Tōfu-kozō

Tōfu-kozō (Japanese: 豆腐小僧, literally "tofu boy") is a yōkai of Japan that takes on the appearance of a child possessing a tray with tōfu on it.

[3] They are generally depicted wearing bamboo and kasa on their heads, and possessing a round tray with a momiji-dōfu on it (a tōfu with a momiji (autumn leaf) shape pressed into it[6]).

[8] Also, in the kibyōshi the "Bakemono Shiuchi Hyōbanki (妖怪仕内評判記)" by Koikawa Harumachi from the An'ei era, weasels turn into tōfu-kozō,[3] and in later books, their father has been specified to be mikoshi-nyūdō and their mother has been specified to be rokurokubi.

[7][9] In literature from the Shōwa and Heisei eras and beyond, it is frequently written that they would appear on rainy nights, and recommend the relish of tōfu to people passing by, but halfway into eating it a mold would grow.

[3] According to the tōfu cook book Tofu Hyakuchin published in Tenmei 2 (1782), it was made into a famous yōkai that appeared in humorous literature and manga e-hon such as kusazōshi and kibyōshi.

[4][7] In "Bake no Kawa Daikoden (化皮太鼓伝)" published in Tenpō 4 (1833), there was a tanuki yōkai that wore a kasa wearing clothes that had tōfu depicted on them, giving an example that hints at the existence of tōfu-kozō.