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Ferocious Fiends: 005

Wanyudo

輪入道

Pronunciation:

(Wah-NEW-doh)

English Names:

Firewheel, Soultaker

Gender:

Male

Size:

Roughly 3 ft. (1m) in diameter

Locomotion:

Airborne

Distinctive Features:

A flaming wagon-wheel with a human face for a hub

Offensive Weapons:

Gaze of death

Weaknesses:

Ofuda (paper talismans)

Abundance

One of a kind

Habitat:

Urban areas

Claim to Fame:

One of the oldest yokai; the origins of the Wanyudo extend back more than a thousand years to Japan’s Heian era. When a tyrannous nobleman with a penchant for viciously mistreating townspeople was assassinated during an ox-drawn wagon tour of the city, his vengeful spirit returned in the form of the Wanyudo. Some say it continues to haunt the streets of Kyoto and other cities even today. Taking the form of a spinning, flaming wagon-wheel with a furious human face in place of the hub, the Wanyudo is generally encountered in large cities, particularly residential areas.

The Attack!

Those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the path of the Wanyudo as it traces its furious trajectory through the night are mercilessly run down and ripped limb from limb, their remains left smoldering in the streets. In fact, it is said that those foolish enough to gaze upon the Wanyudo as it rolls and flames its way through city skies and streets will forfeit their lives—and their souls—to the angry creature. Such is the power of this ferocious yokai’s countenance that even the shortest, quickest glimpse is enough to induce a raging and life-threatening fever in the observer.

In one famous urban legend involving the Wanyudo, a woman who peeked out of her home to get a glimpse of the creature was spared death, but startled to see tiny human limbs dangling from its spokes. “If you have the time to gaze upon me, tend to your own child!” it is reported to have roared at her. When she did so, she discovered to her horror that her infant’s legs had been reduced to bloody stumps.

Sekien’s Wanyudo

Surviving an Encounter:

Averting one’s eyes is the traditional expedient. And if you do happen to catch a glimpse, take heart: some people merely faint from the sight of the creature rather than dying. Hey, life’s a crapshoot.

Another traditional method of surviving Wanyudo encounters is hiding. The Wanyudo is a creature of the night; when day breaks, it heads for the mountains, where it apparently slumbers in anticipation of another night’s terror. In the meantime, whatever you do, no matter what you may hear or how tempted you might be by the fury raging outside your door, do not look at the Wanyudo.

The safest place to hide from the Wanyudo is indoors. When you have located a suitable structure, paste ofuda, slips of consecrated paper inscribed with the term “kono-tokoro-shobo-no-sato,” on the doorways to keep the beast at bay. Even if the commotion outside seems to have died down, the safest course of action is to remain hidden until sunrise. The Wanyudo is too dangerous to tempt fate by leaving earlier.

Warding off the Wanyudo:

Both the legend of the inattentive mother who allowed harm to come to her child and the writing on the ofuda paper have a distinct Confucian bent. The Chinese philosopher Confucius advocated (among many other things) respect for one’s elders, and his teachings spread widely throughout Asia. The text, “kono-tokoro-shobo-no-sato,” literally, “this is the town of Shobo,” refers to a parable involving one of Confucius’ disciples avoiding the Chinese town of the same name because the characters “Shobo” can be read as “triumph over one’s mother.”

For those interested in creating their own ofuda to ward off the Wanyudo, the specific kanji characters are:

Copy and post this "ofuda" slip to keep the Wanyudo at bay!