Tradition: Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Kowabakarachiki
Category: Demon
The Myth
Kowabakarachiki is a strange monster depicted stomping on a man. Its barking cry is described as “akirence,” while the man being stepped on cries out, “Oya wo ya, whatever.”
The creature appears in the Hyakki Yakō Monogatari, where it is listed as “Bamba Kowabakarachiki.” It does not appear in the Chinese texts associated with Heian and Han traditions, and the source describes it as a later local creation.
Kowabakarachiki was created as a wordplay based on the Yuri language, or Kaku language. Its name is said to play on a phrase meaning roughly “Koha — this is, well, stupid.” The strange cry of the monster and the words shouted by the man are constructed in the same playful manner.
The creature is therefore a yokai built around deliberately strange, foreign-sounding speech, turning unfamiliar language into a source of humor and supernatural absurdity.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “コワバカラチキ (Kowabakarachiki).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). October 19, 2013. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654442.html