Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Shōjō Boy, Shōjō Child
Category: Cave dweller
The Myth
The Shōjō Kozō is a small yokai depicted as a child with long hair and a completely red body resembling that of a Shōjō. Aside from its unusual appearance, little is recorded about the creature.
Unlike many other yokai, no legends or stories describing the Shōjō Kozō are known. It survives only through its depiction in the Monster Scroll, an illustrated collection of supernatural creatures painted by Miyagawa Harumizu during the mid-Edo period.
Because no accompanying tale was recorded, the Shōjō Kozō remains one of the more mysterious yokai in Japanese folklore, known almost entirely from its illustration.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “猩々小僧 (Shōjō Kozō).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). Accessed July 28, 2026. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1051082152.html