When you visit a Japanese Buddhist temple, you will notice the large circular bell found at front eaves. After your prayers, you ring the open-lipped bell which are colloquially known as waniguchi. But unbeknownst to many, that sacred instrument can evolve into a yokai of the same name. A crocodilian-like creature that feeds on the prayers of the devout.
Waniguchi is one of the rarest yokai and there are very little information about this tsukumogami. Why? Because prayer instruments are very rarely abandoned. In fact, they are always devoutly and respectfully removed. Nonetheless, in centuries past, temples and shrines were abandoned due to war and plagues. Consequently, the dilapidated bell falls to the ground and rusts away. Eventually, it transforms into a waniguchi and scuttles around the deserted temple compound.
Furthermore, it is important to remember that waniguchi, as a prayer bell, has listened to all the prayers of the devout. As such, it desperately yearns to hear these devout prayers. As a tsukumogami, waniguchi feeds on these emotional pleas for sustenance.
Conclusion
Interestingly, most Edo-period illustrations depicts waniguchi as a four-legged creature with blue-green scaly skins. The yokai retains the prayer bell as a head with a crocodilian smile. But truth be told, nobody really knows. So if you hear a prayer bell ring after your prayers at home, try to sneak a peek and see if the Edo illustrators are right.
Yokai Details
- name: waniguchi (wah-nee-goo-chee)
- kanji: 鰐口 ( わにぐち )
- meaning: literally crocodile mouth
- abilities:
- sonic wave — generate powerful pressured sound attack
- sonar detection — use sound to identify the wicked hearted
