JUBOKKO

Lore

Jubokko, whose name literally translates as "tree child," belongs to a rare class of plant yokai that live exclusively on human blood and life-force. At first glance the yokai looks like an ordinary tree, distinguished only by an unnaturally lush crown even on scorched or barren ground. This unnatural freshness is the first sign that something is wrong: the tree never decays thanks to the constant flow of blood it absorbs.

A closer look reveals twisted branches in barely perceptible motion, tipped with hollow growths that work like capillary needles; with them the Jubokko pierces its prey and drains it dry. Some accounts add a pale-white bark studded with sharp thorns. Any cut to this bark releases real human blood, and the wounds seal quickly through the tree's own regeneration.

For that healing, the yokai draws on life-energy stored inside its trunk. Around the roots lie scattered bones: the wood cannot digest flesh, so once every drop of blood is gone, the victim's body collapses at the base of the tree. These grim remains often serve as the only warning for travelers before they step within reach of the tree's deceptively beautiful canopy.

A Jubokko's habitat is typically a place of mass death-battlefields, execution grounds, or large burial sites. It is said that an ordinary tree becomes a yokai when its roots soak up the blood of people who died violently, drawing in both nutrients and the hatred of the fallen. After that transformation, the Jubokko turns predator, forever craving fresh blood and guarding its blood-soaked territory with silent, rooted aggression.