Jump to content

Wanyūdō

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by STARR65 (talk | contribs) at 07:02, 22 July 2015 (Description). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Artist's depiction of Wanyudo, circa 1779

Wanyūdō (Japanese: 輪入道 literally "wheel (輪) monk (入道)") is a figure in Japanese mythology, a relatively well-known yōkai in the folklore of Japan.

Description

Wanyūdō is said to take the form of a burning oxcart wheel bearing the tormented face of a man. Various folklore purports him as the condemned soul of a tyrant daimyo who, in life, was known for having his victims drawn on the back of an oxcart. He is said to guard the gates of Hell, and to wander back and forth along the road between this world and the underworld, scaring townsfolk as he passes and stealing the souls of anyone who gets too close in order to bring them to Hell with him.

See also