Kanadama or Kanedama (金霊 Kanadama, lit. Money Spirit) is a gold coin Yōkai.[1]
Appearance[]
Kanadama is a giant gold coin, with no design on either side of its body. It has a plain edge and its sides have reflective surfaces, giving it a brilliant gleam with small sparkles and several highlights.[1]
Personality[]
In the 1985 anime, Kanadama is an ally of Kitarō, and acts very obedient to him.
History[]
Third Anime[]
Kanadama appears in episode #65 of the third anime adaptation, Yōkai Hyakume: The Cruise to Hell. Kanadama is called by Kitarō with the use of his Yōkai Ocarina. Kanadama lets him ride itself to chase after Hyakume. It shines brightly in order to blind Hyakume, allowing Kitarō to get close enough to poke a hole in the inflated Hyakume, defeating him.[1]
Powers and Abilities[]
Levitation: Kanadama is able to float in the air, as well as to soar rather fast even with someone riding it.[1]
Legend[]
In some legends Kanadama is portrayed as a yōkai that brings wealth to those that do good, while it has also been portrayed as a yōkai that turns (or has been) greedy and carries away money. Some depictions give it a form as a humanoid figure giving coins or as a living coin.
The origin of this yōkai can possibly traced to Tang Dynasty poetry in China, where people who have no desire for money can see aura rising from gold and silver buried underground. The Analects of Confucius say "Blessings will come automatically if you do good deeds without desires." Kanadama-like yōkai can also be found in the 1776 book, Ugetsu Monogatari (雨月物語, Tales of Moonlight and Rain), a collection of supernatural tales from Ueda Akinari.
Shigeru Mizuki clarifies that the "lack of desires" is not equal to laziness or indifference to life, and that this state is not easy to achieve as a result. as a result, sightings of Kanadama are often luck-based.