Nyūdō-bōzu ( ja, 入道坊主) are
yōkai
are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
first known in
Tsukude,
Minamishitara District,
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...
(now
Shinshiro
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 44,581 in 17,691 households, and a population density of 89.3 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Shinshiro is located in east-cent ...
),
and then also in
Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...
;
,
Kurihara District,
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...
(now
Kurihara
Kurihara City Hall
is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,565, and a population density of 83 persons per km2 in 24,994 households. The total area of the city is . Parts of the city are with ...
); Hirano,
Suwa District,
Nagano Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...
(now
Okaya), among other places.
Legend
It is a yōkai that becomes larger the further one looks up, and is thus considered a type of ''
mikoshi-nyūdō
Mikoshi-nyūdō (見越し入道 or 見越入道) is a type of bald-headed ''yōkai'' "goblin" with an ever-extending neck. In Japanese folklore and Edo period (1603–1868) ''kaidan'' "ghost story" texts, ''mikoshi-nyūdō'' will frighten peopl ...
'', which has the same characteristics. In Aichi Prefecture, it appears as a small ''bōzu'' that has a height that is not even 3 shaku (about 1 meter), but when people who meet them get close to it, it would then increase in height and become a large man about 7 or 8 ''shaku'' to 1 ''to'' (about 2 to 3 meters). It is said that by saying to it "," it is possible to make it disappear, but in reverse if it says something instead, it results in death.
In Fukushima Prefecture, it is said to be a
weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...
. When one looks up at a nyūdō-bōzu, it would gnaw at people's windpipes and kill them. It is said that since the weasel stomps on the shoulder of the person it is trying to fool, if one does not get startled and grasps that leg and stomps it on the ground, it would be possible to exterminate the nyūdō-bōzu.
In Nagano Prefecture, it is said that their true form is considered to be a
tanuki Tanuki may refer to:
*Japanese raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes viverrinus'' or ''Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus''), a mammal native to Japan
*Bake-danuki, a type of spirit (yōkai) in Japanese mythology that appears in the form of the mammal
*A de ...
or
mujina
is an old Japanese term primarily referring to the Japanese badger, but traditionally to the Japanese raccoon dog (''tanuki''), causing confusion. Adding to the confusion, it may also refer to the introduced masked palm civet, and in some regio ...
,
and in Miyagi Prefecture, a mujina.
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyudo-bozu
Yōkai