The Kudan, the Calf That Prophesied
In Japan, a calf with a human face is said to be born in times of crisis. It speaks a single prophecy, and within days, it dies.
What was reported
The kudan is a creature of Japanese folklore with the body of a cow and the face of a human. It's said to be born to an ordinary cow, to speak just once, foretelling a disaster such as a famine, an epidemic or a war, and to die soon after. Its words always come true.
In 1836, a printed news sheet from the Tango region reported that a kudan had been born and had predicted years of good harvests followed by an epidemic. Rumours of kudan births spread again during the Second World War, when some said one had foretold the end of the war.
Explanations offered
Folklorists think kudan stories grew from real births of deformed calves, together with a market for printed charms: the news sheets claimed that keeping the kudan's picture would protect the owner. Like the amabie, the kudan has become popular again in modern Japanese culture.
- When
- Reported in 1836; rumours into the 1940s
- Where
- Tango, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
- Witnesses
- Edo-period news sheets and Japanese rumour
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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