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Uwan
OO-wahn
Category
Personality
Origin
Uwan
OO-wahn
Basic Description
The Uwan is a yokai of uncertain identity found in Edo-period yokai art. In works like Sawaki Suushi’s Hyakkai Zukan and Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, it appears as a humanlike figure with blackened teeth, both hands raised, startling people with its voice. With no attached notes, its origins are unknown, but backgrounds of estate walls or ruined houses suggest it haunts residences. Some point to its three-fingered hands as hinting at demonic nature, though this is not established.
Folklore & Legends
One theory links the name to Kyushu dialect, where monsters are called “wan” or “wan-wan.” The imagery often shows old houses and walls, leading some to class it among house-haunting yokai. Stories in Tohoku and tales claiming it flees if you call its name back circulate, but many are considered modern inventions without primary sources. Historically, it appears mainly in pictorial materials, and no detailed traditional accounts of its traits survive.
Detailed Analysis
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