also: かそ
fire rat; huoshu
A mythical creature from Chinese legend, said to live in fire and whose fur could be woven into fire-resistant cloth. The term appears in classical and fantasy contexts.
The robe made from fire-rat fur is one of the treasures that appear in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
In Chinese legend, the fire rat is said to live inside fire.
Standard kanji spelling for the mythical fire rat.
Alternate on'yomi reading; less common than ひねずみ.
From Chinese 火鼠 (huǒshǔ), literally 'fire rat'. The Japanese readings are ひねずみ (kun'yomi) and かそ (on'yomi).