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

Razor Vine

Related Ethnicities

Yokai

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 goods^{3, 4}.

Appears In:

Click book/story to read.

Liminal Chronicles Books

Short Stories

by Amy Winters-Voss

Chou becomes Ohno-chan's pet by Amy Winters-Voss

Initiation by AWV

Nakamura's Dream by AWV + Flaticon.com icons

Fujimori and the Fox by AWV + Flaticon.com icons

Misunderstandings by AWV + Flaticon.com icons

by AWV

Liminal Chronicles Series bookcover art by Odette.A.Bach and text by Amy Winters-Voss. Short story bookcovers by Amy Winters-Voss

Note

Replacement for previous Myth article on the subject.

Entry for WorldEmber 2020

Competition Homepage

Inspiration

The world of Liminal Chronicles brings in and builds on Japanese mythology and folklore. While this setting does not represent "actual Japan", the author does her best to respect and show her love for the Japanese culture in this "world". Departures from Folklore and Culture describes where the author has chosen to deviate from real world Japan to create Liminal Chronicles.

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

2024

Amy Winters-Voss. If content created by another is used, it is used with permission or licensed for use. All rights reserved. You may not use the material without written permission from the author. You may not use content from this site for AI training, AI purposes, or NFT purposes.

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

World Anvil logo and WA event logos are property of and provided by World Anvil. All HeroForge character art and tokens created and owned by, and used under license from, HeroForge.com. HeroForge.com is not responsible for the content of this site and hereby disclaims any and all content and views expressed herein.

Cover image: Tsukumogami from the Hyakki-Yagyō-Emaki (in the public domain)

Metadata
Organization Tree

Tsukumogami
- Razor Vine

Article template

Species

World

Liminal Chronicles

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

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Councilor of the Inner Sanctum Serukis

Dec 5, 2020 13:22 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

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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