Zashiki-warashi
, sometimes also called , are spirit-like beings told about mostly in the Iwate Prefecture. They are said to be yokai that live in parlors or storage rooms, and that they perform pranks. It is believed that people who saw one would receive good fortune. There are also legends of how they would bring fortune to families. They are also known from Kunio Yanagita's Tōno Monogatari, Ishigami Mondō, and stories about them appear in the 17th and 18th chapters of the Tōno Monogatari and the 87th chapter titled "Zashiki-warashi" of the Tōno Monogatari Shūi. In the 17th chapter, it is written "families
Article
13 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Origins
- Concept
- Relation to family prosperity
- Customs
- Kinds
- Legends after the war
- Similar tales across Japan
- Sightings
- In popular culture
- Notes
- References
- External links
, sometimes also called , are spirit-like beings told about mostly in the Iwate Prefecture. They are said to be yokai that live in parlors or storage rooms, and that they perform pranks. It is believed that people who saw one would receive good fortune. There are also legends of how they would bring fortune to families. They are also known from Kunio Yanagita's Tōno Monogatari, Ishigami Mondō, and stories about them appear in the 17th and 18th chapters of the Tōno Monogatari and the 87th chapter titled "Zashiki-warashi" of the Tōno Monogatari Shūi. In the 17th chapter, it is written "families with whom this spirit dwells become prosperous" (kono kami no yadoritamafu ihe ha fūki jizai nari to ifu koto nari).
==Etymology== The name breaks down to zashiki (Japanese: ), a sitting room or parlor, usually with tatami flooring, and warashi (Japanese: ), an archaic term for a child, used particularly in the northeast of Japan.