Boroboroton (Niigata)

Boroboroton is a tsukumogami (artifact entity) dwelling in an old, tattered futon. After long use and discard, the bedding gathers grudge, moves at night, and smothers a sleeper or crawls about the house. Toriyama Sekien's Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro (Tenmei 4, 1784) depicts "Boroboroton" as a torn futon with limbs writhing at night, with text suggesting that the grudge of bedding long used has gathered into an entity. Since bedding receives the warmth and breath of its sleeper, a futon tsukumogami attacks the sleeper as its defining pattern. Sekien's book is the comprehensive Edo collection of artifact entities in furniture and household goods. Murakami Kenji's Nihon Yokai Daijiten (Kadokawa, 2005) and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies Yokai Folklore Database organize the tradition. Niigata has no distinct local layer; Boroboroton is treated as an image-derived artifact entity.