UWAN

Uwan (うハん) is a creature in Japanese folklore that is a disembodied voice. In most folktales it shouts out “uwan,” consequently frightening those who hear it. Uwan are typically found haunting old homes and abandoned temples. One of the main tales about uwan comes from Aomori Prefecture, and tells of how it yelled in an older couple’s house all through the night, keeping them up and frightening them. Uwan had no physical form until the Edo period, when scrolls such as Bakemono no e depicted it in anthropomorphic form. –Camille Clark