Kakashigami (案山子神 Kakashigami, Scarecrow God) is a kami.
Appearance[]
Kakashigami has yellow skin, a large, square face, with small, angry eyes, a round nose, and small mouth. They wear or have a body made out of brown leaves.
History[]
Video Games[]
- Kakashigami appears in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Yokochō as a B-Rank yōkai.
Legend[]
Illustration of Kakashigami
Kakashigami are special scarecrows found throughout Japan that also act as Yamagami and Ta-no-Kami. In parts of Nagano Prefecture, there is an event in which mochi are offered to Kakashigami. The fire for the mochi is started by breaking the scarecrow's hat. In Kitaazumi district, there is an event called Kakashi-Age (案山子揚), in which a scarecrow is brought from the rice fields on the 10th day of the 10th month (Inoko no Hi, 亥の子の日, Day of the Boar).
In Gunma Prefecture, Kakashigami are made when a log with a diameter of 2-3 inches is cut into a convenient size and used as a sacred object, with a face cut out all over. Many are enshrined in village halls.
On the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture, Kakashigami are called Ino no Gami (亥の神, Boar God), due to their festivities being held on Inoko no Hi.