The Thing That Drops from the Trees

Japanese Name	釣瓶落とし
Romanization	Tsurube-otoshi
Classification	Ambush Spirit
Expedition	Expedition I — Sacred Forests
Threat Level	■■■□□ (Level III – Dangerous)
First Recorded	Regional Oral Tradition

Tsurube-otoshi is a regional Japanese apparition associated with large trees and sudden danger from above. It is often depicted today as an enormous human head dropping from the canopy, but recorded traditions describe several different forms, including falling buckets, unseen voices, tree-dwelling beings, and creatures that seize travellers from overhead. More than any single appearance, Tsurube-otoshi is defined by one unsettling idea: something hidden above the road suddenly descends.