Mikoshi-nyūdō is a type of bald-headed yōkai “goblin” with an ever-extending neck. In Japanese folklore and Edo period (1603–1868) kaidan “ghost story” texts, mikoshi-nyūdō will frighten people who look over the top of things such as byōbu folding screens. The name combines mikoshi 見越し (lit. “see over”) “looking over the top (of a fence); anticipation; expectation” and nyūdō 入道 (lit. “enter the Way”) “a (Buddhist) priest; a bonze; a tonsured monster”. When walking to the end of a road at night or a hill road, something the shape of a monk would suddenly appear, and if one looks up, it becomes taller the further one looks up. They are so big that one would look up at them, and thus are given the name “miage-nyūdō (見上げ入道, look up nyūdō).” Sometimes, if one just looks at them like that, one might die, but they can be made to disappear by saying “mikoshita (見こした, I’ve seen past you).” They most frequently appear when walking alone on night paths, but they are also said to appear at intersections, stone bridges, and above trees. It is said that getting flown over by a mikoshi-nyūdō results in death or getting strangled by the throat, and if one falls back due to looking up at the nyūdō, one’s windpipe would get gnawed at and killed.
Alias Mikoshi-nyūdō (見越し入道 or 見越入道)
Real Names/Alt Names Miage-nyūdō (“Look up nyūdō”)
Appearance List Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (画図百鬼夜行, “The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons”, 1776) Vol. 3
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Description Mikoshi-nyūdō is a type of bald-headed yōkai “goblin” with an ever-extending neck. In Japanese folklore and Edo period (1603–1868) kaidan “ghost story” texts, mikoshi-nyūdō will frighten people who look over the top of things such as byōbu folding screens. The name combines mikoshi 見越し (lit. “see over”) “looking over the top (of a fence); anticipation; expectation” and nyūdō 入道 (lit. “enter the Way”) “a (Buddhist) priest; a bonze; a tonsured monster”. When walking to the end of a road at night or a hill road, something the shape of a monk would suddenly appear, and if one looks up, it becomes taller the further one looks up. They are so big that one would look up at them, and thus are given the name “miage-nyūdō (見上げ入道, look up nyūdō).” Sometimes, if one just looks at them like that, one might die, but they can be made to disappear by saying “mikoshita (見こした, I’ve seen past you).” They most frequently appear when walking alone on night paths, but they are also said to appear at intersections, stone bridges, and above trees. It is said that getting flown over by a mikoshi-nyūdō results in death or getting strangled by the throat, and if one falls back due to looking up at the nyūdō, one’s windpipe would get gnawed at and killed.
