Karakasa-kozo (唐傘小僧)

About this Yokai

Karakasa-kozo (唐傘小僧), or “The Paper Umbrella Boy,” is one of Japan’s most recognizable yokai, typically depicted as a one-eyed umbrella hopping on a single leg with a long, lolling tongue. While it appears in Muromachi-period scrolls as a humanoid figure, its iconic one-legged form became popular during the Edo period through kabuki, woodblock prints, and monster cards. Despite its immense fame in modern media like anime and haunted houses, specific regional folklore is surprisingly rare, leading many scholars to view it primarily as a visual creation or a manifestation of tsukumogami—tools that gain a soul after many years.

Artist’s Note

A playful umbrella yokai that hops on one leg. In this scene, it attempts to play hopscotch—but with only one leg, it cannot land on both feet for the final jump.