Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 鼠鬼女, Rat Demon Woman
Category: Rat
The Myth
Nezumi Kijo is a yokai mentioned in the Japanese work Tōsei Kojitsuke Kaiō (当世故事附選怪興). It is said to leave unharmed those who carry a protective talisman used in religious rites, while those without one are threatened with a poisonous breath described as the intimidating menace of a gatekeeper.
The creature’s name is a play on nezumi-kido (鼠木戸), a narrow entrance gate used at theatres and other entertainment venues. These gates were designed to prevent people from entering without paying. Because visitors had to crouch and squeeze through them, they were likened to mice entering a hole.
Nezumi Kijo’s behaviour reflects the gatekeepers who guarded these entrances: paying visitors carrying their admission money were allowed inside, while those attempting to enter without paying were intimidated and turned away. The yokai appears to be a humorous personification of this practice rather than a creature described through an independent body of folklore.
Sources
“Nezumikijo.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1076912062.html