KATAWAGURUMA

Lore

Katawaguruma is a yokai whose name literally translates as “Crippling wheel.” She is viewed as the female counterpart to the better-known Wanyudo. In Japanese demonology she combines the traits of a hellish messenger and a vengeful onryo spirit: legend says she is the soul of a woman whose sins or unbridled rage turned her into a ghost after death. The creature takes the form of a flaming one-bladed cartwheel to which a woman’s body is chained.

According to myth, Katawaguruma dwells in the Underworld but from time to time rolls into the human realm to hunt for “unclean souls.” The demon is especially sensitive to curiosity: the moment a traveler looks at the blazing wheel, a curse falls upon them. A famous story from Omi Province tells of an inquisitive woman who peeked at the passing spirit; Katawaguruma taunted her about her children, who vanished instantly from the house.