The makuragaeshi is a kind of Japanese spirit or yōkai. They would come at night to one’s pillow side and flip over the pillow. They are also considered to change which direction one’s head or feet are facing. They are often found in many actual stories from the Edo Period to the modern period, and they are often said to appear as a small child or a bōzu, but there are no clear-cut accounts of how they look. In the Edo Period collection of yōkai pictures, the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, they are depicted as a miniature Niō (muscular guardian of the Buddha). Besides being seen as a yōkai, it is also thought that people who died in a room would become that room’s makuragaeshi. There are stories about wealthy travelers who come and take lodging (including zatō, Buddhist pilgrims, pharmacists, which differ by the area in which this is talked about, but all travelers that go to these lands) and get tricked by the owner of the house and have their money stolen, after which every night, the traveler’s spirit would move the pillows of the people who lodged there, among other stories. In the Tōhoku region, it is often said that makuragaeshi is a prank pulled by zashiki-warashi. There are also examples of legends that not merely pull pranks, but also take people’s lives. In Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, it is said that at a certain residence, a makuragaeshi in the form of a beautiful woman would appear, but when the footwear (zōri) servant of that place was laughed at by this makuragaeshi in front of the residence, the servant fell unconscious right there and died just like that. It is thought that since ancient times, it was widely believed in Japan that the soul leaves the body while dreaming, and the soul cannot return to the body if the pillow is flipped during that time.
Appearance List Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (画図百鬼夜行, “The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons” or The Illustrated Demon Horde’s Night Parade, 1776) Vol. 2 “Yang”
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Description The makuragaeshi is a kind of Japanese spirit or yōkai. They would come at night to one’s pillow side and flip over the pillow. They are also considered to change which direction one’s head or feet are facing. They are often found in many actual stories from the Edo Period to the modern period, and they are often said to appear as a small child or a bōzu, but there are no clear-cut accounts of how they look. In the Edo Period collection of yōkai pictures, the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, they are depicted as a miniature Niō (muscular guardian of the Buddha). Besides being seen as a yōkai, it is also thought that people who died in a room would become that room’s makuragaeshi. There are stories about wealthy travelers who come and take lodging (including zatō, Buddhist pilgrims, pharmacists, which differ by the area in which this is talked about, but all travelers that go to these lands) and get tricked by the owner of the house and have their money stolen, after which every night, the traveler’s spirit would move the pillows of the people who lodged there, among other stories. In the Tōhoku region, it is often said that makuragaeshi is a prank pulled by zashiki-warashi. There are also examples of legends that not merely pull pranks, but also take people’s lives. In Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, it is said that at a certain residence, a makuragaeshi in the form of a beautiful woman would appear, but when the footwear (zōri) servant of that place was laughed at by this makuragaeshi in front of the residence, the servant fell unconscious right there and died just like that. It is thought that since ancient times, it was widely believed in Japan that the soul leaves the body while dreaming, and the soul cannot return to the body if the pillow is flipped during that time.
