azuki arai

小豆洗い . 特別純米原酒 washing red beans - the river turns ricewine

photo : tokiyadiary.blog118.fc2.com



Inspired by the TV series about
Gegege no Nyobo, wife of Mizuki Shigeru
ゲゲゲの女房


. Mizuki Shigeru and GEGEGE (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎) . 　 　


I am studying his monsters related to food,
hopefully there will be more !



Azuki Arai

This little bean washer monster sits on a river bank and washes red beans in a basket. You can hear the sound of this, but usually not see him while he works.
You can even hear him hum a gentle song.


The TV scene when Shigeru met him and heared him ask of Mizuki to produce an encyclopedia of Japanese monsters was very moving !

水木しげる 妖怪図鑑
水木しげる妖怪大百科





This monster is well known in many parts of Japan, mostly in Kaii (Yamanashi), Shinano (Nagano) and Echigo (Niigata).
It often comes out to a farmhouse where the bride is preparing to go to her husband, and the family is too poor to cook auspicious rice with red beans. When the family checks the kitchen in the morning, there is a bunch of freshly washed red beans ready to be cooked.

In Tottori they say this is in fact a monkey, hanging around old farmhouses.





Some say it washes azuki beans, others say it rinses rice or chopsticks.
kometogi ba 米とぎ婆
hashi arai 箸洗い

It is also called

azuki togi 小豆とぎ, rinsing red beans
making a sound like ショキショキ "shoki shoki".

Sometimes his song sounds like
小豆とごうか、人取って食おうか ショキ、ショキ


Shall I rinse red beans?
or catch a human
and eat it?


Other names are

あずい洗い／小豆あらいど／小豆洗い婆／小豆こし／小豆ごしゃごしゃ／小豆さらさら／小豆すり／小豆そぎ／小豆そぎ婆／小豆とぎ／小豆とげ／小豆婆／小豆やら／米とぎ婆／コメカシ／洗濯狐／付け紐小僧／荒神様／山の神／赤小豆洗い／米とぎ婆さま／箸洗い /


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source : morioka_hisamoto

from Takehara Shunsensai 竹原春泉斎 『絵本百物語』
Woodblocks of the Edo Period


Once upon a time at a temle in the village of Takada, the priest cared for the young orphans of the village.

One boy was especially clever.
When the priest showed a box full of red beans and asked how much there were inside, he could immediately tell the number.

The priest was quite surprized and thought to make this boy follow in his priestly profession.
Another of his students, the vicious Enkai, got so envious he threw the intelligent kid to his death, into the well.

From this day on, every night, every night they heard his voice in the well, counting red beans.

Eventually, the vicious Enkai was brought to justice by the local authorities, and received the death penalty for his deed.

From that day on, the souls of the good and the bad student appeared every night, every night after sunset, counting red beans in the well,
or near the river bank.

Nobody wanted to take over this temple any more, and it was left without a priest, when the old monk died, maybe in 1689 ... ?


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And now to the present-day reality !






azukiarai 小豆洗い insect "washing red beans"
kigo for all autumn

. Chatatemushi, 茶立虫 "tea whisking insect" 　
Graphopsocus cruciatus

konachatate 粉茶立（こなちゃたて）
kakurezatoo 隠座頭（かくれざとう）


A group of insects with more than 5000 subgroups, Stenopsocus aphidiformis
Psococerastis tokyoensis, Psocomorpha, Longivalvus nubilus, Psococerastis kurokiana, Amphigerontia sp., Psocodea, Psocoptera, Troctomorpha, Trogiomorpha etc.

Some species have wings, others do not.
The ones without wings are about 1 to 2 milimeters, with long legs. Some resemble small white ants, with a rather large head.

The winged species are about 3 to 7 milimeters, the wings can be much longer than the body.



washing red beans -
a monster turns
KIGO !

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

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Kagawa 香川県 / mamedanuki 豆狸

Azukiarai is an animal of the family of mamedanuki 豆狸 small Tanuki.
It lives near a well or small river and makes the noise of washing beans. Sometimes it plays tricks on humans.


source : tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives...

- - - - -
坂出市 Sakaide city

The sun was down and getting dark, a light wind in the air. Two sisters were crossing a bridge when they heard a strange sound of washing something from the river. Afraid they rushed back home. Mother told them:
"This was azuki arai あずき洗い the bean-washing monster. I have told you not to go over the bridge at night!"


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Nagano 長野県 / 狢 mujina

If people pass by, Azukiarai makes the sound of washing beans. People say it is a badger.
Children are afraid of this sound and do not pass here.
Some say it is itachi イタチ a weasel. When the animals are in heat, the male ones make a sound like washing beans.


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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -

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. WASHOKU -Azuki 小豆 red beans 　

. ANIMALS in AUTUMN - SAIJIKI

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