Zashiki-warashi

The spirit of money (the archetype of Zashiki-warashi) from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

Zashiki-warashi (座敷童/座敷童子, zashiki-warashi), sometimes also called zashiki-bokko (座敷ぼっこ, zashiki-bokko), is a Japanese yōkai, stemming from Iwate Prefecture, similar to a domovoi.

The name breaks down to zashiki, a tatami floored room, and warashi, an archaic regional term for a child. The appearance of this spirit is that of a 5 or 6 year child with bobbed hair and a red face. Zashiki-warashi can be found in well-maintained and preferably large old houses. It is said that once a zashiki-warashi inhabits a house, it brings the residence great fortune; on the other hand, should a zashiki-warashi depart, the domain soon falls into a steep decline.

To attract and maintain a zashiki-warashi in the home, it is said the spirit must be noticed, appreciated and cared for properly, much in the manner one would raise a child, though too much attention may drive it off. As the zashiki-warashi is child-like in nature, it is prone to playing harmless pranks and occasionally causing mischief. They might for instance sit on a guest's futon, turn people's pillows over or cause sounds similar to kagura music to be heard from rooms no one uses. Sometimes they leave little footsteps in ashes. There are different variations as to who can see the zashiki-warashi; usually this is limited to inhabitants of the house, sometimes to children. One of the many stories is called the last Zashiki-warashi and here it is:

The Story of Zashiki-warashi no geta There is an old Legend that tells of "Zashiki-warashi", a children's lucky　fairy, that lives in Iwate area of Japan. It is believed that if the zashiki-warashi comes to stay at a house then the family living there will have good luck in everything. I was told the following wonderful story from my father. Many years ago during a time in Japan when foreign shoe styles were becoming popular, Mr. Kunitaro was anxious about the future of the Japanese traditional shoe, the geta. He made many different styles of geta from his own ideas and his own work. One day in the winter, he was making geta in his workroom as usual, when he heard the sound that geta makes "karan-koron" coming from the direction of his shop. At first he thought, "a customer has come into my shop". He went out to his shop and looked but found no one there at all. He thought, "children must have been playing with my geta", but when he looked all the geta were in order. So, he finally thought it was just his imagination and returned to his workroom. Soon he heard the same sound of the geta, "karan-koron" out in the shop again. This time he thought at once that, "it must be "zashiki-warashi" doing this". He soon made some very cute geta for zashiki-warashi and offered them to the workshop's Shinto Alter. And then, very soon, his geta began to sell like hotcakes. His shop was prospering. I am sure zashiki warashi wanted to wear them because they are so cute. Since then, this geta style is called "zashiki-warashi geta" and will bring good fortune with the sound that the geta makes, "karan-koron". They have been displayed in the Jojo's shop windows as a talisman. Put them at the front door of your home and they will bring good luck.

Notes: The word "karan-koron" is the Japanese sound-word for the particular sound that geta make when someone is walking in them.

The Ryokufūsō in Kindaichi-Onsen, which burned down on October 4, 2009, was famed for its zashiki-warashi. Yōkai similar to zashiki-warashi in other parts of Japan include the makuragaeshi in Ishikawa Prefecture, the akashaguma or kurabokko in Tokushima Prefecture and the akashaguma living in the Kotohira Shrine.

External references

• On Zashiki Warashi By Mizuki Shigeru, at hyakumonogatari.com
• The Last of the Zashiki-warashi, Awa Life, March 2002
• The Story of Zashiki-warashi no geta, Nanbu Kiri Geta Preservation Society
• The Ryokufūsō HOTEL Japan