Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 片輪車, かたわぐるま, One-Wheeled Cart
Category: Flame
The Myth
The Katawaguruma, meaning “crippled wheel,” is a terrifying supernatural being from Japanese mythology. It appears as a tormented, naked woman riding upon a single enormous wheel engulfed in flames. Unlike the Wanyūdō, which is commonly depicted with a monk’s head attached to a burning wheel, the Katawaguruma retains the appearance of a suffering woman, condemned to burn eternally. It is associated with hell and is said to travel along roads and mountain passes, sometimes entering villages in search of impure souls to drag back to its infernal masters.
The Katawaguruma is feared because merely seeing it can bring powerful curses. As stories about the demon spread through gossip and rumours, its curse is believed to travel with them, eventually bringing calamity upon an entire community. Yet, despite its terrifying appearance and destructive powers, the Katawaguruma is also said to possess a capacity for mercy.
A seventeenth-century legend from what is now Shiga Prefecture tells of the demon attacking a village and abducting the child of a woman who watched it through a crack in her door. The Katawaguruma rebuked her, declaring that she should have been watching her child instead of staring at the supernatural visitor. Overcome with guilt, the woman composed a poem acknowledging her fault and displayed it throughout the village as a warning to others to watch their children carefully. When the Katawaguruma returned the following night, it recognised the woman’s sincere remorse and returned the child unharmed. After this act of mercy, the demon was never seen in the village again.
Sources
“Katawaguruma.” Yokai.com: The Database of Japanese Folklore. https://yokai.com/katawaguruma/