Biwa-bokuboku

The Biwa-bokuboku comes to life at night and sits calmly in a tatami room, singing and plinking while lamenting the neglect of his former owner.

Toriyama Sekien reports in his work Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro (百器徒然袋) that the biwa was designed after Chinese instruments such as the bokuma and the genjō.

[1][2][3] The Biwa-bokuboku belongs to a special group of yōkai: the Tsukumogami (Japanese: 付喪神, lit.

As revenge (and out of frustration), they wander through the rooms of inhabited houses at night and lament loudly over their neglect.

Alternatively, they meet with other Tsukumogami and throw noisy parties or they leave home and stroll around in search of others with whom to commiserate.