Tsukumogami is a type of divine spirit that appears in traditional Japanese beliefs and folk beliefs. It is believed that used tools and vessels take on their own will and take on the characteristics of deities after many years. This concept is an expression of animism, which is unique to Japan and emphasizes respect and attachment to objects, as well as their history and stories.
Origin and Development of Mourning Gods
The idea of tsukemogami is based on the ancient Japanese animistic (the belief that all things have a spirit) worldview that things are endowed with qualities as mononoke or gods. In particular, there is the belief that tools and objects awaken as spirits or deities when they are used for more than 100 years. This belief leads to the teaching that we should be grateful for tools and objects and treat them with care.
Cultural works depicting mourning gods
The tsukemogami (attached mourning gods) appear in many collections of ghost stories and strange tales from the Edo period (1603-1868). One of the most representative examples is “Hyakki Tsurekuro” by Toriyama Ishien. In this work, a variety of everyday objects are depicted as tsukumogami, each with its own unique character and narrative. In modern times, this concept is also used in anime, manga, and novels, where old objects are sometimes represented as spirits or deities dwelling in them.
Mourning Gods in the Modern Age
In contemporary Japan, the tsukumogami are attracting attention not only as supernatural beings and folklore, but also from an ecological point of view. A culture that values things and does not dispose of them is valued as a sustainable attitude toward life, and tsukumogami are increasingly seen as a symbol of this.
The concept of tsukemogami is a uniquely Japanese cultural expression that teaches respect and appreciation for objects and empathy for the “life” they hold.
This page is auto-translated from /nishio/付喪神 using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I’m very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.