Zashiki-warashi

The spirit of money (the archetype of Zashiki warashi) from Ugetsu Monogatari

A Zashiki warashi (座敷童/座敷童子 zashiki warashi), sometimes also called Zashiki bokko (座敷ぼっこ zashiki bokko, sitting room basking), is a yōkai originating from Iwate Prefecture. References to it can be found in many parts of modern Japanese culture.

It is similar to the Russian folk story of the Domovoi.

Description

According to folklore, to attract and maintain a zashiki warashi in the home it is said that "the spirit must be noticed, appreciated and cared for properly, much in the manner one would raise a child, though too much attention may drive it off." As the zashiki warashi is child-like in nature, it is prone to playing harmless pranks and occasionally causing mischief. They might, for instance, "sit on a guest's futon, turn people's pillows over or cause sounds similar to kagura music to be heard from rooms no one uses." Sometimes they leave little footsteps in ashes. There are different variations as to who can see the zashiki warashi; usually this is limited to inhabitants of the house, sometimes to children.

The appearance of this spirit is that of a 5 or 6 year child with bobbed hair and a red face. Zashiki warashi can be found in well-maintained and preferably large old houses. It is said that once a zashiki warashi inhabits a house, it brings the residence great fortune; on the other hand, should a zashiki warashi depart, the domain soon falls into a steep decline.

Etymology

The name breaks down to zashiki, a sitting room or parlor, usually with tatami flooring, and warashi, an archaic term for a child, used particularly in the northeast of Japan.[1]

The Ryokufūsō in Kindaichi-Onsen, which burned down on October 4, 2009, was famed for its zashiki warashi. Yōkai similar to zashiki warashi in other parts of Japan include the makuragaeshi in Ishikawa Prefecture, the akashaguma or kura bokko in Tokushima Prefecture and the akashaguma living in the Kotohira Shrine.

In popular culture

References

  1. Daijirin (3rd ed.), Sanseido Books, 2006, ISBN 4385139059

External links

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