Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Wanyuudo, Wanyūdō, Katawaguruma
Category: Flame

The Myth

Wanyūdō is a terrifying yōkai from Japanese folklore, depicted as a human head attached to the hub of a gigantic wheel engulfed in flames. The face is often described as that of a bald Buddhist monk, while the burning wheel rolls endlessly through the streets. According to Toriyama Sekien’s Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, the creature travels in circles on its single fiery wheel, and anyone who sees it risks losing their soul. A traditional protection against Wanyūdō is to place a sign on the door of one’s home bearing the words “This is the village of Katsumo,” which is said to discourage the creature from approaching.

Wanyūdō is closely associated with another supernatural being called Katawaguruma, or the One-Wheeled Cart. In earlier tales, including Shokoku Hyakumonogatari, Katawaguruma haunted Higashinotoin Street in Kyoto and was depicted with a human face attached to the centre of a burning wheel. Some versions portray a woman riding upon the fiery cart. Toriyama Sekien appears to have developed Wanyūdō using Katawaguruma as a model, illustrating the two creatures consecutively in his compendium as a possible pair.

The name Katsumo has a literary origin connected to an ancient Chinese anecdote about Zengzi, a disciple of Confucius renowned for his filial piety. Zengzi refused to enter a village whose name could be interpreted as “overcoming one’s mother,” considering it an expression of disrespect toward one’s parents. This story became part of a proverb about rejecting wrongdoing, alongside an anecdote in which Confucius refused to drink from a spring associated with theft. In the Wanyūdō legend, the reference to Katsumo transforms this moral tradition into a supernatural ward against a fearsome spirit.

Sources

Hans Watzlik. “Jungferblitz.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/jungferblitz.html

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Igebo, Oni-bi
Category: Flame

The Myth

Igebo is a mysterious supernatural fire from Japanese folklore, known as a regional name for the oni-bi, or will-o’-the-wisp. It is associated with Watarai District in Mie Prefecture, where the name refers to the strange, ghostly lights that appear in the darkness. Like other will-o’-the-wisps in Japanese tradition, Igebo belongs to the folklore of unexplained flames that seem to emerge from the night.

The name Igebo was recorded by folklorist Kunio Yanagita in his work Yōkai Dangi (Discussions on Yōkai), among a collection of yōkai names. Yanagita noted that he had not heard the name used anywhere else, making its origin difficult to determine. The precise meaning of the name and the particular stories once associated with Igebo therefore remain uncertain.

Sources

“イゲボ (Igebo).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). August 11, 2019. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1074589206.html

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Eternal Sinking
Category: Flame

The Myth

Yōchin, meaning “Eternal Sinking,” represents a terrifying fate from which there is no escape. It is depicted as a place of endless descent into swirling flames, where the souls of sinners fall helplessly toward the deepest reaches of hell. Once a soul enters this dreadful realm, it cannot return to the world above.

In Buddhist-inspired depictions of the journey toward paradise, Yōchin appears as a square on a board game illustrating the fate of the dead. The square shows a soul plunging into a fiery abyss, representing Avīci Hell, the realm of unending torment. Unlike other spaces on the board, which allow the soul to progress toward salvation, Yōchin marks an irreversible fall into damnation. It is the ultimate dead end, where the journey ends in eternal suffering.

Sources

“妖鎮 (Yōchin).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1079630670.html

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Kūbō, Kuubou
Category: Flame

The Myth

Soranaki is depicted as an enormous, blazing red sphere, resembling a gigantic fireball rolling across the world. In modern interpretations, it is portrayed as an overwhelmingly powerful supernatural being capable of confronting and scattering entire processions of demons. Its fiery, spherical form is associated with the sun, radiating intense heat and possessing the power to drive away other supernatural creatures.

In the story of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the great red sphere appears at the end of the procession and scatters the rampaging demons in its path. One later tale describes a blazing sphere rolling down a main street, sweeping aside the hundred demons encountered by the nobleman Kujō Morosuke. In this version, the sphere is revealed to be a spirit familiar summoned by the onmyōji Abe no Seimei to save Morosuke.

Soranaki is also known as Kūbō, a name associated with a gap in the traditional calendar and a period of misfortune. Its identity as a named yokai, however, belongs to modern interpretations of the mysterious red sphere. Later stories and artistic creations developed it into a powerful supernatural creature, often described as one of the strongest yokai. Its fearsome reputation rests on its immense fiery form and its ability to overwhelm the demons that cross its path.

Sources

“空泣 (Soranaki).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654285.html

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 火輪, Yake
Category: Flame

The Myth

Hirin is a terrifying fire creature resembling a kirin, a mythical beast completely engulfed in flames. It appears amid powerful winds or a raging whirlwind, its blazing form sweeping through towns and setting buildings alight. Its fiery body represents destruction on a massive scale, as the creature advances through settlements and leaves burning ruins in its wake.

According to the legend, the Hirin appeared during a devastating fire, bringing destruction and causing numerous deaths. Its immense flaming form symbolises the spreading blaze itself, transforming an ordinary disaster into a monstrous supernatural event. The related name Yake is associated with burning, reinforcing the creature’s connection to fire and destruction.

Sources

“飛輪 (Hirin).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1078433256.html

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Rōjin no Hi, 老人火, Tengu no Miakashi
Category: Flame

The Myth

The Rōjinbi, meaning “Old Person Fire,” is a demonic flame from Japanese mythology that appears deep in the mountains on rainy nights. It is said to manifest alongside an elderly figure, creating an eerie sight on lonely mountain roads. The supernatural fire is extremely difficult to extinguish: water has no effect on it, while beating it with animal skins is said to make it disappear.

The Rōjinbi is particularly dangerous to travellers who encounter it on a straight stretch of road. According to tradition, a person can make the flame change direction by holding their footwear above their head. However, anyone who panics and attempts to flee may find the Rōjinbi pursuing them endlessly, following them wherever they run.

The fire is sometimes associated with the Tengu, supernatural beings that inhabit the mountains. Under the name Tengu no Miakashi, meaning “Tengu’s Lantern,” it is connected to a mysterious flame supposedly kindled by one of these mountain spirits. The Rōjinbi’s vulnerability to animal skins is also linked in folklore to the Tengu’s reported dislike of the smell of roasting meat, suggesting a connection between the strange fire and the spirits of the mountains.

Sources

“Rōjinbi.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C5%8Djinbi

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Katachinsharin, Kataringuruma, One-Wheeled Cart
Category: Flame

The Myth

Katasharin is a terrifying yōkai from Japanese folklore that appears as a single, burning wheel that rolls through the streets at night without anyone pulling it. Its wheel creaks as it moves through the darkness, and in some depictions, it bears the face of a woman. Other portrayals show it as a flaming wheel with a demonic face, making it a frightening sight for anyone who encounters it after nightfall.

The creature is said to have appeared in Shiga Prefecture long ago, racing through the streets at night with the sound of its wheel turning. According to the legend, children who see the one-wheeled apparition risk being carried away by it. Its sudden appearance and eerie creaking make it a feared nighttime presence, haunting roads and settlements as it rolls through the darkness.

Sources

“片車輪 [かたしゃりん] (Katasharin).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). December 20, 2021. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1079937491.html

Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Onmorake, Onmoraki
Category: Flame

The Myth

Onmorake is a mysterious supernatural fire described in Japanese folklore, appearing on gloomy, rainy nights near execution grounds, old battlefields, and ancient tombs. One account from Suruga no Kuni Zasshi describes a strange blue flame spotted at the execution grounds of Abegawara in Suruga Province. The light took the shape of a standing human figure, glowing eerily in the darkness as though a person were engulfed in ghostly fire.

According to local belief, these strange lights were ghost fires formed from human blood that had soaked into the earth and remained there for a long time without disappearing. The Onmorake was therefore associated with places marked by death and suffering, where the remnants of the dead were believed to give rise to supernatural flames. Its appearance near execution grounds and battlefields made it an unsettling reminder of the violence that had occurred there.

The Onmorake is also known from other Japanese writings, including Hayashi Razan’s Kaidan Zensho, where it is described as a transformed corpse that takes the form of a black bird. Although this bird-like creature differs in appearance from the blue human-shaped flame described in Suruga no Kuni Zasshi, both traditions connect the Onmorake with transformations arising from the remains of the dead.

Sources

“陰摩羅鬼 [おんもらけ] (Onmoraki).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). October 13, 2018. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1072599976.html

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/