Oboro-guruma
Oboro-guruma
Oboro-guruma (朧車 – Gloom Cart) is a type of yōkai depicted in the Konjaku Hyakki Shūi. It is depicted as a travelling cart with a giant face.
In essence it is not truly a creature, but a manefestation of the grudges of those who would try to find the best position for the aristrocrats they would cart around to events in Kyoto, in particular the Kamo boulevard.
This practise of competing for the best viewing spots at events was known as kuruma-arasoi.1
External Links
- View the book online here: Konjaku Hyakki Shūi Online.
Footnotes
1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. | ||
Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. | ||
Find the website useful? |