Notes

Cow Head: A long time ago, 1776 in Japan, there lived a young woman called Hasouchi and her son Masawka. In winter, it was very cold there and they didn’t have much money, but they did own a cow from Hasouchi’s father, who died.He told them that they must slice open the cow and seep in it for winter, but never take it out in the summer, otherwise bad things would happen. Masawka and Hasouchi were delighted with the cow, and sliced it finely open, they then cut out a hole in the head, poked a massive hole through the nostrils and plucked out the eyes so that they coud fit their heads in.They cut off the legs and tail of the cow then smothered foxes fur al over the inside, cleaning it and making it nice and cosy.They lived in a hut that was not warm at all, so the cow would be of great help to them.In the winter Masawka and Hasouchi would curl up in the cows body and be nice and warm, in the summer, they just resorted to natural weather which kept them warm.The cows body did them good in the winter months, and once they even let an old neighbour use their cow, and they got money for it! But one day, in the summer, a cold breeze blew that made Masawka and Hasouchi very cold.They were scared of getting Hypothermia, so, they took one look at the cow and dived into it.BANG.They were blacked out. When they woke up they realised the hut had blown away into the horizon and there were big storm clouds.Hasouchi looked up to see the ghost of her father. ” You have cursed me with my only devil left!!! ” he said, outraged ” Now I cannot repay Satan!!! A terrible thing will happen to you!!! ” and with that he cast his index finger at the clouds, as lightning struck down and out of the lighting appeared a small mob of rival city inhabitants.Hasouchi screamed then shoved herself and Masawka into the cow head to hide from the mob.She could hear her fathers voice directing the mob to her and her son.She held Masawka tight as tears ran down her face with every footstep, closer and closer then to a stop.She peered out of a stitch in the cow to see a large man standing outside of the cow with an axe.He was smiling.She covered her mouth with her hand and screamed then shuffled up her head into the cows head.She thought the man would get confused to where to chop her or her son in half, as the cow was very big and baggy.He looked at the head, just in time to see a white eye staring at him.He brang the axe down on her head and it sliced right off, inside the cows head.Masawka was terribly scared, he ran out of the top of the cows open neck and into the woods, his clothes stained with blood.The mob were very hungry, but they somehow refused to eat anything but human or cow, today was a lucky day for them, so they ate both, each one taking a big long and deep chew. That night the man who had had the axe started choking inside his house.He began holding his neck and coughing.His wife starting panicking and rang a bell to summon his friends.They surrounded him as he lay on the floor, dieing.He then got up as his eyes turned completely red.He then turned to his best guard and coughed up a ball of something black and white in his face, it was the cows head. ” それは生きている ！牛の頭は生きている ！ ” said his guard. (Sorry guys, just had to let that bit be original :P) Everybody screamed.The cows head started swirling around on the floor then levitating up and up and up, until it fell down on the guards head.He cried out for help as the cow turned its head down to him,opened its mouth and swallowed him whole.Nobody dared to be next, so they all ran away,all except the man with the axe, which he had left in Hasouchi’s neck.
Suddenly the door burst open, and a headless Hasouchi came crashing in,holding Masawka by the neck. ” You ran away ” Hasouchi whispered in his ear. ” I loved you,but you decieved me.Why didn’t you die with your mother? “.Masawka started screaming and croaking as he was suffocating ” I , I don’t want to die ” he gurgled.
Then, out of nowhere, an axe appeared in Hasouchi’s hand. “You’re going to die how I died,then you’re next ” there was a pause before she turned to her killer ” Yes,you’re next,Campikocha ” . ” How do you know my name? ” he cried ” I know everything, the cows power is smart ” she replied.Then, in a flash, the axe came down on Masawkas head.It fell off,, and she kicked it to the cow,before chucking Masawkas body into a sand pit.
The cow stood a step before the head, as the cows head hopped forward,then also swallowed Masawkas head whole.Its head started shaking and twirling about then came to a stop. ” This is too much for your living ” it croaked ” I must take over now “. It levitated once again in the air and flew at Hasouchi, she dropped to the floor, dead, as a clone of her popped up at her side.The cow had disappeared,but appeared on the living Hasouchi’s head, then she raised up her top to show blood dripping from words on her chest saying 牛の頭を触れないでくださいまたは地獄にドロップします.She flew out of the room into the sky, where she dropped into some foreign country.
She still lives there to this day, with her cow head, and one day, if you’re unlucky, the person to meet her might be you. But be warned , she will kill you with the axe.
CREDITS TO CUTEKITTENZ OF SCARY FOR KIDS

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​​2nd story can be reached here: (8)
Background on the finding of 3rd Story can be Reached here [4]
*This version is personally more ominous to me than all the rest...*
​Gozu began with the village depicted on the cover as the central setting, mainly going over the village’s internal economy and state of life. While for some historians this would be a treasure cove of information for cultural studies, Japan recorded its history early on since 900 A.D, so there was nothing within the immediate beginning that seemed to be a unique find.
The village (which simply called itself “village”) was surrounded by a thick grove of bamboos on to the east, west, and north with mountains to the south. This effectively made travel nigh impossible, as it took a strong man a few days to traverse through the bamboo groves. The mountains would take a strong man three days, and would lead to nowhere but the coast and sea.
The people of the village followed their own version of the “Bakufu” system (a system modeled upon the shogunate), but since they were isolated from any direct contact with the high court, had to fend for itself. Being isolated meant that the village was unharmed during the slew of civil wars and uprisings that followed, but it was a certain catch-22. The isolation also meant that during times of famine or pestilence they could not rely on the central government for support.
The village subsided mainly on their small rice paddies made on land they were able to clear of bamboo, and some small domesticated livestock. Many of the villagers were afraid to step too deep into the bamboo groves, as it was easy to lose track of oneself. Thus, small game and foraging for wild foodstuff were generally kept to a minimum.
The village carried on its peaceful tranquility, when during a rather rough summer the village was struck a crippling blow. Both their rice crops and livestock began to wither and die. While from the explanations it was quite obvious to the modern reader that the rice was hit with a bacterial blight and the livestock began to suffer from lung disease, the villagers jumped to the conclusion that the gods must not be pleased.
The village council decided that it was too rash to begin invoking any spirits or rites, and decided to try and tough out the remainder of time till the next harvest season.
When fall arrived and the harvest provided much more meager stocks than previously anticipated, many people in the village began to brave entering the bamboo groves to forage for wild mushrooms and tender bamboo shoots, as well as hunt and trap wild game. The village stockpiled their foraging together and it seemed that while the oncoming winter was not pleasant, no great famine would strike.
As the foraging carried on, the wild foodstuff growing closest to the village was the first to be depleted. The village quickly devised a system to forage deeper in the bamboo groves and minimizing the chances of getting lost. The women quickly wove a thin yet durable hemp rope, woven together so compactly that it was almost invisible to the naked eye unless the sunlight caught on it. They would tie it to the shrine at the center of the village, and holding the rest of the rope coiled in one hand, venture into the grove. The women were able to produce three long ropes in total, each rope was long enough for a person to encircle the entire village seven times before running taut.
The system was a success, holding onto the coil, the foragers were able to carefully retrace their tracks even during the dead of night, while some complained of broken noses caused by accidentally walking into bamboo trees headfirst. You have to break an egg to make an omelette.
This new system came to a screeching halt when one of the young women of the village, Aguri, entered the grove early one morning. Around midday, when the sun was the hottest, the men of the village were sitting together near the shade of the grove, cursing the blight and disease. Aguri came dashing out of the grove, her clothing in tatters, and her usually well-done hair in disarray. Although the men called out to her in surprise, she would not stop running until she prostrated herself at the end of the rope, at the foot of the shrine.
The village attempted for three days to nurse Aguri back to health. She would not stop mumbling about something in the woods that was trying to track her down. On the third day, she wailed so loudly that the families at the edge of the village heard her. Many rushed to Aguri’s house to see what the issue was, and found her aged mother, her only family member, kneeling on the front porch sobbing. Aguri had taken the hemp rope and hung herself.
After comforting the mother, the village council was finally able to procure an answer from Aguri’s mother. Aguri had found a small slope in the bamboo grove, and much to her surprise, found a large ginseng growing by a batch of light green bamboo shoots. The ginseng at that size would be potent enough to cure any disease or ailment, and the bamboo shoots of that color was highly prized, their taste akin to white rice. Aguri thanked the gods and took to harvesting, when she noticed something watching her.
Aguri had called it Gozu, and the mother was unsure where she had heard such a name. The mother never told any stories of the supernatural, as that invoked bad spirits. Aguri described it as a broad man, twice as broad as any man in the village, with great rippling muscles. However, his head was that of a cow.
Aguri had dropped all the bamboo shoots and even the ginseng, holding onto the hemp rope as tightly as she could while she ran frantically. The Gozu began to run alongside her, and Aguri had stared into the cow’s eyes. Aguri noticed that the Gozu was not staring at her, but rather the hemp rope she was holding, then ran quicker than her, disappearing into the grove, his hand holding onto the hemp rope.
Aguri had committed suicide, not out of fear, but out of guilt. She knew that if she had cut the hemp rope before the Gozu had disappeared into the difference with her sharp trowel, the rope would of been impossible to find. Aguri had let fear control her mind, and hoped that she would be saved. She had led the Gozu back to the village.
The village council remained silent.

Everyone in the village began to hotly debate the next course of action to take after Aguri’s demise. As much as the council tried to keep the incident that occurred in the grove a secret, the news spread throughout the entire village before nightfall.
When nightfall finally came, the men wore white hoods and carried brightly burning torches. In the midst of them was a corpse covered with a simple white shroud. Aguri’s body.
The council had deeply debated how to handle the situation at hand, and it was unanimously voted that her body was to be disposed of in the woods. The reason being twofold, she had committed a dishonorable suicide, she could find no repose in her family grave. The council also secretly hoped that disposing of Aguri in this manner would appease whatever creature lived in the woods.
The men held a simple rite for Aguri. She was a rather plain and honest girl, and there was not much to say. The men returned to the village before long, their hoods draped around their shoulders.
For a while the village returned to its old style of life. The groves were now forbidden to enter, and the council held sentry from the shrine. Two out of the three ropes had been coiled back from the bamboo forest, the one Aguri had taken with her on the fateful day remained out in the forest. The men were afraid of what they would find if they tried to recoil it.
The village had managed to supplement their meager harvest with the bounty of the groves, and it had seemed that peace had returned to the village. This all changed when Aguri stumbled back out of the grove and into the village.