Image of Yama oroshi

Yama oroshi

The yama oroshi is a metal grater which has been improperly cared for and has grown too dull to grate anything. It sprouts a body, and the dull slicers on the grater stick out like wild spines from its head. Yama oroshi’s name contains a double pun. First, the Japanese word for grater is oroshi, which is found in this tsukumogami’s name. Second, its name sounds like yamaarashi, the Japanese word for porcupine. This yōkai resembles a porcupine with its spines.
Alias Yama oroshi (山颪)
Real Names/Alt Names “Mountain wind”, “Mountain breeze”
Characteristics Japanese Mythos, Yōkai, Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, Public Domain
Creators/Key Contributors Toriyama Sekien, ○
First Appearance Japanese folklore
First Publisher
Appearance List Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro (百器徒然袋, “The Illustrated Bag of One Hundred Random Demons” or “A Horde of Haunted Housewares”, c. 1781) Vol. 3
Sample Read Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro Vol. 3 (c. 1781) [Smithsonian]
Description The yama oroshi is a metal grater which has been improperly cared for and has grown too dull to grate anything. It sprouts a body, and the dull slicers on the grater stick out like wild spines from its head. Yama oroshi’s name contains a double pun. First, the Japanese word for grater is oroshi, which is found in this tsukumogami’s name. Second, its name sounds like yamaarashi, the Japanese word for porcupine. This yōkai resembles a porcupine with its spines.
Source Yamaoroshi – Yokai.com
Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro Vol. 3 (c. 1781, Detail) | Toriyama Sekien
Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro Vol. 3 (c. 1781, Detail) | Toriyama Sekien

Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro Vol. 3 (c. 1781) | Toriyama Sekien