Why This Tale
Of all the tsukumogami legends I’ve encountered, the stories surrounding lantern spirits hold a particular fascination for me. Perhaps it’s the irony—an object designed to bring light becoming a source of terror. Perhaps it’s the very real danger they represent in a culture where fire could erase entire neighborhoods in minutes.
When adapting this tale for English-speaking readers, I made certain adjustments for narrative flow and cultural accessibility. Names, settings, and some contextual details were shaped to bridge the gap between Edo-period Japan and the modern Western reader. However, the emotional core remains unchanged: the relationship between humans and the objects that serve them, and what happens when gratitude is replaced by arrogance.
There’s something uncomfortably relatable about a man who discards what helped him succeed the moment something shinier comes along. The lantern ghost doesn’t just haunt—it holds a mirror.
The Tale
The story belongs to a broader tradition of tsukumogami folklore—narratives in which tools, household items, and everyday objects acquire spirits after long years of use (traditionally, one hundred years, though the number is more symbolic than literal).
In this particular account, a merchant in a bustling commercial district has built his fortune through diligence. His paper lantern, an andon-style standing lamp, has been his constant companion through countless transactions and late nights balancing accounts. The lantern asks for nothing but oil and the occasional repair.
When the merchant acquires a newer Western-style lamp—brighter, more fashionable—he discards the old andon without a second thought. No ritual retirement. No acknowledgment of service. The lantern is left in an alley like refuse.
What follows is a visitation. The old lantern reappears, transformed. Its paper shell has split into a leering mouth. A tongue lolls from the tear. A single eye, full of accusation, stares from what was once a plain surface. And within its frame, fire stirs—not the gentle glow of service, but the hungry flicker of revenge.
The tale does not end gently.
Points of Interest Beyond the Story
The Chōchin Obake in Visual Culture
The lantern ghost is one of the most frequently depicted yokai in Japanese art. Ukiyo-e masters like Katsushika Hokusai included it in their supernatural catalogues, and it remains a staple of ghost-themed festivals and haunted house attractions today. Its almost comical appearance—one eye, lolling tongue, split-paper grin—belies the genuine dread it represented.