Konaki-jiji 子泣き爺

Konaki-jiji (子泣き爺), the “Old Man Crying like a Child,” is a deceptive and dangerous mountain spirit that preys on the kindness of strangers, using its weight to crush those who try to help it.

Meaning and Origin

The name means Ko (Child), Naki (Crying), and Jiji (Old Man). it translates to “The Crybaby Old Man.”

Its origin is the deep mountain forests of Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku. Unlike many ancient Yokai that represent natural phenomena, Konaki-jiji is a specialized predator. Folklore suggests it is the ghost of a baby left to die in the wilderness, which has aged into an old man while retaining the cries of an infant. It represents the Burden of Responsibility and the fear that a small, helpless thing can eventually grow into an overwhelming weight that destroys you.

Characteristics

Konaki-jiji looks like a small, wizened old man with the face of a child. He wears an old-fashioned straw raincoat (Mino) and is often found lying in the grass or by a mountain stream, wailing loudly.

His primary characteristic is his Supernatural Weight. When a sympathetic traveler picks him up, he initially feels as light as a normal infant. However, as the person carries him, his weight begins to increase exponentially—from 50 pounds to 500, then to 1,000. He clings tightly to the victim’s back with a strength that cannot be broken. Eventually, he becomes as heavy as a mountain, crushing the victim’s lungs and ribcage until they die. He is famously depicted as one of the closest allies to the Yokai hero Kitarō in modern manga.

Legends

The most common legend is a Test of Courage. It is said that in the mountains of Shikoku, if you hear a baby crying where no human should be, you must keep walking.

One story tells of a strong woodcutter who found a “baby” by a waterfall. He picked it up, and as the weight grew, he realized it was a Konaki-jiji. Instead of panicking, the woodcutter laughed and said, “Is that all you’ve got?” He managed to carry the spirit all the way to his village, enduring a weight that would have crushed a horse. Impressed by the man’s strength and spirit, the Konaki-jiji transformed into a bag of gold before vanishing. This legend suggests that if you can carry a “heavy burden” without complaining, the universe will eventually reward you.