Tracking the Zashiki Warashi:
In spite of its penchant for fun and games, the Zashiki Warashi is actually a timid sort, tending to hide from all but the residents of the homes it inhabits, and more frequently only making itself visible to very small children. Scattering ash on the floor in the evening may capture its tiny footprints come morning.
Those who want to come face to face with this yokai should visit a certain room in a hotel by the name of Ryokufuso in the Kindai-Ichi Onsen area of Iwate Prefecture. It is fabled as the home of a Zashiki Warashi. There is apparently no shortage of individuals who want to make the acquaintance of this gentle yokai, for the hotel is often booked solid for two years in advance.
Ferocious Fiends: 005
Wanyudo
Ferocious Fiends: 005
Wanyudo
輪入道
Pronunciation:
(Wah-NEW-doh)
English Names:
Firewheel, Soultaker
Gender:
Male
Size:
Roughly 3 ft. (1m) in diameter
Locomotion:
Airborne
Distinctive Features:
A flaming wagon-wheel with a human face for a hub
Offensive Weapons:
Gaze of death
Weaknesses:
Ofuda (paper talismans)
Abundance
One of a kind
Habitat:
Urban areas
Claim to Fame:
One of the oldest yokai; the origins of the Wanyudo extend back more than a thousand years to Japan’s Heian era. When a tyrannous nobleman with a penchant for viciously mistreating townspeople was assassinated during an ox-drawn wagon tour of the city, his vengeful spirit returned in the form of the Wanyudo. Some say it continues to haunt the streets of Kyoto and other cities even today. Taking the form of a spinning, flaming wagon-wheel with a furious human face in place of the hub, the Wanyudo is generally encountered in large cities, particularly residential areas.
The Attack!
Those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the path of the Wanyudo as it traces its furious trajectory through the night are mercilessly run down and ripped limb from limb, their remains left smoldering in the streets. In fact, it is said that those foolish enough to gaze upon the Wanyudo as it rolls and flames its way through city skies and streets will forfeit their lives—and their souls—to the angry creature. Such is the power of this ferocious yokai’s countenance that even the shortest, quickest glimpse is enough to induce a raging and life-threatening fever in the observer.
In one famous urban legend involving the Wanyudo, a woman who peeked out of her home to get a glimpse of the creature was spared death, but startled to see tiny human limbs dangling from its spokes. “If you have the time to gaze upon me, tend to your own child!” it is reported to have roared at her. When she did so, she discovered to her horror that her infant’s legs had been reduced to bloody stumps.
Sekien’s Wanyudo
Surviving an Encounter:
Averting one’s eyes is the traditional expedient. And if you do happen to catch a glimpse, take heart: some people merely faint from the sight of the creature rather than dying. Hey, life’s a crapshoot.
Another traditional method of surviving Wanyudo encounters is hiding. The Wanyudo is a creature of the night; when day breaks, it heads for the mountains, where it apparently slumbers in anticipation of another night’s terror. In the meantime, whatever you do, no matter what you may hear or how tempted you might be by the fury raging outside your door, do not look at the Wanyudo.
The safest place to hide from the Wanyudo is indoors. When you have located a suitable structure, paste ofuda, slips of consecrated paper inscribed with the term “kono-tokoro-shobo-no-sato,” on the doorways to keep the beast at bay. Even if the commotion outside seems to have died down, the safest course of action is to remain hidden until sunrise. The Wanyudo is too dangerous to tempt fate by leaving earlier.
Warding off the Wanyudo:
Both the legend of the inattentive mother who allowed harm to come to her child and the writing on the ofuda paper have a distinct Confucian bent. The Chinese philosopher Confucius advocated (among many other things) respect for one’s elders, and his teachings spread widely throughout Asia. The text, “kono-tokoro-shobo-no-sato,” literally, “this is the town of Shobo,” refers to a parable involving one of Confucius’ disciples avoiding the Chinese town of the same name because the characters “Shobo” can be read as “triumph over one’s mother.”
For those interested in creating their own ofuda to ward off the Wanyudo, the specific kanji characters are:
Copy and post this "ofuda" slip to keep the Wanyudo at bay!
Ferocious Fiends: 006
Neko-mata
Ferocious Fiends: 006
Neko-mata
猫又
Pronunciation:
(NEH-koh MAH-tah)
English Name:
Literally, “Forked Cat”; Two-Tails
Gender:
Male or Female
Length:
Housecat-sized to two or three times housecat-sized
Weight:
Unknown
Locomotion:
Quadrupedal or bipedal
Distinctive
