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Tsukumogami

Tsukumogami · The Tool Yokai — A Spirit Dwelling in a Hundred-Year-Old Object

A Japanese yokai born when a tool or object used for nearly a hundred years gains a spirit. Everyday things — umbrellas, lanterns, kotos, straw sandals, pots — gain eyes and limbs and move. An object discarded carelessly or treated poorly may bear a grudge, or merely play pranks. A signature group forming the procession of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

Origin

Derived from the Japanese animist belief that spirits dwell even in objects. Established through the 'Night Parade of a Hundred Demons' picture scrolls of the Heian–Muromachi era, depicted as varied tool yokai.

Features

A tool or object used for a hundred years transforms
Everyday things: umbrella, lantern, koto, etc.
Gains eyes and limbs and moves
Grudge of a poorly treated object, or mere pranks

Stories

Appears as the grudge of a discarded object, the eerie procession of the Hundred Demons, and a being teaching to cherish one's things. A staple of Japanese folktales blending the soul of objects with restraint and humor.

Weakness

Vanishes when its core object is destroyed or respectfully consecrated (a purification or disposal rite). When the dwelling grudge is resolved, it returns to its original inanimate state.