Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: どんどろ, Dondoro Doll, Itō no Dondoro
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Dondoro is a strange folk-art figure that was sold as a souvenir in Itō, Shizuoka Prefecture, from around the 1950s onward. The figure consists of a bizarre head made from materials such as paper clay, mounted on a wooden base. It became known by names such as Dondoro Ningyō, or Dondoro Doll, and Itō no Dondoro, meaning Dondoro of Itō.

According to a legend printed with the dolls, Dondoro originated from a foreign deity brought to Japan by William Adams, the English navigator who served Tokugawa Ieyasu and became known in Japan as Miura Anjin. While building a Western-style sailing ship at the Itō Tōjingawa under Ieyasu’s orders, Adams supposedly remembered a god worshipped on a South Sea island he had visited before reaching Japan. He enshrined the deity in the hope of suppressing an outbreak of disease, and the ritual was said to help bring the shipbuilding project to completion.

The Dondoro Doll was presented as a representation of this foreign deity, which supposedly continued to be venerated in Itō. The figure was promoted as a protective charm against evil and a bringer of good fortune. However, the doll’s actual origins appear to date only to the postwar period, and the story connecting it to William Adams is believed to have been invented to give the souvenir an appealing legendary history.

---

Sources

“Dondoro.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1062982791.html

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 骨傘, ほねからかさ, Skeletal Umbrella
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Hone Karakasa are supernatural umbrellas belonging to the Japanese tradition of tsukumogami, in which old objects acquire a life of their own. They originate from tattered and torn Chinese-style paper umbrellas whose coverings have fallen away, leaving their exposed wooden ribs resembling the bones of a fish. This skeletal appearance gives the creature its name, with hone meaning “bone.”

Hone Karakasa come to life on wet, windy days, when they leap into the air and dance across the sky like wild birds. Their sudden appearance is regarded as a sign that bad weather is approaching. Although they have no need to hunt or feed, their lively movements make them conspicuous supernatural inhabitants of stormy skies.

Hone Karakasa are closely related to the better-known Karakasa Kozō, another umbrella yokai. Both creatures reflect the Japanese belief that old household objects can develop supernatural life, transforming discarded umbrellas into strange beings associated with the wind and rain.

---

Sources

“Hone karakasa.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/honekarakasa/

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 箒神, ははきがみ, Hōkigami, Broom Spirit
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Hahakigami are supernatural spirits that inhabit brooms, belonging to the Japanese tradition of tsukumogami, in which old objects acquire a life of their own. They are sometimes said to appear on cold, windy mornings in late autumn, when they can be seen sweeping fallen leaves wildly through the air. Their activity reflects the broom’s familiar purpose while transforming an ordinary household implement into a supernatural presence.

Brooms were once sacred instruments used in ritual purification rather than merely tools for cleaning. They were used to sweep the air within a room or area, clearing away evil spirits and lingering negative influences. After many years of use, a broom could become a suitable home for a spirit, particularly because of its longstanding association with purification rituals. The Hahakigami therefore embodies both the supernatural life of old objects and the spiritual significance traditionally attached to sweeping.

Hahakigami also serve as magical charms associated with childbirth. Because a broom sweeps things away, the spirit is believed to help “sweep” a baby safely out of its mother’s body, encouraging a quick and uncomplicated delivery. The same symbolic power can be used to ensure that guests do not overstay their welcome. Just as a broom removes dirt and unwanted influences, the Hahakigami can symbolically sweep away visitors whose presence has lasted too long.

---

Sources

“Hahaki-gami.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/hahakigami/

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 雲外鏡, うんがいきょう, Mirror Beyond the Clouds
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Ungaikyō is a haunted mirror that reveals demons and monsters in its reflective surface. The spirit inhabiting the mirror, together with the countless supernatural beings reflected in it over the years, can manipulate its images and make them appear in almost any form. Anyone who gazes into an Ungaikyō may see a monstrous, transformed version of themselves staring back. According to later interpretations, a mirror that reaches one hundred years of age can also develop a soul and become a yokai, following the Japanese tradition of old objects acquiring supernatural life.

Ungaikyō can also be used to capture spirits. During the full moon on the fifteenth night of the eighth month in the traditional lunar calendar, water is poured into a crystal dish to reflect the moonlight. If this water is then used to paint the image of a yokai onto a mirror, the spirit depicted is said to inhabit the mirror. This practice connects the creature with traditional moon viewing and the belief that reflections can serve as a means of contact with the supernatural.

The Ungaikyō was illustrated by Toriyama Sekien in his collection Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, where it was inspired by the Chinese legend of the Shōmakyō, or demon-revealing mirror. This legendary mirror could expose the true forms of supernatural beings disguised as humans. King Zhou of the Shang dynasty used it to reveal that his consort Daji was actually a wicked nine-tailed fox spirit plotting to ruin his kingdom. Once exposed, she fled, eventually becoming associated with the Japanese legend of Tamamo no Mae. Sekien proposed that a mirror repeatedly exposed to demons and monsters might gradually absorb their supernatural qualities until it became a yokai itself.

In modern portrayals, Ungaikyō sometimes appears as one of the transformations of a tanuki. By inflating its belly, the animal displays an image upon its skin, resembling a television screen. This version originates not from traditional folklore but from Daiei Films’ yokai movies of 1968–1969. Despite its modern origin, it has become a recognizable interpretation of the mirror spirit.

---

Sources

“Ungaikyō.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/ungaikyou/

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 提灯お化け, ちょうちんおばけ, Paper Lantern Ghost
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Chōchin obake are supernatural paper lanterns that come to life after reaching an advanced age. Their paper coverings split along one of the wooden ribs, creating a gaping mouth with a long, lolling tongue. One or two eyes emerge from the upper part of the lantern, and in some depictions, arms or legs grow from its body. These transformations turn an ordinary household lighting object into a bizarre and often comical apparition.

Like the karakasa kozō, another yokai associated with an everyday object, Chōchin obake generally prefer frightening and startling people rather than causing physical harm. They cackle, roll their enormous eyes, and stick out their tongues at unsuspecting guests in the home. Their strange appearance and playful behavior make them familiar figures among Japan’s object spirits, which arise when everyday possessions acquire supernatural life.

Despite their usually harmless reputation, Chōchin obake can sometimes conceal something far more dangerous. Powerful onryō, vengeful spirits of the dead, may disguise themselves as paper lantern ghosts. This creates a striking contrast between the comical appearance of an ordinary lantern yokai and the potentially deadly spirit hiding beneath its disguise.

---

Sources

“Chōchin obake.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/chouchinobake/

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 経凛々, きょうりんりん, Awe-Inspiring Sutra
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Kyōrinrin are supernatural spirits formed from ancient scrolls, books, and religious scriptures that have been neglected by their owners and left gathering dust. These creatures embody the accumulated knowledge contained within old writings, which rises into supernatural life when valuable texts are abandoned and left unstudied. Their appearance is extravagant, with ornate volumes and scrolls arranged around their bodies like a kimono. A scroll decorated with tassels serves as a headpiece, while the spirit develops a bird-like beak and long arms capable of extending to extraordinary lengths.

Driven by the wisdom contained in the writings that compose them, Kyōrinrin rise as dragon-like spirits. They use their elongated arms to attack the ignorant owners who have allowed priceless books and scriptures to fall into disuse. Their supernatural aggression reflects the idea that knowledge should be respected rather than neglected, particularly when it has been preserved in ancient and valuable texts.

As a type of tsukumogami, Kyōrinrin belong to the Japanese tradition of objects acquiring supernatural life. Their existence transforms forgotten books and religious writings into imposing guardians of neglected knowledge, reminding people that the wisdom of earlier generations deserves attention and respect.

---

Sources

“Kyōrinrin.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/kyourinrin/

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 琵琶牧々, びわぼくぼく
Category: Object

---

The Myth

The Biwa Bokuboku is a supernatural musical instrument known as a tsukumogami, a household object that has acquired a life of its own. It resembles a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute used to accompany the singing of stories and poems, transformed into a humanoid figure dressed like a blind priest. It carries a cane and wanders through the streets, playing music for money.

According to tradition, a biwa of exceptionally fine construction can transform into a Biwa Bokuboku after reaching an advanced age. Rather than remaining an ordinary instrument, it develops a body and the ability to move and perform independently. It plays music as it travels, turning its former purpose as a musical instrument into a supernatural existence.

The creature’s name is connected to Bokuba, a legendary biwa renowned for its extraordinary musical abilities. This magnificent instrument was said to play by itself whenever nobody was watching. Its music was so beautiful that even oni, the fearsome demons of Japanese tradition, could be enchanted by it. The Biwa Bokuboku thus combines the Japanese tradition of aging objects acquiring supernatural life with the legendary power of music to captivate even supernatural beings.

---

Sources

“Biwa boku boku.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/biwabokuboku/

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 野鎌, Wild Sickle
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Nogama is a supernatural sickle associated with Kōchi and Tokushima prefectures in Japan. It belongs to the same general category of creatures as the Kama-itachi, supernatural beings associated with sudden cutting injuries. According to regional traditions, an ordinary sickle can become a dangerous yokai under certain circumstances, transforming a familiar agricultural tool into a source of unexplained harm.

In Tokushima Prefecture, it is said that throwing a sickle into a field can cause it to transform into a wild sickle that begins cutting people. On Mount Iya, people were warned that sickles and hoes used for digging graves or performing similar burial-related work could become Nogama unless they were left in the graveyard for seven days before being taken home. A traditional chant was recited after someone had been cut by the creature: “Under the foot of the Buddha’s left temple, this is a stump of black bamboo shoots. Do not feel pain, and the black stalk will grow quickly.” The words were intended to address the injury and encourage the wound to heal.

In Kōchi Prefecture, Nogama was likewise understood as a supernatural being formed from a sickle. When someone suffered a sudden, unexplained cut while travelling through the mountains, the injury could be attributed to a wild sickle. People described such incidents with expressions meaning that a wild sickle had eaten them or cut them. The tradition reflects the fear of invisible dangers in the landscape and offers a supernatural explanation for mysterious wounds encountered in the countryside.

---

Sources

“Nogama.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010653527.html

---

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Tendō-san no Kin Kusari, Tendō-san’s Golden Rope, Tendō-san’s Chains of Gold
Category: Object

---

The Myth

Tendō-san’s Gold Chain is a Japanese folktale found in versions across the country, from the Tōhoku region in the north to Kyūshū and the southwestern islands. The story begins with a mother and her three children. One day, a fearsome Yamauba, a mountain witch, devours the mother and disguises herself as her victim to approach the children. Suspicious of the visitor, the children refuse to open the door, making excuses such as claiming that their visitor’s hands are too hairy. The Yamauba shaves the hair from her arms and returns, only to be rejected again because her voice sounds different. She then drinks dew from bamboo groves or sugar water to alter her voice, eventually deceiving the children into letting her inside. The youngest child is eaten, but the two surviving siblings discover the truth and flee.

The Yamauba pursues the escaping children, who attempt to outwit her and separate themselves from their pursuer. When they are finally in danger of being caught, a golden chain or rope descends from heaven, sent by Tendō-san, a heavenly power associated with the sun. The siblings seize the chain and climb into the sky, where they become stars. The Yamauba asks heaven for a rope as well, but the one sent to her is made of ash or rotten material. It breaks while she is climbing, causing her to fall to her death. In some versions, her blood stains the stems of buckwheat red, explaining their colour.

The tale varies considerably between regions and storytellers. In some versions, one or both siblings become the moon rather than stars, and the story has sometimes been connected to the children’s song asking how many moons there are. Other versions omit the golden chain entirely, ending instead with the Yamauba falling from a tree. Some Kagoshima variants even allow the mother to be revived. Although the story contains frightening elements, it often portrays the Yamauba as a figure repeatedly outwitted by clever children, giving the tale a humorous dimension alongside its themes of danger, escape, and heavenly rescue.

---

Sources

“Tendo-kin-kusari.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1079718379.html

---