The Seven CompanionsCollected Tradition Edition (Shikoku Type)

An amalgam of seven-in-a-row ghost tales found across Shikoku. Its core traits are threefold: seven figures advance in single file without a word, they appear at crossroads, on night roads, or at rainy dusk, and an encounter portends misfortune. Names, time of appearance, and garb vary by locale. In Sanuki they look human but are usually invisible, perceptible only through a ritual vantage—peering from beneath a cow’s hindquarters. A subtype limited to crossroads at the dead of night is called Shichi-nin Dōji, and certain once-busy junctions are remembered for their passage. The Shichi-nin Dōshi, who appear in rain wearing straw raincoats and hats, are linked to executed souls; a folk remedy to dispel the gloom after meeting them is to fan oneself with a winnowing basket. In Tokushima, seven child spirits accompanying the Headless Horse are said to have faded after Jizō statues were erected for their repose, reflecting a regional belief that memorial rites quell calamity. Though sometimes conflated with Shichi-nin Misaki, local names and functions differ; Shichi-nin Dōkō are identified by the outward feature of seven spirits marching in a line.

Yokai with similar personality and characteristics to Collected Tradition Edition (Shikoku Type)

Aburabō (Oil Wraith)

Abura-bō (Traditional Form)

93%

Compatibility

Sanmai Tarō

Zammai Taro (Folkloric Type)

93%

Compatibility

Lamp-less Soba Stall

Honjo Seven Wonders Type

92%

Compatibility

Yokai with opposite personality and characteristics to Collected Tradition Edition (Shikoku Type)

Hotei

Incarnation of Maitreya, the Laughing Monk, Hotei

51%

Compatibility

Ame-no-uzume

The Laughing Dancer Who Opens the Rock Cave

54%

Compatibility

Kannon

Bodhisattva of 33 Forms and Infinite Compassion

56%

Compatibility