Dōjō-ji 道成寺

Dōjō-ji (道成寺) is not a creature itself, but a legendary temple and the setting for one of the most terrifying tales of vengeful love in Japanese folklore—the story of Anchin and Kiyohime.

Meaning and Origin

Dōjō-ji is an actual Buddhist temple in Wakayama Prefecture, founded in 701 AD. Its name has become synonymous with the “Dōjōji Bell” (Dōjō-ji no kane), which is often personified as a yokai due to the tragedy it witnessed.

The legend centers on Kiyohime, a young woman who fell obsessively in love with a traveling priest named Anchin. When Anchin broke his promise to return to her, Kiyohime’s pure, agonizing rage transformed her into a terrifying giant serpent.

Characteristics

In the context of yokai, “Dōjō-ji” refers to the imagery found in Noh and Kabuki theater: the massive temple bell that serves as a tomb, and the serpent-woman Kiyohime who coils around it. The bell itself is sometimes depicted as possessed by the heat of her demonic fury.

Legends

The climax of the story occurs at Dōjō-ji. Anchin, fleeing from the serpent-Kiyohime, begged the temple monks to hide him. They lowered the great bronze bell over him to shield him.

Kiyohime, in her snake form, tracked him by scent and coiled her body seven times around the bell. She breathed flames of such intense hatred that the bronze bell began to glow white-hot. Anchin was burned to ashes inside his hiding place, and Kiyohime, having achieved her grim revenge, threw herself into the nearby river and vanished. The “cursed” bell was said to never ring clearly again until it was eventually replaced centuries later.