SUNAMURA NO ONRYO

Lore

Sunamura no Onryo, literally “the vengeful spirit of Sunamura,” is a rare example of a hybrid yokai—a malevolent ghost fused with a pumpkin. It is tied to the former village of Sunamura, once on the outskirts of Edo (now absorbed into Tokyo’s Koto Ward), an area famous for its plentiful pumpkin fields. In Japanese tradition an onryo is one of the most dangerous kinds of yurei (vengeful ghosts): spirits born of a curse or deep resentment, capable of unleashing epidemics and natural disasters. Classical sources describe onryo as the souls of people, but in Sunamura’s case the curse latched onto a pumpkin itself, making this spirit truly unique.

The creature’s body is a tangle of pumpkin vines and withering leaves, and in its frail vine-hands it cradles a heavy, bright-orange pumpkin where a head ought to be. Thanks to its plant-like nature, Sunamura no Onryo blends easily into pumpkin patches and is most active in autumn, during harvest time. At night it drifts toward the village outskirts to stalk the locals. The pursuit is said to be silent and barely visible, marked only by a sudden rush of cold air and the stench of rotting vegetables. Escape is thought to be impossible. When the spirit attacks, its vines coil around the victim, strangling them and slowly draining their ki, or life energy; the target also feels a crushing weight on the shoulders that leaves them unable to move. Prolonged exposure to the spirit hastens crop spoilage and spreads illness among people and livestock—classic signs of a high-ranking onryo that can harm not just individuals but the entire surroundings.