KARAKASA KOZO (Bamboo umbrella-boy)

Karakasa Kozo is also known as Kasa Obake, Karakasa Obake, which means "bamboo umbrella-boy". Karakasa Kozo is a youkai that is transformed into an old bamboo umbrella. It is an old umbrella made in the traditional Japanese style, the umbrella frame is made of bamboo spokes, the paper part is coated with waterproof oil. Umbrellas only have one handle, so when it becomes a ghost, it only has one leg. The parachute ghost looks a bit monstrous with one eye on its body, and its small leg carries a geta.

Karakasa Kozo is like Noppera-bou, only likes to tease and scare people, not harm or kill people. When it's dark, Karakasa Kozo will show his true form, stick out his tongue and laugh and dance around the house.

The characteristic of this youkai is that it does not harm humans, but only dances in the house when it is dark, when meeting people, it sticks out its red tongue to scare. So Karakasa Kozo is classified as not dangerous in the ranks of youkai. There is also another youkai with the same personality and actions as Karakasa Kozo, Hitotsume Kozo (one-eyed brat). This one-eyed youkai also sticks out his tongue and laughs. In addition, you can meet them on rainy days, because Karakasa Kozo is a rain monster that loves to fly in the sky on rainy days.

Although usually classified as a harmless youkai, the Umbrella ghost (Yūrei Gasa) in Mizukuchi City, Tottori Prefecture are an exception, having the same shape as Karakasa Kozō, but on a day when the wind blows, it cause harm by blowing people into the sky.

The Japanese believe that all living things, furniture and tools used for a long time will have magical transformations and call them "Tsukumogami". From this point of view, Karakasa Kozō is also a Tsukumogami.

Umbrella-shaped youkai are seen appearing in the Hyakki Yakō Emaki ("hundred youkai walking at night") from the Muromachi period, and in this scroll there are also many other youkai that were made of objects, but from the Muromachi period. From Edo on, of these only Karakasa Kozō is a well-known yōkai. However, there is no folk document about this type of demon. The drawings of Karakasa Kozo are also only pictures without any explanation.

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