), a deity from esoteric cosmology thought to guard the western gates.

Characteristics

The Akaguchi is typically depicted as a giant, dark, hairy beast hidden mostly within thick, black clouds. Only its upper body is ever visible, featuring clawed hands and a face dominated by a massive, gaping red mouth and a long, lolling crimson tongue.

It is almost always shown looming over a sluice gate or irrigation channel, symbolizing its role as a sentinel of the waters.

Legends

Legends of the Akaguchi are primarily cautionary tales. It is said to appear during times of drought when farmers are tempted to steal water from their neighbors by secretly opening sluice gates at night. Those caught in the act of “water theft” might find the Akaguchi waiting for them, ready to snatch them up with its giant tongue or devour them in its red maw.

In art, such as the works of Toriyama Sekien, the Akaguchi’s open mouth is sometimes interpreted as a visual metaphor for a Japanese proverb: “the tongue is the gate to calamity.” This suggests that the creature punishes not just physical theft, but also the “sin” of aggressive and harmful speech.