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Tsukumogami

Liminal Chronicles    Explore the World    Species      Tsukumogami

付喪神 - Household items that have come to life

An everyday item or tool that has become a Yokai. It is thought they gain a spirit after one hundred years2, and thus a degree of sapience. Most are benign—either guardians or tricksters, though a few will harm humans.   These spirits may be angry at being thrown out by their human masters, while others may protect members of the household. It depends on how the previous owners or how those who discover the spirit treat it. With care, some malevolent spirits can be appeased.  

Examples

Kosodenote by Ryūkansai
A kosode (short sleeved under kimono) yokai
Kasaobake by Jinbunsha? (Public Domain)
Kasaobake, an umbrella spirit
Tofu Kozo by Ryuukansaijin
Tofu Kozo- spirit boy carrying tofu and sometimes sake
Chou an ooze, thought to have originated from a forgotten batch of agar1.
Genetic Descendants
Related Ethnicities
Intelligence
Fairly simple, often like children. Though, some have wisdom or sixth sense that exceeds humans1.
Conservation Status
The most common type of yokai, though they hide in plain sight well1. Good luck recognizing them, unless they wish to reveal themselves. They don't wish to be accidentally caught up in the memorial services to pacify discarded goods3, 4.

Appears In:

Note

Replacement for previous Myth article on the subject.

Entry for WorldEmber 2020

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Inspiration

The world of Liminal Chronicles brings in and builds on Japanese mythology and folklore. The author does her best to respect and show her love for the culture in this setting.

This site and related stories are works of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright

Artwork and content (if nothing else is stated) are 2021 Amy Winters-Voss. All rights reserved. You may not use the material without written permission from the author.

Theme page background credits: rawpixel.com. Global header, Umeji Tatsuya and Nakamura Hisako character art, and Rise bookcover by Odette.A.Bach.

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Cover image: Tsukumogami from the Hyakki-Yagyō-Emaki (in the public domain)
Article template
Species
World
Liminal Chronicles
Category
Species in Explore the World
Author
shyredfox
Publication Date
5 Dec, 2020
Creation Date
4 Dec, 2020
Last Update Date
4 Mar, 2022
Visibility
Public
Views
945
Favorites
13
Comments
1
Tags
yokai myth folklore items natural magic

Comments

Author's Notes

1. Areas the author has deviated from traditional ideas.

  • added item options (food - in the case of Chou), stronger option for good item spirits, info on numbers, and abilities

    • Fun Kanji Notes:

    2. It might also be written with different kanji (九十九神 - 99 kami (gods) or 九十九髪 - hair of 99 (years of age)). This may be where the 100 years aspect comes into play.

    References

  • 3. National Diet Library Digital Collection - Animating Objects: Tsukumogami ki and the Medieval Illustration of Shingon Truth by Noriko T. Reider (PDF)
  • 4. Tsukumogami - Because Everything Is Scarier in Japan by Susan Spann (author of the Hiro Hattori mystery series, and Climb)
  • Poems on One Hundred Ghost Stories (Kyōka hyaku monogatari 狂歌百物語) <- parking this set of scans of the original work for more in depth browsing later
  • Yokai.com's Object Category
    •

    Please Login in order to comment!
    Councilor of the Inner Sanctum Serukis
    Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull
    5 Dec, 2020 13:22

    That picture of the Chou is the most adorable thing. :D There's so much potential for different ideas here.

    Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
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