Bakezōri - 化け草履 - [Yokai | Tsukumogami]

Bakezōri - 化け草履 - [Yokai | Tsukumogami] - (JP: 化け草履)

• About this yokai: Bakezōri belong to the Tsukumogami (Haunted antiques) class of Yokai, Simply put they are the spirits of old rice straw sandals that have gotten worn out from use or simply gotten old and gone out of style. - As most modern bestiary's will tell you: They often come in pairs and parade around the house at night causing mischief and chanting:

– "Kararin, Kororin, Kan Kororin, Managu Mitsuni ni Toitani Ninbara!" –

Which, in a nutshell translates to a diss on their more sturdy cousins, Geta Sandals. A more sturdy type of wooden clig sandal that doesn't break as easily. - The first part of the song is an onomatopoeia basically going on about how noisy the geta are.  – [which is ironic because these bakezori are the ones being noisy now!] – These Zori come back as spirits with a grudge particularly towards the newer shoes.

Makes me wonder how they feel about crocks & if their song has changed at all with sneakers becoming more popular in general... funnily enough Straw Zōri are essentially the great grandparents of modern flip flop sandals! Which became more popular globally after the war when soldiers returning from World War II brought Zōri back home with them.  

[ a pair of waraiji zori ]

See also: Tsukumogami, Beto Beto San.

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 & follow @samkalensky for many more!