Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 樹中住餓鬼, Tree-Dwelling Hungry Ghost
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Juchūjū Gaki is one of the thirty-six types of hungry ghosts described in Buddhist teachings. It is a tormented spirit condemned to exist trapped inside the trunk of a tree. Like a tiny insect burrowing within wood, it is confined in an extremely narrow space, unable to move freely and suffering continual agony.
Those who cut down trees that provide cool shade or destroy the groves surrounding Buddhist temples are said to risk being reborn as Juchūjū Gaki. Their punishment reflects the harm they inflicted upon trees that offered shelter and upon sacred temple forests. In the afterlife, they experience the same helpless confinement that their actions brought upon the natural world.
Depictions of these suffering spirits appear in the Kitano Tenjin Engi and the Rokudō-e paintings preserved at Shōjūraigōji Temple. In these images, hungry ghosts are shown trapped within hollow tree trunks, twisting and suffering inside their wooden prisons. Their fate serves as a warning against destroying trees that provide shade and protection.
Sources
. “受注受餓鬼 (Juchūju Gaki).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655143.html