The wanyūdō (輪入道), literally "wheel" (輪) "monk" (入道), is a character from Japanese mythology, a yōkai relatively well known from Japanese folklore.
Wanyūdō's Description
The wanyūdō is said to take the form of a burning wheel of an oxcart bearing the tormented face of a man. Various folklore stories claim that he is the doomed soul of a tyrannical daimyo who during his lifetime was known to have his victims shot on the back of an oxcart.
He is said to guard the gates of hell and to roam back and forth along the road between this world and the underworld, frightening townspeople as they pass by and seizing the souls of anyone who gets too close to take them to hell with him.
Wanyūdō In popular culture
- In the video game Ōkami, wanyūdō-like enemies can be found taking the form of wheels or mirrors.
- In the video game Nioh, published by Koei Tecmo and developed by Team Ninja, the player may encounter a wanyūdō as an enemy to fight.
- In the video game Muramasa the demon blade, he can be found as a boss
- In the manga One Piece, the antagonist Black Maria has as a weapon a kind of spear with a wanyūdō at its end.
