The Kunekune is a fictitious being that originated on the Internet as a Japanese urban legend. First mentioned on websites in 2003, the Kunekune is typically described as having a slender, white, paper- or fabric-like humanoid shape, and is usually said to appear in fields on hot summer days. Its name, Kunekune, is derived from its alleged behavior of wiggling its limbs. Explanations for the Kunekune include its appearances being the result of confusion with scarecrows or wick drains.
Description
The Kunekune is said to resemble a slender, white humanoid shape, like a paper mannequin or a piece of fine fabric. It is said that the being can be found at lunchtime during hot summer days. The Kunekune lingers in widely extended rice fields or acres, in rare cases it might be found over the open sea. Its limbs are said to wiggle permanently, as if there was a straight gust of wind, even if it was a windless day. This behaviour gave the being the Japanese name "Kunekune", meaning "to twist", "to wiggle" or "to meander". The Kunekune allegedly can only be seen from a distance; witnesses may see field workers or others closer to a Kunekune who do not seem to be aware of it. In some variations, if an individual tries to look at it up close, they will go insane. In other versions, if someone touches it, or simply comes too close, the Kunekune will kill them. If someone does not approach or make contact with the Kunekune, it is said that the Kunekune will ignore them.
Background
First mention of the Kunekuneappeared in 2003 at several websites at the same time. These websites deal with made-up stories concerning ghosts, demons and other kinds of spooks. Soon after the first published reports, Kunekune-believers began to write and collect their own stories. These are all written in the first person singular in an attempt to make them look like eyewitness reports. A similar phenomenon can be observed with the case of the Slender Man and with Hanako-san. The appearance of the Kunekune may be the result of confusion with traditional scarecrows, which are found in fields of rice and barley, or Textiles in mythology and folklore, or snake worship like Hasshaku-sama or misinterpretation of a wick drains planted to drain water from inner ground to robust the soft ground. Another possible explanation might be thick fog clouds, which appear over the fields during lunchtime. A third possibility might be hallucinations, created by heat stroke and dehydration during hot summer days.
