Brushing Shoulders with Yokai: The Reiwa Everyday

Net-CutterAH-mee-kee-ree

A strange creature with scissor-like forelimbs stands in the lane between old townhouses. Its great claws remain open, though there is not a net in sight. Amikiri has long been interpreted, true to its name, as a cutter of fishing nets and mosquito netting. Whether laundry bags fall within its remit is unknown. If you meet one, keep clothes with many ties out of view.

Kazutsumi Dōji (Number Block)kah-zoo-TSOO-mee DOH-jee

On the tatami, a blue-haired child stacks brightly colored number blocks. Whether this is arithmetic in progress or preparation for a prank remains unclear. Kazutsumi-dōji teaches numbers through play while shifting each answer by a single digit. Point out the mistake, and it simply adds another block.

KeukegenKAY-oo-kay-gen

A mass of long hair reaches all the way to the floor, taking over the bathroom in the morning. It stands before the mirror, yet no face or expression can be found. Keukegen bears a name meaning something rarely seen. No tradition says it appears in homes where the drain has gone uncleared, but this quantity inspires immediate remorse.

Epidemic Godyahk-BYOH-gah-mee

An old man wrapped in red cloth and talismans walks slowly through rainy Hanazonobangai. Passersby do not turn; they simply make space. Yakubyōgami is the dreaded bearer of illness and calamity, traditionally sent beyond the community's bounds with festivals and charms. Instead of asking where he is headed, go straight home today.

ChokuboronCHOH-koo-BOH-ron

In a wet alley, a tiny figure dressed as a komusō crawls from a wooden crate. The sake cup on its head is not quite large enough to keep off the rain. Chokuboron was born from one of Toriyama Sekien's puns, joining a drinking cup with a mendicant monk. A crate for shelter, a cup for a hat: even after escaping the Edo-period joke, it carries everything from the original picture.

Iwanabōzu (Monk Trout)ee-wah-nah-BOH-zoo

By a mountain stream, a monk with a fish's head stands holding a staff. He watches the angler's hands more closely than the water. Iwana-bōzu is an aged char transformed into a priest, appearing to warn against the taking of life. There is no such thing as "just one fish" in this river. It will watch in silence until the rod is put away.

Hand-EyesTEH-no-meh

A man in black sits beside a torii, both hands turned toward you. The eyes in his palms never look away, even held close enough to cover his face. Te-no-me has eyes not on its face but in its hands. Putting down the phone does not seem to remove you from view. Think carefully before waving back.

Mokugyo DarumaMOH-koo-gyoh dah-ROO-mah

A bearded wooden fish sits heavily on a temple cushion. It ignores the mallet beside it, its wide eyes fixed in fierce concentration. The fish that never sleeps, combined with Daruma of the legendary nine years facing a wall: Mokugyo Daruma would hardly struggle to stay awake in an online meeting. Striking him is probably forbidden.

Nyoi Jizai (Will-at-Will Scepter Spirit)NYOH-ee jee-ZAI

In a room piled with books stands a winged, monk-like figure holding a nyoi scepter. Its face bears nothing but a spiral, and it shows no sign of hearing your concerns. Nyoi-jizai is the back-scratching ritual implement, able to reach an itch wherever one wishes, transformed into a yokai. It will find that exact spot between your shoulders. There is no guarantee those long claws exist only to help.

Taimatsumarutie-MAHT-soo-mah-roo

On a branch deep in the forest, a raptor's beak and talons burn with flame. There is more than enough light around it, yet the path ahead remains dark. Taimatsu-maru is linked to fires that lead ascetics astray. This is no convenient streetlamp; its glow exists to confuse direction. The brighter way is not always the safe one.

Horned Washbasin HanzōTSOO-noh-HAHN-zoh

In a narrow kitchen, a horned woman dips her hands into a lacquered basin. The water is still, yet the air before the mirror hangs heavy. Tsunohanzō is a court handwashing vessel that became a yokai. Said to float writing upon water, this ancient object knows more about indelible fixations than the stains one hopes to wash away.

Shu no BanSHOO noh BAHN

Deep in an old alley, a monk with a vivid red face looks back with a bowl hanging at his side. He is plainly ready to shock you, though his pace remains oddly composed. Shunobon was feared for startling a person twice and stealing their soul. Surviving the first encounter is no cause for relief; meeting him again on the way home is the real event.

Kiri IchibēKEE-ree EE-chee-bay

On a mountain road at night, identical children stand silently in single file. More figures continue beyond the one in front. Kiri Ichibē is said to split in two whenever struck, doubling again and again. There is no use taking attendance. Until the rooster crows, whatever you do, do not touch them.

Maki-jo (Demon Woman)MAH-kee-joh

On the wet rocks, a demon woman in red crouches low. Between her hair, horns rise above downcast eyes that show no intention of returning to town. Makijo is said to live on Mount Makiyama in Ishinomaki. Linked in local tradition to Ōtakemaru, she stays on the mountain, watching only the running water.

Water-Begging GhostMEE-zoo-koi YOO-ray

In an alley after the rain, a drenched woman holds out a small cup. A blue bucket sits at her feet, yet her thirst remains. Mizukoi-yūrei is the ghost of one who died with longing unresolved and returns night after night to beg for water. If you see her, offer clean water and quiet prayers before you give in to fear.

The Tsugaru Drum of Honjotsu-GAH-roo no TIE-koh

Against the buildings at dusk, the drum atop an old fire-watch tower looks down on the city. A white figure lingers quietly in its shadow. Tsugaru no Taiko, one of the Seven Mysteries of Honjo, preserves the puzzle of a district where fire was announced with a drum rather than a wooden clapper. The quieter it is tonight, the more closely you listen.

Shirōnerishee-ROH-neh-ree

Along a willow-lined river, a mass of aged white cloth walks as the wind teases it apart. Its hem trails far behind, with no owner anywhere in sight. Shirōneri is said to be an old dishcloth transformed, its windblown shape compared to a white dragon. Ownerless fabric alone coils against the river breeze.

Taira no MasakadoTaira no Masakado

A man in black pauses among office towers blurred by rain. Heian court dress settles into the modern business district with startling ease. Taira no Masakado is revered as a guardian, yet also feared for the curse that follows disrespect. Even the rushing crowd would do well to leave him a little room.

JorōgumoJorōgumo

In a dim corner of the corridor, a woman in black turns quietly. The thread running from the wall to her fingertips has somehow closed off the exit too. Jorōgumo takes the form of a beautiful woman and lures prey into her web. It may look as though she is working late again, but the last train is not what she is waiting for.

One-Eared Pigkah-tah-KEE-rah-OO-wah

A one-eared pig walks straight toward you through a rainy alley in Amami. Kata-kira-uwa is said to pass beneath a person's legs and steal the soul, and to cast no shadow. As it approaches, remember the local instruction: cross your legs.

Yarikechō (Spear Tuft Spirit)yah-ree-keh-CHOH

In a Gion lane, a strange figure holding a long feathered spear and wooden mallet fills the width of the road. Yarikechō is a tsukumogami born from one of the old decorative spears carried in samurai processions. To pass, you will have to retreat into a storefront.

Nyūbachibōnyoo-bah-chee-BOH

Along a road after the rain walks a monk whose face is completely hidden by a metal bowl. Nyūbachibō is thought to be a tsukumogami born from a percussion instrument such as cymbals or a hand gong. Every time the mallet rises, the neighborhood dogs brace first.

HatahiroHAH-tah-HEE-roh

At an old weaving house, a woman's silver serpent body extends far beyond her feet at the loom. Hatahiro is cloth woven in resentment for a husband who never returned, transformed into a snake that goes searching for people. The shuttle falls silent, but the fabric continues toward the door.

Enenraeh-NEHN-rah

In the morning kitchen, steam and smoke begin to trace the outline of a young woman. Enenra is a yokai formed when smoke from a hearth or mosquito coil twists into something as fine as gauze. The heat is off, but the figure remains before the sink.

Shibiru-biru (Buru-buru) – The Quiver Spiritboo-roo-BOO-roo

At an empty station at dusk, a pale blue woman turns with a hand to the back of her neck. Buruburu is fear made yokai, clinging at the collar and sending gooseflesh and chills through the body. The train is not here yet, but the wind behind you is already cold.

Bone WomanHOH-neh-ON-nah

In a nighttime alley, a skeletal woman waits for someone with a peony-patterned lantern in hand. Hone-onna is portrayed as a skeleton who visits her lover night after night, appearing to him as a beautiful woman. Perhaps the one she is waiting for cannot see this face.

RaijūRYE-joo

On a road still bright with lightning, a drenched beast stands with its fur on end. Raijū was said to fall from thunderclouds and tear bark or earth with its sharp claws. Once the rain stops, it apparently intends to return to the sky.

Kanazuchibōkah-nah-ZOO-chee-boh

At the entrance to a small factory, a bird-faced worker rests a hammer on his shoulder. Kanazuchibō appears in the same form in old yokai scrolls, but no account tells us what he strikes or why. The starting bell has not rung, yet only the factory owner is keeping a careful distance.

Isonadeisonade

A great shark-like shadow sits almost like a person on a wet piling. Isonade is a sea monster of western Japan that approaches boats unseen and sweeps their crews into the water with its barbed tail. While it is ashore, do not step closer to inspect the end of the tail you cannot see.

Female TenguOHN-nah TEN-goo

At a mountain shrine, a black-winged woman holds a small tengu mask at her side. Onna-tengu has been described both as a fallen nun and as a female river tengu, her identity shifting even in older records. When the trees along the approach begin to rustle, her wings open first.