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Japan: A long-necked rokurokubi woman of Kyoto. From the Kaikidan Ekotoba Monster Scroll, mid-19th century.

Japan: A long-necked rokurokubi woman of Kyoto. From the Kaikidan Ekotoba Monster Scroll, mid-19th century.

This rokurokubi, a woman with the ability to stretch her neck to extraordinary lengths, is said to have been encountered by a messenger one night near Ninna-ji temple in Kyoto. The Kaikidan Ekotoba is a mid-19th century handscroll that profiles 33 legendary monsters and human oddities, mostly from the Kyushu region of Japan, but with several from other countries, including China, Russia and Korea. The document, whose author is unknown, is in the possession of the Fukuoka City Museum.

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