#*two

A Zashiki warashi is a type of house spirit that takes the form of a vague child-like shape with difficult to make out details

They appear as ghostly five or six years olds with blushing red faces, the boys are dressed in warrior costumes the girls in patterned kimonos

Their name translates to zashiki child after the sitting rooms covered in tatami mats (“zashiki”) that they appear in

Zashiki warashi are fond of mischief and playing pranks

Often the first signs that a house may be inhabited by one is by a trail of children’s footprints going through ashes or soap powder

Other signs include phantom noises that sound like children’s games for example tops spinning all night long ( ;) ), paper crinkling or children’s voices

Direct sightings of zashiki warashi are rare

It is said that only children and the house’s owners are able to see these spirits

They are usually known only by their pranks

They are believed to bring good fortune to those whose houses they haunt, which is why they are considered guardian spirits of the house or even gods of luck

It is said that a house with a zashiki warashi will prosper and grow rich, and a house that drives away such a spirit will fall into ruin

(In one account, a family witnessed a zashiki warashi leaving their home, and soon they all succumbed to food poisoning and died)

In many homes, these spirits befriend the children of the house, teaching them songs, games, and nursery rhymes

Or they keep elderly or infertile couples company, these couples often treat the zashiki warashi like their own child

The desire to attract and keep zashiki warashi led to customs like setting out food in the zashiki for them or even laying coins in the foundation while building a new house

Originally I wanted to draw something more creepy but sadly I didn’t have as much time for research as I hoped

So when I read that one of the first signs that your house is inhabited by a zashiki warashi is that you’ll hear the sound of spinning tops I thought I had to