What is a zashiki-warashi?
The zashiki-warashi is a yokai in the form of a child, said to live in old houses in the Tohoku region, especially Iwate Prefecture. It is usually described as a child of five or six with a bob haircut and a red face. In some areas it is called zashiki-bokko or kura-bokko.
A house with a zashiki-warashi prospers
The zashiki-warashi is a kind of guardian of the house. It has long been said that a house where one lives will prosper, and that if it leaves, the house will fall into decline. Its presence is noticed through footsteps in the parlor at night, pillows turned around while people sleep, or one child too many when children are playing. Yanagita Kunio’s The Legends of Tono records a story in which, after a zashiki-warashi left a house, the family members died one after another and the household came to an end.
Inns where you might meet one
Some inns, such as those at Kindaichi Onsen in Iwate Prefecture, are famous for zashiki-warashi sightings, and many visitors come hoping that meeting one will bring them luck. What sets the zashiki-warashi apart is that it is loved not as a frightening yokai but as a bringer of good fortune.
