Tōfu-kozō - 豆腐小僧 - [Yokai]

Tōfu-kozō - (JP: 豆腐小僧) - Tofu Boy

• About this yokai:  Disturbingly ugly little boys with uncannily disproportionate heads, long tongues, clawed hands and toes, they want nothing more than to sell tofu when they grow up. Often seen wearing a bamboo Kasa (umbrella hat) Their robes are often decorated with wards & various red charms & symbols which were commonly used for warding smallpox. - Sometimes they are depicted have one eye (or upwards of 2) but not always. - single-eyed variants are often considered to be the similar, but often more malicious yokai called "hitozume-kozo"

At dusk, on rainy evenings, tofu kozo will offer passersby a plate of Momiji Tofu as a handout from their non-existent tofu stands. if you ignore them they're said to stalk after you. Occasionally the tofu is said to be poisonous  (what it does varies from tale to tale, (He could also just be a terrible chef. - you'd have to be pretty foolish (or desperate) to take a plate of tofu from an odd little kid out in the middle of nowhere.)- Because something as benign as tofu is their weapon of choice (and it's easily avoided) Tofu Kozo is usually considered the weakest yokai, they're often treated poorly and often picked on by other yokai, bossed around as an underling or made to do chores. --However, in a few edo period novels, it is suggested that they were the  off spring of Rokurokubi and Mikoshi-nyudo (which is a bit odd if so because TofuKozo's necks don't grow like their supposed parents!) so perhaps he is seen a something of a yokai prince.

• History: Though their exact origins are murky at best; It's been suggested that tofu kozo originated as a "yuru-chara" (mascot) connected to restaurant advertisements (which where perhaps taken out of context & embellished) sometime during the early Edo period. (1603-1867) 

'Kozo' literally translates to "boy" and is a title generally used for "Young Monks/Priests" However, it can also be taken as slang, as if you where calling someone a "youngster."

as he appears in Bakemono-cho[夭怪着到牒] 1788.

A tofukozo dropping his tofu & running away from humans in [1792.
Bakemono tsurezuregusa.]

[Tofukozo as he appears in Kyoka hyakku monogatari[1853]

[Sticker Art by @Samkalensky (yo thats me!) - Part of my Night parade of 100 Demons - Yokai & Japanese folklore sticker collection, weather-resistant 4" Glossy sticker. Check my shop & support me on patreon for many more!]