Makuragaeshi
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
Overview
Makuragaeshi names an apparition associated with turning or moving a sleeper's pillow, sometimes changing the orientation of the sleeping person. The disturbance is small in scale but intimate: the creature enters the space where a person is least alert. Regional descriptions give it different appearances, including childlike or monk-like forms, so the name identifies an action more consistently than it identifies a single body.
Sekien pictures a miniature guardian-like figure, which differs from some later descriptions. That contrast shows why a folkloric action and an encyclopedia illustration should be recorded separately. Tales of altered bedding can be comic, alarming or connected with other experiences of sleep, depending on the source. This profile follows the pillow-turning motif without treating it as a diagnosis, a proven explanation of sleep disturbance or evidence for a creature with fixed physical dimensions.
Origins & earliest records
Selected illustrated witness: Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (1776). This is an attestation of the named representation, not a claim that the belief began in that year.
Records & interpretation
Historical prints and textual references establish an imagined being and its representation. The linked contextual article distinguishes the pictured form from regional accounts; these sources do not establish zoological existence.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
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Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
Selected historical witness; individual illustration now checked in the separately linked primary scan. This edition is not a claim of the earliest oral attestation.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
Volume 2, Yang (陽); NDL 1805 edition bound in catalog record 百鬼夜行 3巻拾遺3巻. [1]. NDL canvas 25, right page of photographed opening
Printed 反枕 with reading; a creature bends over a sleeper and pillow in a furnished room. Printed name and illustration inspected together. Canvas numbering identifies the digitized opening, not an original printed page number.
Makuragaeshi appears on the right page of an opening whose other image is Yuki-onna. Its own scene takes place inside a room, with a folding screen and other furniture defining the rear of the space. A sleeper lies in the foreground beneath bedding, while the creature bends toward the head and pillow area. The printed title 反枕 is accompanied by a reading, tying the picture to the pillow-turning name. Sekien therefore presents a domestic disturbance through the arrangement of bodies and sleeping equipment. The scan does not depict the sleeper awakening or explain what happens afterward. The opposite snowy landscape belongs to a separately labelled being and should not be used as evidence for Makuragaeshi's habitat.
Encyclopedia background
An additional attributed reference, separate from the editorial profile above.
Read the open encyclopedia overview
The makuragaeshi (枕返し or 反枕, “pillow flip”) is a kind of Japanese spirit or yōkai. They would come at night to one's pillow side and flip over the pillow. They are also considered to change which direction one's head or feet are facing. They are often found in many actual stories from the Edo Period to the modern period, and they are often said to appear as a small child or a bōzu, but there are no clear-cut accounts of how they look. In the Edo Period collection of yōkai pictures, the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, they are depicted as a miniature Niō.
Text from Wikipedia contributors, “Makuragaeshi”. CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted introduction; formatting changed. Retrieved 5 October 2026. The source article may have changed since retrieval.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary illustrated book / national-library recordNocturnal Procession of the Hundred Demons — historical editionResearch access: 2026-10-05
- National library / primary illustration contextTORIYAMA Sekien’s Illustrated Night Parade of the Demon HordeResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Secondary referenceMakuragaeshi — contextual overview and bibliographyResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationGazu Hyakki Yagyō — directly inspected NDL canvas 25, right page of photographed openingResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Reference illustrationMakuragaeshi
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
