Wanyūdō The Soultaker – Fearsome Yōkai In Japanese Mythology

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Japanese mythology is full of mysterious and fascinating creatures. One of them is called Wanyūdō, and its existence is based on a thousand-year-old legend.

In Japan, Wanyūdō is one of the most frightening types of Yōkai. According to ancient Japanese beliefs, Yōkai (in Chinese: ‘kanji’, which means “strangeness, mystery, or suspicion”) are weird creatures that dwell in the borderlands and in spaces, which are located “in-between”.

They haunt bridges and tunnels, entranceways, and lurk and disturb at crossroads and thresholds; they are elsewhere, changing their forms and places. Known as the Firewheel or Soultaker, Wanyūdō is said to haunt residential areas, most notably in Kyoto.  The creature is so terrifying in its appearance that it can easily give anyone nightmares.

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See also:

Mikoshi-Nyudo: Evil, Bald-Headed And Long-Necked Yokai Goblin In Japanese Folklore

Nue – Shape-Shifting Evil Yokai Transforming Into A Black Cloud In Japanese Folklore

Nurikabe: Trickster That Manifests Itself As Invisible, Impassable Wall In Japanese Old Beliefs

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