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Ferocious Fiends: 004

Zashiki Warashi

座敷童子

Pronunciation:

(ZAH-she-key WAH-rah-she)

English Name:

Literally, “Child in the Room”

Gender:

Male/Female

Height:

Same as a human five-year-old

Weight:

Same as a human five-year-old

Locomotion:

Bipedal

Disctinctive Features:

Resembles a normal human child in traditional Japanese dress

Offensive Weapons:

Bankruptcy, social ostracism, family strife

Weaknesses:

Neglect

Abundance/Distribution:

Uncommon/Northern Japan

Habitat:

Happy households

Claim to Fame:

A cute and cuddly countenance cloaks this yokai’s startling ability to destroy people’s lives. But don’t get the wrong idea: it isn’t angry or out for vengeance. In fact, most of the time it’s downright playful.

Taking its name from the Japanese term for a traditional tatami-floored room and an archaic term for “child,” when happy, the Zashiki Warashi is a pleasant sort of poltergeist. It is especially fond of pranks and tricks, including climbing atop sleeping people in the dead of night, flipping over pillows and unmaking beds, causing music to issue from otherwise uninhabited rooms, and hiding in the midst of large groups of children during mealtimes.

In essence, this is one yokai you want to have haunting your home, for the Zashiki Warashi’s presence is a sign of good fortune. The problems come when it leaves.

The Attack!

The Zashiki Warashi isn’t aggressive. It looks like a harmless little kid. So what’s to be afraid of? That’s the trick. Zashiki Warashi’s glowing good fortune only lasts as long as it’s in your home. Its very presence is a silent demand for respect and care. If it—or more specifically, the home it inhabits—is neglected, it will leave. And when a Zashiki Warashi leaves, you and your family are most definitely in trouble, for bankruptcy, disaster, and domestic strife are certain to follow. A home deserted by a Zashiki Warashi is on the road to ruin.

“Rake of Prosperity” offerings are sold at temples to beckon the kind of fortune that the Zashiki Warashi can bring.

Surviving an Encounter:

Think of the Zashiki Warashi as an adopted child. Take care of your home and everyone in it, and the Zashiki Warashi will take care of you. This yokai is essentially a reflection of the level of happiness of a household. If it leaves, it’s already too late for you and your family.

Tracking the Zashiki Warashi:

In spite of its penchant for fun and games, the Zashiki Warashi is actually a timid sort, tending to hide from all but the residents of the homes it inhabits, and more frequently only making itself visible to very small children. Scattering ash on the floor in the evening may capture its tiny footprints come morning.

Those who want to come face to face with this yokai should visit a certain room in a hotel by the name of Ryokufuso in the Kindai-Ichi Onsen area of Iwate Prefecture. It is fabled as the home of a Zashiki Warashi. There is apparently no shortage of individuals who want to make the acquaintance of this gentle yokai, for the hotel is often booked solid for two years in advance.