鳥兜
とりかぶと

Translation: bird helmet
Habitat: shrines, temples, and performance areas

Appearance: Torikabuto are tsukumogami of ornamental headgear worn in bugaku—ancient court music and dance. They look like colorful birds with beautiful plumage made of strips of embroidered cloth.

Behavior: Torikabuto are harmless yōkai. As they are animated ceremonial dancing costumes, their only desire is to continue to dance. They join in the night parade of one hundred demons with other tsukumogami, fluttering above the procession in the night sky.

Origin: Torikabuto are a common feature in yōkai picture scrolls depicting the night parade. Their name is a pun; the helmets that they come from are also called torikabuto—so named for their resemblance to the graceful and elaborate cockscomb of the mythical bird hōō.