- Nurikabe (folklore)
-
The nurikabe (ぬりかべ) is a Yōkai, or spirit, from Japanese folklore. It manifests as a wall that impedes or misdirects walking travelers at night. Trying to go around is futile as it extends itself forever. Knocking on the lower part of the wall makes it disappear.
Nurikabe in popular culture
Nurikabe, like other yōkai, sometimes appear in manga and anime. For example, the anime and manga GeGeGe no Kitaro features a nurikabe as the hero's ally, as does the more recent Petopeto-san. The manga artist Kojima Akira draws a nurikabe as his self-portrait.
Nurikabe, or characters based on it, have appeared in the video games Ōkami (as "Blockhead"), Izuna 2, and Super Mario 64 (as Whomp). It was also referenced in episode 16 and volume 2 chapter 11 of Azumanga Daioh. A Hurikabe like creature appears in the game for the Wii and the Playstation 2 Okami.
A Nurikabe appears in Takashi Miike's 2005 film Great Yokai War.
Nurikabe is also a popular type of Japanese logic puzzle.
A Nurikabe appears in 2 episodes of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger and is adapted into the "Brick Bully" monster in season 3 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as well as makes a cameo in Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers.
References
Categories:- Japanese legendary creatures
- Japanese mythology stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.