Ganbari Nyūdō

Ganbari nyūdō
Ganbari nyūdō (加牟波理入道) is a type of Yōkai depicted in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Toriyama Sekien.
It is said that you can find this type of creature in peoples toilets, but a way you can stop them from appearing is by chanting ‘Ganbari Nyūdō hototogisu’ (Striving Monk Cuckoo) during New Years Eve whilst you are in the outside bathroom.
Toriyama Sekien in his rendition links it to the Chinese God by the name of Kakutō, a god with the power to grant both fortune and misfortune to people.1
External Links
- View the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki online here: Konjaku Online.
Footnotes
1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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