Monk

Katawaguruma Nyūdō

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: One-Wheeled Monk / Flaming Wheel Monk
Category: Yokai, Flame

The Myth

The Katawaguruma Nyūdō is a terrifying yokai that roams the streets of Kyoto at night. It appears as a gigantic hairy monk with a fierce face and enormous strength, riding upon a single wheel engulfed in flames. The burning wheel races through the darkness like a cart from hell, spreading fire and fear wherever it passes.

According to legend, the creature was once a powerful and wealthy monk who lived in the Rokuhara district of Kyoto. Cruel and arrogant, he delighted in the suffering of others and committed countless wicked deeds without fear of divine punishment. Although he enjoyed great prosperity during his life, his evil eventually caught up with him.

Divine punishment descended upon the monk, and he was consumed by supernatural flames. Transformed into a monstrous spirit, he became the Katawaguruma Nyūdō, forever condemned to wander Kyoto upon his fiery wheel.

One night, a woman living nearby put her three children to sleep and, through a knot hole in her door, secretly watched the terrible apparition pass by. The flaming monk noticed her gaze and shouted:

“Look to your children instead of looking at me!”

Terrified, the woman rushed to her children, but it was too late. The Katawaguruma Nyūdō seized all four members of the family and carried them away into the night, and they were never seen again.

Thus the One-Wheeled Monk became one of Kyoto’s most feared supernatural beings — a burning spirit born from greed and cruelty, whose fiery wheel still races through the darkness searching for those unfortunate enough to witness its passage.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). Katawaguruma Nyudo [片輪車入道]. In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1079937229.html

Uso no Seire

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Yōkai, Fish, Monk, Catfish

The Myth

Uso no Seirei is a yōkai depicted in the Bakemono Emaki (Monster Picture Scroll) preserved in the Kawasaki City Museum.

It appears in the form of a bald monk-like figure. Its face has no eyes, no nose, and no mouth. From where its face should be, long whiskers grow, resembling those of a catfish. The creature wears a kimono patterned with images believed to represent the uso, the bullfinch.

The spirit stands silently, without expression or speech. Its lack of facial features gives it an unsettling presence, as though it exists without identity or emotion. The bullfinch pattern upon its robes marks its nature, binding it to the idea of the uso itself.

Uso no Seirei does not act violently, nor does it chase or attack. It simply appears, featureless and mute, a quiet and uncanny figure among the monsters of the scroll.

Gallery

Sources

Tyz-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). [Title of entry]. In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010653494.html

Interpretive Lenses

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  • How to Invite The Uso no Seire

Me-te

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Tradition / Region: Japan
Alternate Names: Te no Me (“Eye of the Hand”)
Category: Yōkai

The Myth

Me-te is a yōkai known from writings attributed to Sato Arifumi. It is described as a blind creature that wanders through open fields, moving as though it cannot see the world around it.

Despite its blindness, Me-te is extremely dangerous. People are warned never to mock or make light of it. Those who laugh at Me-te or assume it is helpless are said to be punished, for the yōkai will suddenly attack and suck out their eyeballs.

Me-te is also known by the name Te no Me, meaning “Eye of the Hand,” a name that reflects its strange and unsettling nature. In illustrations, it appears in a form similar to figures shown in Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, though it is depicted without wrinkles on the face, and its empty eye sockets are shown through deep shading.

Though little is recorded about its origin or fate, Me-te is remembered as a wandering field yōkai whose apparent weakness conceals a brutal and sudden threat.

Interpretive Lenses

Religious Readings
Philosophical Readings
Psychological Readings
Esoteric Deep Dive
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