If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any yokai you like, and share it using the hashtag #ayokaiaday. There’s no set list of yokai you have to paint, but you’re free to browse yokai.com or any other yokai resource and choose your favorites.
Jinzō no higemushi
腎臓のヒゲ虫
Translation: kidney moustache worm
Jinzō no higemushi are worm-like yokai which inhabit the kidneys. They get their name from the long, white mustache-looking growth which hangs off of their face. They have long, black bodies, and a round, lump-like shape just behind their neck.
People infected with jinzō no higemushi suffer from various kidney ailments. They also develop a sweet tooth, and their skin may become tinted yellow as a result from eating too many sweets.
These infections can be treated successfully with byakujutsu (Atractylodes japonica) and mokkō (Saussurea costus).
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