Small beast rubbing against legs on rainy nights

Sunekosuri

On a rainy night, something soft brushes the running legs. A dog? Nothing is there. Run again, and it happily tangles at your feet.

Sunekosuri figure art

Danger and Rarity

C
Combat

Causes fear, obstruction, falls, or minor harm.

C
Hostility

Frightens or misleads people, but rarely pursues deeper harm.

B
Rarity

Has related tales, but encounter conditions are limited.

Overview

Sunekosuri is an Okayama yokai that rubs against a person's shins on rainy nights, slips between the legs, and makes walking difficult. It is said to look like a small dog. The harm is light, but the unseen presence on a dark road is frightening.

Encounter

Hurrying along a rainy night road, a traveler feels something dog-like brush the shins and trip the feet. Looking down shows nothing. Start running again, and it tangles with the legs once more.

Lore

Sato Seimei first recorded Sunekosuri in the 1935 Current Nationwide Yokai Dictionary as a yokai of Oda District, Okayama. Yanagita Kunio later cited it in the Yokai Meii section of Yokai Dangi.

Traits

It is a small dog-like creature that rubs against the shins and threads between the feet. It may make someone stumble, but it is not a killer; in modern media it is often given a cute, mascot-like form.

Sunekosuri cover image
It has the shape of a dog and appears on rainy nights.

Current Nationwide Yokai Dictionary