Lurking in the mountain recesses of Ehime Prefecture, this monster bird resembles nothing so much as an oversized barnyard fowl. During the day it hides itself away in bamboo groves, but at night it emerges and wanders into villages, making a strange rustling "basabasa" noise and causing people to peek out of their houses, only to find nothing there. The basan is also said to breathe fox-fire, creating eerie ghost-flames. It is, however, not known to cause any injury to humans.¹

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1. Mizuki vol. 4 2004, p 121.