Everybody’s favorite tree spirit is back today, with my illustration of Kodama from my upcoming book The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. You most probably know Kodama as the cute little forest sprites in Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke. The truth is, they go back much further than that movie. They are the souls of trees, and have been part of Japanese folklore for centuries.

Kodama share a resemblance with another yokai we’ve seen previously: the Yamabiko. As you may recall, Yamabiko are responsible for delayed echoes and strange noises in the mountains. Similarly, when your echo comes back delayed or distorted deep in the forest, it can be blamed on a Kodama.

The oldest and most sacred trees — ones most likely to have a Kodama living inside them — are often decorated with the famous Shinto rope, known as a shimenawa. Shimenawa are commonly seen decorating shrines, rocks, trees, and other sacred objects and places. Next time you’re in the forest, look for these glowing spirits fluttering about in the twilight. Or, when you get home, check your camera. They most commonly show up in the flash photos, as Google Image Search illustrates.

Kodama