An uwan is a Japanese yōkai depicted in Edo Period pictures such as the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi and the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama. They were depicted to be a teeth-blackened yōkai with grotesque features who were waving both hands, and appeared to be looking threatening by raising their voice, but there was no explanatory text, so their true identity is unknown. Teeth blackening was performed in medieval Japan among males of the nobility (kuge) and warrior class (buke), so it is inferred that they may be a yōkai of someone from this class, or alternatively they may come from how monsters in Omine, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture are called “wanwan” and how monsters in Taniyama, Kagoshima Prefecture (now Kagoshima) are called “wan”. In the background of the picture in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, there is the interpretation that they are a paranormal phenomenon that appears from the walls of a deserted residence. Also, in yōkai depictions, the uwan only has three fingers on its hands, so it is theorized that this refers to how oni have three fingers.
Appearance List Bakemono Zukushi Monster Scroll (Edo Period)
Sample Read Bakemono Zukushi Monster Scroll (Edo Period) [Internet Archive]
Description An uwan is a Japanese yōkai depicted in Edo Period pictures such as the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi and the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama. They were depicted to be a teeth-blackened yōkai with grotesque features who were waving both hands, and appeared to be looking threatening by raising their voice, but there was no explanatory text, so their true identity is unknown. Teeth blackening was performed in medieval Japan among males of the nobility (kuge) and warrior class (buke), so it is inferred that they may be a yōkai of someone from this class, or alternatively they may come from how monsters in Omine, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture are called “wanwan” and how monsters in Taniyama, Kagoshima Prefecture (now Kagoshima) are called “wan”. In the background of the picture in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, there is the interpretation that they are a paranormal phenomenon that appears from the walls of a deserted residence. Also, in yōkai depictions, the uwan only has three fingers on its hands, so it is theorized that this refers to how oni have three fingers.
