Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 白うかり, Shiro-ukari
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Shiroukari is a strange yokai depicted in certain Japanese illustrated scrolls of supernatural creatures. As its name suggests, it has a completely white body. Its torso is long and slender, giving it an unusual, elongated appearance. It also possesses a beard and hair growing beneath its arms, distinguishing its body from that of an ordinary human.
Shiroukari appears in the Hyakki Yagyō Emaki, an illustrated scroll of supernatural beings created by Oda Yoshikiyo in 1832 and preserved in the Matsui Collection in Kumamoto Prefecture. The scroll depicts 58 different yokai, including several that are unnamed. Shiroukari is one of the unusual creatures whose appearance survives through these illustrated depictions, but no further details about its origins, behavior, or supernatural abilities are recorded.
Sources
“白浮 (Shiro-Ukari).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654406.html