NOBIAGARI

Lore

Little is known with certainty about Nobiagari, a mysterious yokai that appears from nowhere and vanishes without a trace. It does not manifest in physical form so much as materialize as a shadow, featureless and unremarkable. Its sole purpose seems to be startling lone travelers on deserted roads at twilight.

Stories describe Nobiagari as a living silhouette that rises from the ground and follows its chosen victim. One of its favorite pranks is simple yet unnerving: if the traveler doesn’t flee, it slowly begins to grow taller and taller. A natural human reaction is to tilt one’s head back to keep track of its ever-rising height—until one’s balance is lost and the unsuspecting passerby topples to the ground!

By the time a person recovers and brushes the dirt from their clothes, Nobiagari is gone—leaving only a dirty outfit and a memory of that towering shadow.