In
Japanese folklore, Ōkubi (大首) are giant heads of either men or women. An Ōkubi appearing in the sky is a sign of impending disaster, which may be a
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
,
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
,
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
, or
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
. These disasters are often attributed to the Ōkubi. Ōkubi are otherwise harmless and will disappear soon after the first sighting. They are thought to be sky spirits who protect the sky's or people who died during a natural disaster. They are said to protect people from the natural disasters and protect the sky from demonic sky spirits. It is said if one does not pay respect for the Ōkubi, they will be turned into sky spirits and their face will appear in the sky immediately. Those who do pay respect are said to get good fortune and gifts.
Appearance: Usually it is just their face as a woman's or man's face.
Stories: There are stories from certain provinces and prefectures. Sometimes these stories are passed down from elders to children. There is a certain Story from Iwake prefecture about a face of Ōkubi appearing in the sky when a tsunami was going to hit a small town. "It was stormy day in a small Japanese town". A tsunami was about hit while everybody had to stay in. But before then, A face of a beautiful woman appeared. One man shouted "It's An Ōkubi!. That meant the tsunami was about hit. It washed everything away and knocked over trees but nobody was hurt. Everyone paid respects to the Ōkubi for protecting them.
There is another story about a man who married an Ōkubi. On a misty, windy, blistering day, a man working in the mountains encountered a beautiful woman that approached him and said "Can I come and stay in your place"? The man accepted the woman's pleasing words. Later they got married and had a child. But one-day the woman said "I must return to the skies now".
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Yōkai