A volcanic rock known as the "killing stone," which legend says contained a demonic spirit and killed anyone who touched it, was found split in two in Japan on Monday, The Guardian reports.
According to The Guardian, "the Sessho-seki, or killing stone" is said to have contained "the transformed corpse of Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman" — legends say she was actually a kyūbi no kitsune or nine-tailed fox spirit — who participated in a secret plot "to kill Emperor Toba, who reigned from 1107-1123."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
White House withdraws Trump's spending freezeSpeed Read President Donald Trump's budget office has rescinded a directive that froze trillions of dollars in federal aid and sowed bipartisan chaos
-
Washington DC plane crash: how did mid-air collision happen?Today's Big Question Experts struggle to explain how sophisticated airspace control system failed to prevent deadly disaster
-
The Merchant of Venice: 'nothing short of gripping'The Week Recommends John Douglas Thompson is 'magisterial' as Shylock
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysisIn Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
-
Same-sex marriage becomes legal in ThailandSpeed Read The law grants same-sex spouses the same rights as married heterosexual couples
-
Top Israeli general to resign over Oct. 7 failuresSpeed Read Herzi Halevi took responsibility for his failure to prevent the attacks that sparked Israel's war in Gaza
-
80 dead in Colombia amid uptick in guerrilla fightingSpeed Read This was the country's deadliest wave of violence since the peace accords set by President Gustavo Petro in 2016
-
Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal on track to start by MondaySpeed Read A deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages and begin a ceasefire was officially signed by representatives in Doha
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiersSpeed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
-
Lebanon selects president after 2-year impasseSpeed Read The country's parliament elected Gen. Joseph Aoun as its next leader
-
US accuses Sudan rebels of genocide, sanctions chiefSpeed Read Sudan has been engaged in a bloody civil war that erupted in 2023
