Basan
Encyclopedia
Basan alternatively referred to as Basabasa (婆娑婆娑) or Inuhōō (犬鳳凰) , is a fowl
Fowl
Fowl is a word for birds in general but usually refers to birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl and the waterfowl...

-like bird illustrated in the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari
Ehon Hyaku Monogatari
The , also called the is a book of images by Japanese artist Takehara Shunsen, published ca. 1841. The book was intended as a followup to Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yakō series. Like these books it is a supernatural bestiary of ghosts, monsters, and spirits which has had a profound influence on...

 that lives in the mountains of Iyo Province
Iyo Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku. Iyo bordered on Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa Provinces. It was sometimes called ....

 (today Ehime Prefecture
Ehime Prefecture
is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...

). According to the description on the illustration, it resembles a large chicken and breathes ghost-fire from its mouth. It is described as having a bright red cockscomb
Comb (anatomy)
Anatomically, a comb is a fleshy growth, caruncle, or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, most notably turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens...

 and spits an equally brilliant-hued fire. Due to the fire having a temperature akin to that of a Will-o'-the-wisp
Will-o'-the-wisp
A will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus , also called a "will-o'-wisp", "jack-o'-lantern" , "hinkypunk", "corpse candle", "ghost-light", "spook-light", "fairy light", "friar's lantern", "hobby lantern", "ghost orb", or simply "wisp", is a ghostly light or lights sometimes seen at night or twilight over...

, it doesn't burn.

It usually lives in the bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

groves of mountain recesses but sometimes materializes in human villages late at night. When the Basan flaps its wings, an eerie rustling ("basabasa") sound can be heard. Supposedly, if a human hears the sound and looks outside, the bird's form will suddenly vanish.
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