Wanyūdō


Wanyūdō monk, also known as "Firewheel" or "Soultaker", 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.

Description

In Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, Toriyama Sekien depicts Wanyūdō as a figure with a male face attached to the center of an ox cart wheel wrapped in flames. The accompanying explanatory text states the following:
Wanyūdō steals the souls of those who see its form. The instruction to paste a paper reading "This place is the village of Shōbo" on the door of a house as a charm means that Wanyūdō cannot approach. The phrase "This place is the village of Shōbo" is derived from an anecdote in the "Biographies of Zou Yang" from the Records of the Grand Historian. In the story, Zengzi, a disciple of Confucius and the founder of a school of Confucianism in China, refused to set foot in the village of "Shōbo" because he disliked the name, which implied overcoming one's mother.
Various folklore also 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.

Identity with Katawaguruma

Sekien's Wanyūdō is considered to be drawn based on the "Katawaguruma" yōkai recorded in Shokoku Hyakumonogatari published in 1677, due to its shape and content. Although "Katawaguruma" and "Wanyūdō" are depicted as separate yōkai in Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, they are thought to be separate works created using the same legend as material.
The illustration in Shokoku Hyakumonogatari depicts a Katawaguruma in the form of a face attached to the center of a wheel. Wanyūdō is depicted as male and Katawaguruma as female, and they are interpreted as such today; however, the depiction of Katawaguruma as a female began with the Shokoku Rijindan published in 1743. Differences in depiction already existed in illustrations in printed books prior to Sekien. It is believed that "Katawaguruma," which was originally exactly the same legend, may have branched into two yōkai: Katawaguruma and Wanyūdō.

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.

Modern appearances

Video games

Actraiser - hybrid game for the Super NintendoDemon Blade – Japanese Samurai RPGKenseiden – action RPG for Master System

Television and film

Doron Dororon - manga Gantz: O – CGI anime movieGegege no Kitaro – anime series Hell Girl – manga, anime, video gameKamen Rider – manga and anime seriesOne Piece – manga and anime series