In Japanese folklore, a woman consumed by jealousy or obsession can transform into a fearsome yōkai (spirit or demon). Kiyohime represents the most powerful manifestation of this figure: she does not fight her madness, but embraces it fully, acquiring extraordinary powers such as the ability to turn into a snake and breathe searing flames. ‘Kiyohime and the Bell of Dōjō-ji’ is a folk legend, which was later adapted into a Nō and Kabuki play. The young Kiyohime falls in love with Anchin, a Buddhist monk who feigns a promise to marry her; however, upon realising the girl’s serious intentions, the monk decides to sever all ties and flee: her anger and disappointment transform Kiyohime into a serpent demon. To protect himself, the monk enters the sacred precincts of Dōjō-ji Temple and hides beneath the temple bell; however, the serpent demon climbs up the bell itself and, after striking it, melts it down, killing the man who was once her beloved. The netsuke depicts precisely the moment when Kiyohime, in the form of a demon, surmounts the temple bell.