Zashiki-warashi
zashiki-warashi
Zashiki-warashi in Tōhoku Homes
Half-Human / Half-YokaiRegional traditions of Tōhoku, including the Tōno region of Iwate Prefecture
The zashiki-warashi is not simply a young god of good fortune in red clothing. Tales 17 and 18 of Tales of Tōno include a boy of about twelve or thirteen, an unseen presence known only by rustling paper and snuffling, and two young girls who leave a household. The stories associate it with a home’s prosperity or decline, but the original does not say that the children caused the disaster. As Kizen Sasaki’s 1920 collection shows, its names, forms, rooms of appearance, and explanations of origin vary greatly by region.