No. 13 of 15 · Yokai Personalities
Tsukumogami: The Friend Who's Been There Forever
Pictures by Kawanabe Kyosai
Kawanabe Kyosai's drum-headed tsukumogami, from his 1889 Pictures of One Hundred Demons, comes with a toast to old friendships and the next hundred years together. In Japanese folklore, a household thing that lasts a hundred years, a teapot, a drum or an umbrella, gains a spirit of its own. For the friend who has been there forever.
Add four of your own photos and your own words; we print the card in the US and post it for you.
Inside, it says
TSUKUMOGAMI the friend who's been there forever So do old friendships. Here's to ours, and to the next hundred years together. 付喪神
On the back
付喪神 / TSUKUMOGAMI / the friend who's been there forever / Tsukumogami are household things that come alive in Japanese folklore. It was said that a teapot, a drum or an umbrella that lasts a hundred years gains a spirit of its own. / YOKAI PERSONALITIES / No. 13/15
A card for
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