Tsukumogami

  • C,  Japan,  O,  Tsukumogami,  Yokai

    Chōchin Obake/Chochinobake/Obakechochin

    The Chochinobake is a form of yokai from Japanese myth. They’re a form of tsukumogami, meaning an inanimate object that gains sentience after years of neglect. With this creature, the object that transforms is a chochin, a form of paper lantern with a spiral frame made of bamboo. These lanterns are commonly hung outside of businesses and are extremely common. They don’t appear in the oldest yokai depictions and are thought to be related to an older yokai called Burabura. These are Kitsune disguising themselves as lanterns in rice fields rather than tsukumogami like Chochinobake. They resemble worn cochin lamps with a massive tear for a mouth containing a large…

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