BURA-BURA

Lore

Bura-Bura is a tsukumogami—a spirit of an old paper lantern that has awakened to consciousness and gained supernatural powers after a century of existence. It manifests wherever a lantern has hung, neglected for many years, be it in an abandoned teahouse, a forsaken roadside inn, or a deserted shrine. Lacking a clear goal, its appearance is inevitably linked with anxiety and fear. Descriptions often show a tattered, aged lantern sporting one or two enormous eyes and a mouth with a long tongue dangling out. At night, it may hover in midair, gently swaying or flickering in the darkness, catching the eye of traveling adventurers still wandering the roads.

During the medieval ages, a humble paper lantern with a candle might well have been a lone traveler’s only companion. One ancient tale recounts how Bura-Bura’s glow can lure people into the unfamiliar places, tricking them into believing they have encountered another adventurer. But the moment the person follows its light, it vanishes, leaving them lost in utter darkness and unfamiliar surroundings. Sometimes it simply leads wanderers astray, making them circle through woods or marshes. Rarely, the yokai’s glow might guide its quarry off a cliff or into mortal danger, though such events are thought to be uncommon.