Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Yarimocho, Yarikenaga
Category: Object
The Myth
Yarikechō is a strange yokai associated with the keyari, a ceremonial spear decorated with feathers near its tip. Such spears were carried at the front of daimyō processions and festivals, where spear-bearers displayed their skill and helped lead the procession. Yarikechō takes the form of a supernatural being whose head is the pointed tip of a spear. It holds a hammer in both hands, raising it as though preparing to strike.
The yokai is depicted standing beside a cluster of peculiar mushrooms with human faces. In its illustration, Yarikechō appears to be raising its hammer toward a smaller, crawling yokai at its feet, as if preparing to attack it. Its unusual combination of a spear-shaped head and raised hammer gives it the appearance of a weapon transformed into a supernatural warrior.
Yarikechō is associated with the strange powers of weapons that have passed through the hands of great warriors. Its accompanying inscription wonders whether the spear might once have been touched by Japan’s greatest warrior, suggesting that its supernatural strangeness is a sign of exceptional martial skill. The yokai embodies the transformation of a ceremonial weapon into a mysterious being, revealing the uncanny potential hidden within objects associated with warriors and their processions.
Sources
“牛打坊 (Ushiuchibō).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1079440823.html