Sessho-seki

37°06′06″N 139°59′55″E / 37.1016692°N 139.9985806°E / 37.1016692; 139.9985806

The Sessho-seki (殺生石, Sesshōseki), or "Killing Stone", is a stone in the volcanic mountains of Nasu, an area of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, that is famous for sulphurous hot springs. In Japanese mythology, the stone is said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it.^[1] In Japan, rocks and large stones in areas where volcanic toxic gases are generated are often named Sessho-seki (殺生石), meaning Killing Stone, and the representative of such stones is this one associated with the legend of Tamamo-no-Mae and the nine-tailed fox.^[2]