宿守
やどもり

Translation: toad; house protector
Habitat: houses
Diet: unknown

Appearance: Yadomori look like giant toads about as large as a human. They have long, black hair and they wear clothes.

Behavior: Yadomori are formed from the spirits of toads which have been crushed to death by humans. The angry spirits develop a grudge and transform into giant toad monsters, sneaking into their killer’s bedroom to haunt them at night. What happens after that is unknown.

Origin: A yadomori is depicted in the Edo period scroll Tosa obake zōshi alongside another yōkai called bakotsu. They appear to be talking to each other while sitting underneath a mosquito net.

Yadomori is a local word for a toad (Bufo japonicus) on the island of Shikoku. The word means “house protector,” and it comes from various superstitions that toads were protectors of the houses they lived near or under–by holding on to the pillars and stabilizing during heavy storms, or preventing fires.