An ancient 'killing stone' in Japan that legend says is home to an evil spirit split in two and is now causing people in the area to worry about what could happen next.
The rock is named Sessho-seki, and is home to Tamamo-no-Mae, a legendary figure in Japanese mythology, better known as the nine-tailed fox. Legend says a beautiful woman took the evil spirit, and eventually was exposed as the nine-tailed fox in a plot to kill Emperor Toba. She was then killed by a famous warrior and became the stone.
According to mythology, the stone will kill anyone that comes in contact with it.
It's located in the mountains of Nasu, an area in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, that's well known for its hot springs.
A Twitter user posted a picture of the rock broken in half, and expressed concern that the evil spirit was released and could cause harm. The tweet has nearly 80,000 retweets and over 180,000 likes, as people from all over report worry about the spirit.
"I came alone to Sesshoseki, where the legend of the nine-tailed fox remains," the Twitter user said. "The big rock in the middle wrapped around with a rope is that... It was supposed to be, but the rock was split in half and the rope was also detached.
"If it's a manga, it's a pattern that the seal is broken and it's possessed by the nine-tailed fox, and I feel like I've seen something that shouldn't be seen."
The rock began cracking a couple of years ago, according to local reports, per The Sun. They believe that rainwater could have caused the damage from within the 'killing stone.'
Some other Twitter users replied to the viral post and showed pictures from when they were there last with the rock still intact. Although, a picture from December showed signs of cracking.
Local officials are trying to figure out what to do with the rock's remains, and if it could be restored.
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