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Fire-Quenching Crone

hee-KEH-shee-bah-bah

Fire-Quenching Crone

Fire-Quenching Crone

Their soul is listening — speak, and they will answer.

Basic Description

A yokai depicted by Toriyama Sekien in Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki: an old woman who blows out lights. She is said to snuff lanterns, andon lamps, and candle flames from a distance with a single puff, interpreted as an ominous, yin presence that abhors the cheerful, yang nature of fire. Oral accounts are scarce, and scholars often view the figure as largely Sekien’s invention. Later books and picture chapbooks show name variants (“Fukkeshi Baba,” “Fukikeshi Baba”) and link her to tales of lamps going out at parties or on night roads.

Folklore & Legends

Originating in Edo-period paintings, she is sometimes cited in various strange tales to explain events like “all the parlor lights went out at once” or “a lantern’s flame died on its own.” No solid evidence of older, place-specific legends or origin stories exists. Later essays and kaidan collections feature vignettes of an old woman slipping in to puff out the last lights after a feast, or blame distant, uncanny blowing for lanterns failing along night roads.

Yokai Cards1

Fire-Quenching Crone across multiple art-style decks

Card gallery

Detailed Analysis

Character Profile

This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.

Rarity
Rare

For more detailed information and diagnosis results about 灯を吹き消す老女・火消婆, please click here.

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