Yanari

So you think you've got noisy or annoying neighbours? Well, be grateful that you don't have yanari in your house. These tiny oni (demons) appear in houses after dark carrying mini tools, such as mallets or iron clubs and using them to make as much noise as possible, banging walls and floors.

'Yanari' from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyo by Toriyama Sekien (detail, coloured).
Yanari translates as 'house creak' and these yokai are used to explain the creaking noises houses often make at night. In one tale about yanari, it was believed the spirits were sent in vengeance by the ghost of a bear killed long ago.

Cursed Houses - Shigeru Mizuki

'Yanari' from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyo by Toriyama Sekien.

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