Shirime — who is it in Japanese mythology
Shirime (尻目) is one of the strangest yokai known to Japanese mythology. At night on the road, he calls out to a traveler, asks them to wait, then bends over and shows a glowing eye — in a place where an eye decidedly should not be. There is no harm from him: he only frightens with the sheer unexpectedness of the spectacle.
Most yokai have a purpose — to harm, deceive, or take revenge. Shirime has no purpose at all: he simply appears one day, shows what he shows, and silently leaves, leaving the witness to deal with what they saw on their own.
Who is shirime and what is wrong with him
Shirime is a rare Japanese yokai without fangs, claws, or malicious intent: according to legend, a samurai on a night road near Kyoto encounters a naked man who asks him to wait, then, turning his back and bending over, displays a single glowing eye in an unexpected place. The witness flees in terror, and the yokai himself ends the story there — no chase, curse, or further consequences follow.
- Place of appearance: a deserted night road, often near city gates.
- Action: asks to wait, then displays a single glowing eye.
- Consequences: frightens and silently departs, without pursuit or harm.
- Genre: a classic example of a kaidan with 'one scene, zero explanations'.
An Edo-period tale, not a chronicle
The story of shirime has nothing to do with state chronicles: it is a typical example of an Edo-period urban kaidan — a short tale for oral horror evenings, not part of official mythology about gods.
尻目 — a name that explains everything
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 尻目 | shirime · shirime | The yokai's name — literally 'eye in the rear' |
| 目 | me · me | Eye |
| 怪談 | kaidan · kaidan | Horror story |
| 驚く | odoroku · odoroku | To be frightened, to be surprised |
| 夜道 | yomichi · yomichi | Night road |
How to read 尻目
尻目 is read しりめ (shirime): 尻 'rear, buttocks' plus 目 'eye' — an extremely literal name that directly describes the creature's only feature. In ordinary Japanese, the same word 尻目 separately means 'a sideways glance, out of the corner of the eye' — a play on words that the compilers of the kaidan could hardly have missed.
目 — значение: eye, class, look, insight, experience, care, favor — онъёми: モク、ボク — кунъёми: め、ま- — 5 штрих(ов). 目 — 'eye': a pictograph of an open eye, turned vertically. One of the first N5-level kanji.
Write 目 along the guides and learn the stroke order.
Shirime in yokai catalogs and anime
- Yokai encyclopedias and kaidan collections in anime format regularly include shirime as an example of a 'strange but harmless' yokai, contrasting with more dangerous creatures.
- Comedic episodes of supernatural series sometimes use shirime as comic relief after a series of truly frightening stories.
- In the West, the story of shirime spread largely thanks to translations and retellings of classic Japanese kaidan into English.
FAQ
- Is shirime a deity?
- Not at all: it is a yokai from Edo-period urban folklore — a figure from a short kaidan with no harm, revenge, or further consequences for the witness.
- Is shirime dangerous?
- Nothing but the suddenness: the only thing he does is frighten with an unexpected sight and silently depart. Folklore has not preserved any stories of harm from shirime.
- What do the kanji 尻目 mean?
- 尻目 (しりめ): 尻 'rear' plus 目 'eye' — an extremely direct name. The same word in ordinary language separately means 'a sideways glance'.
- Is shirime shown in anime?
- Periodically — in yokai encyclopedias and comedic episodes of supernatural series, usually as comic relief in contrast with more dangerous creatures.
- Are there shrines or places of power dedicated to shirime?
- Nowhere — no separate cult exists. He is a character from a short oral tale, not an object of worship or a protective spirit.
- Is shirime a spirit or a yokai?
- A yokai — a supernatural being from urban folklore, without the status of a deity and not associated with the spirit of a specific deceased person.
Sources
Updated: 2026-08-29