Kijimuna

Photograph thanks to Jennifer Shue

CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO

Kijimuna, these are my friends.

Friends, this is Kijimuna.

species: fairy, sprite, goblin family

gender
: male & female

age
: greater than three but less than ten

origin: Okinawa

hang-out: banyan trees

hair & face color: red

likes: fishing and eating the left eye of his/her catch

dislikes: octopus and people who pass gas on their backs

signature move: paralyzing people while they sleep aka kaneshibari

Okay, so I can not prove that a single piece of this is true. But some of it might be true. Google tells me so. And surely this is a better story than you’ve come up with on your own about these munchkins.

If you have facts or more fiction, speak now.

9 COMMENTS

  1. hey im in usa but i have a kijimunaa here i only see him when im waking up. he has red hair BRIGHT blue eyes and wore a blue type of kimono?? im not from japan but ive seen this little stinker twice already. once in my old motel and at my aunts house. he was eatin my taco shells 😛 how did he get waaay over here?????

  2. I have seen these guys all over in the 5 years we have been on this island. Some of them mark the path to the Ryukyu Mura but personally, I always thought they looked like red Smurfs….I have heard the Kaneshibari story before, but didn’t know they were referencing these characters…interesting.

  3. I don’t promise my sources are reliable just colorful. But really, who WOULD be okay with someone passing gas on their back?

    The sleep paralysis comes up over and over with credit to these creatures. Seems like their claim to fame. So they aren’t as cute and cuddly as they seem, those rascals.