Wanyūdō

Wanyūdō (Japanese: 輪入道, literally "wheel (輪) monk (入道)"), also known as "Firewheel" or "Soultaker",^[1] is a yōkai depicted in Toriyama Sekien's collection of yōkai illustrations, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki. He is a relatively well-known yōkai; the earliest reports of him date back to the Heian period.^{[citation needed]}

Artist's depiction of Wanyudo, circa 1779

Description

Wanyūdō takes the form of a burning ox cart wheel bearing the tormented face of a man. Various folklore purports him as the condemned soul of a tyrannical daimyō who, in life, was known for having his victims drawn on the back of an ox cart. He is said to guard the gates of Hell, and to wander back and forth along the road between this world and the underworld, scaring townsfolk as he passes and stealing the souls of anyone who gets too close in order to bring them to Hell with him.^[2]

Legends

One of the most famous legends comes from Kyoto, Japan. As Wanyudo rolled through the town, a woman peeked out her window at him. Wanyudo told her "Instead of looking at me, have a look at your own child!"

She looked down at her baby to find him lying on the floor in a pool of blood with his legs missing.

When she looked back outside at the demon, she saw her baby's legs in his mouth as he ate them.^[3]

Modern appearances

Video games

Actraiser - hybrid game for the Super Nintendo
Demon Blade – Japanese Samurai RPG
Kenseiden – action RPG for Master System
Megami Tensei – series of role-playing games
Nioh – action RPG
Ōkami – action-adventure game for PlayStation 2 (2006)
Yo-Kai Watch - monster collector RPG for Nintendo 3ds; inspiration behind "Duwheel" (boss)
Yomawari – survival horror game for PlayStation

Television and film

Doron Dororon - manga
Gantz: O – CGI anime movie
Gegege no Kitaro – anime series (2018)
Hell Girl – manga, anime, video game
Kamen Rider – manga and anime series
One Piece – manga and anime series
Toriko - manga; inspiration behind Mythical Beast "Soylent Mean"

References

^ Bane, Theresa (2016). Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 121–2. ISBN 978-1-4766-6355-5.
^ "Lucky Cola".
^ "Wa nyūdō". Yokai.

External links

[1] Bane, Theresa (2016). Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 121–2. ISBN 978-1-4766-6355-5.

[2] "Lucky Cola".

[3] "Wa nyūdō". Yokai.

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