SUNEKOSURI

Lore

Sunekosuri (脛擦り) literally means “the one who rubs against your shins.” The spirit’s trademark is small-scale but persistent mischief. On dark, mostly rainy nights it slips up to a passerby’s legs and begins rubbing against the shins, trying to make the victim stumble—ideally into a puddle. If the traveler ends up soaked and muddy, mission accomplished one hundred percent. The creature is not out to cause serious physical harm; what it really wants is an emotional flare-up. A shout, a burst of anger, even grumbled complaints feed the yokai’s power. Once it gets that reaction, the spirit vanishes just as quickly as it appeared.