Aburaakago 油赤子

Aburaakago (油赤子), often referred to as the “Oil-Licking Baby,” is a mysterious spirit known for its strange craving for lamp oil. It is sometimes associated with the term Aburaname (油舐め), meaning “oil-licker.”

Meaning and Origin

The name Aburaakago is composed of abura (油 - oil) and akago (赤子 - infant or baby).

This yokai’s origin is tied to the restless spirit of an oil merchant or thief. One famous legend tells of a merchant from the town of Ōtsu who habitually stole oil from Jizō statues at local temples to sell for profit. After his death, his soul was unable to find peace and was reincarnated as a supernatural infant, cursed to forever seek the oil he once stole as a form of karmic retribution.

Characteristics

The Aburaakago typically manifests as a floating ball of fire or an atmospheric “ghost light” (hitodama) that wanders through the night. Upon entering a human dwelling, it takes the form of a small, innocent-looking infant.

It is not particularly dangerous to humans, but it possesses a singular obsession: licking the unrefined fish or vegetable oil out of traditional Japanese andon lamps. Once it has sated its hunger, it transforms back into a fireball and vanishes into the night.

Legends

Depicted by Toriyama Sekien in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki (1779), the Aburaakago serves as a cautionary tale against greed and the waste of precious resources. In medieval Japan, lamp oil was a highly valuable commodity, making the theft of it a significant transgression.

Some folklorists suggest that the legend may have been inspired by the behavior of house cats. In the Edo period, cats were often seen standing on their hind legs to lick lamp oil, their strange silhouettes in the flickering light potentially sparking stories of supernatural visitors.