Microcosm

Haradashi 腹出し “Belly Exposer” are a charming brand of yōkai often associated with Sake and lonely people. They are generally harmless, often appearing to cheer people up by doing comical dances and making faces with their bellies. Some Haradashi are headless, others come with an elderly nun’s head and flowing long dark hair. Drinking alone becomes less sad when the belly exposer joins the party, changing your fortune to one of hope and aspiration.

For the face on the bally I’ve gone with a Hyottoko (火男) style design, another popular character and mask design often found in popular Japanese folklore. One origin for the character could be from an old tale about a boy with a bizarre face who could create gold out of his belly button. When someone dies, there’s a tradition of displaying a Hyottoko mask above the fireplace to bring good fortune to the house.

Chōchin Obake 提灯お化け “Paper Lantern Ghost” is another yōkai which falls into the Tsukumogami category; an object which transforms and comes to life once it reaches 100 years old.

A Chōchin Obake splits one of the wooden ribs of the lantern, developing a wide mouth with a long tongue and either one or two giant eyes. They are generally harmless, giving a fright to passers by, but some are often other more dangerous Yokai in disguise. In rare cases, they can sprout arms and legs too.

Despite being one of the more famous yōkai, they don’t tend to appear in literature, only in illustrative form.

Hitotsume Kozou 一つ目小僧 “little priest boy” is a child-like Japanese yokai who dresses as a monk, with a distinct single eye. They are generally harmless, and like to sneak up on you in dark streets. In East Japan, on the 8th of December, it is told that they travel the country recording who has been bad, and deliver their ledgers to the God of pestilence and bad luck, who then brings misfortune to those deserving families. However, Hitotsume Kozō leave their ledgers with the guardian deity of travels for safekeeping until February 8th, so local villagers have a tendency to ceremonially burn these shrines down and rebuild them each year, hoping to escape their fates!

played a cool acoustic set this afternoon and I was on the front row to take it all in… not often your fav artist performs in front of your design work 🤓 Proud seeing Liverpool’s music scene in such good hands with