I’m sure I’ve mentioned the yōkai in an article already, but maybe I haven’t gone over them in detail. So, yōkai are essentially supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore. They can be spirits, or monsters, or creatures, or really rather human - and their characters are equally as various. Some are deadly, whilst others are actually harmless and rather friendly. So let’s begin.
Tōfu-kozō
The Tōfu-kozō are harmless servant-creatures that are frequently seen in towns and cities in Japan, delivering tofu and sake to their masters. They are a harmless variety of Yōkai and are very shy - though those who persevere and make the Tōfu-kozō feel comfortable will enjoy their cheeky and humorous nature. Unfortunately, they often get disorientated when travelling from one master to another, and so end up following humans around the city - hoping to find their sense of direction.
They are easily recognised by their short stature and wide-brimmed straw hats (kasa). Their clothing often features rich patterns - lucky charms - which ward off smallpox. This can include daruma dolls, swinging drums, horned owls and red fish. Records suggest they originated in the Edo period, and fit comfortably in with other Yōkai that are often depicted enjoying tofu. The small tofu servants are now often seen on packaging for tofu in Japan.
Later incarnations of the Tōfu-kozō turned their mischievousness - they would offer those surrounding it a taste of the tofu it carried. Those who tasted the tofu agreed that it was fine tofu, but on eating half of the tofu it would suddenly turn to mold. Tasty stuff.
Ashiarai Yashiki
Said to be a major influence to Monty Python’s instantly recogniseable giant foot, the Ashiarai Yashiki is a giant dirty foot, bristling with hairs, that crashes through the ceiling of residential homes in Japan and demands to be cleaned. If you refuse to clean the often mud caked (or blood caked, in some instances) hairy foot, then said foot will angrily stomp around your home smashing and breaking anything it comes into contact with.
However, clean the foot and everything goes back to the way it was before the giant hairy fleshy foot fell through the ceiling. Except, of course, there’s still that massive hole in the roof that you now have to fix.
If you do a really good job - perhaps perfume it, give it a massage - then it will give you a big kiss before it leaves.
(Okay, alright. I made that last bit up).
Akaname
The akaname is a night-dwelling demon that strikes fear into the hearts of even the most courageous. Descriptions of the creature are rare, though many depict it as a small, red, goblin-like Yōkai. The ‘aka’, of ‘akaname’ means both ‘red’ and ‘filth’, hence its red appearance, but you might be wondering where ‘filth’ comes in.
The akaname haunts bathrooms at night, occupying itself by licking the dirt and mould that accumulates between the tiles.
Can it hurt you? No. Will it scare you? No, probably not. Akaname are shy creatures and are rarely seen by humans. However, if you have an akaname in your home then it’s a sure sign that you need to clean your bathroom. Akaname can spread sickness and disease - but then, so too can dirty and mould - so what does an akaname do, exactly?
It licks your filth, and I suppose some people would find that scary.
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