Tsukumogami born from an old paper umbrella
Kasa-bake
Karakasa-obake
An old umbrella that could not wait a hundred years clatters onto the night road. When its one eye smiles, the next gust lifts your feet.
Overview
Kasa-bake is one of the best-known tsukumogami, a yokai born from an old umbrella. The familiar one-eyed, one-legged, long-tongued form became common through pictures, toys, and popular culture after the Edo period.
Encounter
A forgotten umbrella in a storehouse hops out at night on one leg. It appears in empty lanes or gardens after rain, startling passersby with its tongue and eye. On windy days it may even carry someone into the air.
Lore
Sekien's Hone-karakasa in Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro is a major classical image, connected to tsukumogami belief. The modern one-eyed form spread through ghost cards, toys, and picture books.
Traits
It opens a single eye in the umbrella body, sticks out its tongue, and hops about with rattling ribs. It is more mischievous than vicious, though strong wind can give it enough lift to snatch a person.
