54) Japan - 27. Katawa Guruma

This is a yokai depicted with a human face embedded in the center of a wheel engulfed in flames, or carrying a woman on its back. It was feared because it was said to bring misfortune if one peeked at it or spread rumors about it. In Kyoto, it appears with a child's leg in its mouth, shouting, "Look at your child, not me." If you peek, the child's leg is said to be severed and found in Katawa Guruma's mouth. It was believed to appear if its name was spoken three times, so people referred to it indirectly as 'one-wheeled fire' or 'wheel sound.' In Shiga Prefecture, one first hears the sound of a sleeping child's name being called from afar. If a household peeks or talks about Katawa Guruma the next day, misfortune such as the child disappearing or the mother's milk drying up is said to befall them. However, it is said to forgive if one shows a repentant attitude. One woman peeked at Katawa Guruma and her child disappeared. She regretted her sin and posted a waka poem filled with the sorrow of losing her child on her door. The next night, Katawa Guruma read it aloud and returned the child, saying, 'This is a person of great compassion.'