Yokai Encyclopedia Japanese Folklore Bestiary Zukan ∞ Zukan

Woman's ghost standing on a bridge with konnyaku in her mouth

Konnyaku-yurei

One piece of konnyaku split a marriage and sank a woman beneath the bridge. At moonrise, she still stands there with that konnyaku in her mouth.

Konnyaku-yurei figure art

Danger and Rarity

D
Combat

No direct means of harming people is recorded.

C
Hostility

Frightens or misleads people, but rarely pursues deeper harm.

A
Rarity

Strongly tied to a narrow place, time, or region.

Overview

Konnyaku-yurei is a female ghost said to appear on Konnyaku Bridge in Tenri, Nara. She stands there at night with disheveled hair and konnyaku held in her mouth, born from a fatal quarrel over konnyaku.

Encounter

At dusk on the deserted bridge, the ghost appears before a koji seller named Magobei, glaring with konnyaku in her mouth. He recites nenbutsu ninety-nine times before she vanishes.

Lore

The tale is an oral ghost story and origin legend for the name Konnyaku Bridge. Related traditions are recorded in collections such as Yamato no Densetsu.

Traits

It appears only on the bridge and blocks the passerby with a resentful stare. It is driven away not by force, but by repeated prayer.

Konnyaku-yurei cover image