Hey, Folks,

Mab here. Boy, am I glad to be back. My assistant and I have been out in the field. We got shanghaied by some pretty nasty characters. One of them was…well, you’d call it a cousin…of an old enemy of mine. I won’t describe what happen, but let’s just say that if I never have to spend a week in an old sock drawer again, it will be too soon.

Lucky, my assistant escaped. He was able to summon help and rescue me. Humiliating.

But, good for you readers, as we now have a boatload of new material for ya.

Today we’ll finish off the Tsukumogami, and next week we’ll move onto something entirely new.

 

Name:  Morinji-no-okama or Zenfush?, Shamichoro, Shirouneri, Sh?gor?, Ungaikyo, Yamaoroshi, Zorigami

Description:  

Morinji-no-okama or Zenfush? – A possessed tea kettle, usually ceramic or cast iron.

Shamichoro – A vengeful shamisen (three-stringed musical instrument), usually comes to life out of anger when its master discards it in favor of a younger instrument.

Shirouneri – Old mosquito nettings and dust rags joined together into a dragon. They fly around, chasing servants, wrapping around them, and knocking them out with their overpowering stench. (And, believe me, folks, if you never get to smell a Shirouneri, you will have lived a fortunate life.)

Sh?gor? – A metallic turtle consisting of a gong and its striker. It creeps around at night and sounds its off key blast of gonging right next to your sleeping ear.

The first known Sh?gor? was a wealthy merchant from Osaka, who had his household and goods robbed from him by envious police. They even took his beloved golden chicken. The poor sap was so inconsolable that he kack off and left his ghost hanging around. The ghost got confused because the kanji for gong is similar to that of chicken, and ended up possessing an old gong.

Ungaikyo – Looks like a perfectly ordinary Japanese mirror. Only when you look into it, instead of seeing your face, you see this horrible, ugly mug with a tongue sticking out.

Yamaoroshi – A radish grater. You know, the kind that you use to make slaw or something. When radish graters go bad, man, you don’t wanna be anywhere near them!

Zorigami – Big, honking, old Japanese clock that comes to life and lumber around reminding you of your missed appointments. Really ticks you off.

Where To Find ‘Em: All over Japan. Luckily for the rest of us, most of ‘em stick to the Japanese Islands, but don’t get cocky, there could be one in your sock drawer right now.

Frequency: Not that much. These guys are rarer than the rest. But that doesn’t mean you should put your guard down.

Danger Level:  Don’t go near ‘em. And if one of those rag dragons comes anywhere nearby, abandon ship and beat feet out of there!

Mab’s Eye View:

Folks, these Tsukumogami are creepy critters. And anything could become one. Your watch. Your grandmother’s wall hanging. Your old socks. (Brrr! Don’t remind me about old socks!) Anything you leave around could up and come to life.

So be careful. Avoid old places. And throw stuff out. Or better burn ‘em, so they don’t come to life in the trash truck and come back to get you.

No better excuse for cleaning has ever existed.

Okay, folks. That’s the end of Tsukumogami. Next week, we’ll start with something completely different.

Chao.