Komayō

Urban Legend

In the remote countryside of Japan, there are whispers of a woman of unsettling beauty who wanders beneath the moonlight. Some, in hushed tones, dare to call her Komayō. The rare accounts, shrouded in mystery, speak of a graceful figure dressed in a midnight-blue kimono, appearing to lone travelers as if drawn to their solitude. Some claim she challenges them to an ancient game, its rules lost to time, similar to shōgi. It is said that those who accept this invitation are found the next day, their faces frozen in a strange smile, a game board by their side, their minds seemingly lost, consumed by an unfathomable mystery.

Komayō, smiling, stands near an exhausted opponent who has fallen asleep next to the ōgi board.