Shaggy guardian dropping from torii gates
Otoroshi
An irreverent foot passes beneath the mossy torii. The hairy mass above shivers, then falls. The forgotten guardian remembers.
Overview
Otoroshi is a shaggy yokai drawn in Edo-period picture scrolls. Sekien shows it crouched on a shrine torii, and later books interpret it as a guardian that punishes irreverent people.
Encounter
It lurks on old shrine gates or walls of abandoned houses. Those who peer into ruins or pass a torii disrespectfully may hear a terrible crash as it drops from above.
Lore
Otoroshi appears in Hyakkai Zukan and Gazu Hyakki Yagyo with name and image but no explanation. Its name is taken as a Kansai form of "terrifying." The guardian interpretation is later commentary.
Traits
It protects neglected sacred spaces and frightens wrongdoers by falling from gates or walls. Some later accounts say the impact can crush a person.
