Daily mythical creature 464: the Ushiro-Gami [Japanese folklore; yokai]!

(image source: BooEme on Deviantart)

This is a strange, obscure spirit from Japanese folklore, whose name roughly translates to ‘the god behind you’. When you think the Ushiro-gami is in front of you, it will suddenly appear behind you to pull at the hair on the back of your head. In this regard, it is prankster spirit. These beings are not evil and will not seriously harm people, but they do delight in their pranks.

(image source: Toriyama Sekien, 18th century)

It is depicted as a ghostly being that arches over backwards, with hands in a reverse position and a singular eye at the top of its head instead of a face. Contemporary art often disregards this and instead pictures the creature with normal hands and a cyclops-like eye in the middle of its face. It is said to accompany Buru-Buru, the ‘god of cowardice’, which is a similar creature.

Source: the Gazu Hyakki Yagyo from Toriyama Sekien, I personally read the “Japandemonium” translation by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt