The Cracked Mirror, the Split Mochi
The Ominous Legend Hidden in Kagami Mochi
Kagami mochi, the iconic decoration of the New Year in Japan, is a symbol of good fortune that families place in their homes to welcome the upcoming year. But did you know that there’s a strange and unsettling legend surrounding this traditional rice cake?
A cracked mirror and a split mochi. When these two things come together, something eerie is said to awaken—a tale passed down in rural shrines for generations. This story is about a man who dismissed the legend, only to experience a terrifying encounter himself.
What the Cracked Mirror and Split Mochi Invited
The protagonist, Akira Sato, is an ordinary young man with a passion for collecting antiques. One day, during a visit to a remote shrine, he stumbled upon a broken mirror and a cracked kagami mochi in the shrine’s old storage shed.
“Wow, it’s rare to find something this old still intact,” he muttered.
The shrine priest, with a serious expression, gave him a stern warning: “Do not touch that mirror or the mochi.”
But curiosity got the better of Akira, and he decided to bring the two items home. That night, strange things began to happen. In the quiet of the night, a sound shattered the silence—a faint “crack… crack…” echoed through the house.
Akira rushed to the living room, only to find that the mirror’s cracks had grown wider. At the same time, the mochi on the table had developed a deeper split.
Despite his unease, Akira couldn’t help but observe the mirror and mochi. He soon realized something disturbing—the patterns on the cracked mirror matched perfectly with the jagged lines on the mochi.
One fateful evening, Akira noticed a faint light seeping through the cracks of the mirror. Unable to resist, he reached out to touch it. The moment his fingers brushed the surface, an icy chill ran through his body, and everything went dark.
When he came to, he found himself in an unfamiliar world—cold, silent, and unnervingly still. All around him were piles of split kagami mochi, stacked high like eerie monuments.
From the gaps in the mochi came faint, mournful groans. Paralyzed by fear, Akira tried to flee but felt something pulling at him from behind. A low voice whispered in his ear, “Leave… leave…”
Summoning all his strength, he managed to escape and returned to the real world.
The Warning Spoken by the Split Mochi
When Akira regained his senses, he saw that the kagami mochi on his table had turned pitch black and was completely split. Embedded in the center of the mochi’s crack was a shard of the mirror.
Through this chilling experience, Akira realized that kagami mochi wasn’t just a festive decoration—it served as a seal to contain ominous forces.
When you display kagami mochi this New Year, remember—it may not only be a symbol of family peace and prosperity but also a silent guardian against darker powers. And if you notice a crack in the mochi, perhaps it’s trying to tell you something. Take a moment to listen.
This story is a work of fiction. Please enjoy it as entertainment and use it as an opportunity to learn about the fascinating traditions of Japanese culture.
In your region, is there a tradition of displaying food items, like kagami mochi, as part of celebrations? Let us know in the comments!
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