Japanese · No. 051
Chōchin-obake, the Haunted Lantern
Real myth
It tore into a grin. The flame inside never goes out.
- Rarity
- Common
- Category
- Monster
- ATK
- 1000
- DEF
- 600
- Level
- 3
- Type
- Spirit
- Element
- Fire
- Constellations
- Wisp · Fox
The myth
The chōchin-obake is the haunted paper lantern, another famous tsukumogami. Collapsible chōchin lanterns of bamboo and paper lit streets, homes and festivals. In folklore an old lantern splits into a grinning mouth, opens an eye and sticks out a long tongue, frightening night passers-by. The image grew famous in Edo-period prints, such as Katsushika Hokusai's, which showed the face of Oiwa's ghost emerging from a lantern. Lanterns have a sacred role as well: at Obon they guide the souls of the ancestors back home.
Why it has this power
A Common level-3 Fire Spirit with 1000 ATK and 600 DEF: a flame that frightens much and endures little, like paper. Wisp is the light glowing inside; Fox, the trick. It shines brighter under the Obon Lantern Festival, which gives every spirit 500, and forms the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons with the Karakasa.
Did you know
Oiwa's story, from the 1825 play Yotsuya Kaidan, is one of Japan's most famous ghost tales, and actors still visit her shrine before staging it.
Connections
- Fuses into: + Karakasa, the Living Umbrella → Night Parade of One Hundred Demons
- In Aiko, Dojo Apprentice's deck
- In Hanae, Wandering Miko's deck
- In Renji, Ronin of the Snowy Roads's deck
- In Kaguya, Guardian of the Torii's deck
Where to get it
- Campaign drop: Hanae, Wandering Miko (Archipelago of the Kami) — grade D: 13%
- Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
- Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
- Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
- Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
- Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
- Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
- Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
- Craft with card dust: 40 dust
- Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).
Sources
- The Database of Paintings of Mysterious Phenomena and Yōkai — International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)
- Tōrō — Encyclopedia of Shinto — Kokugakuin University
- Kabuki — Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica