Zashiki-warashi, also called zashiki-bokko, is a household spirit resembling a child of either gender from about three to twelve years of age. The name breaks down to zashiki, a tatami floored room, and warashi, an archaic regional term for a child. Zashiki-warashi can be found in well-maintained and preferably large old houses. It is said that once a zashiki-warashi inhabits a house, it brings the residence great fortune; on the other hand, should a zashiki-warashi depart, the domain soon falls into a steep decline. To attract and maintain a zashiki-warashi in the home, it is said the spirit must be noticed, appreciated and cared for properly, much in the manner one would raise a child, though too much attention may drive it off. As the zashiki-warashi is child-like in nature, it is prone to playing harmless pranks and occasionally causing mischief. They might for instance sit on a guest's futon, turn people's pillows over or cause sounds similar to kagura music to be heard from rooms no one uses.

After reading from certain websites, I learned that some people consider this being a yurei or ghost while others consider it as a yokai. Which is the correct one?

hmmm...technically it could be both. O-o some youkai are ghosts that have changed.

I found a news related to this youkai. Please read if you're interested. Thank you!

Japanese inn, famous for protective deity, mulls life after fire

MORIOKA — A Japanese inn run by a family whose roots trace back to the 1330s had a special guest room that attracted a variety of people ranging from prime ministers and industrialists to regular tourists until the inn was razed by fire in October.

The fire on the night of Oct 4 swept across 3,000 square meters of land, destroying the main building of Ryokufuso, built more than 300 years ago, and part of a two-story structure before being brought under control after seven hours.

Since the blaze, fans of the inn’s inner guest room, named Enju-no-ma (Japanese pagoda tree), have raised several million yen as part of a drive to rebuild the inn, which was one of more than a dozen Japanese inns and Western-style hotels that make up the Kindaichi hot-spring resort in the mountains of Ninohe, Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan.

Ryokufuso has been managed by the family of Kazuhiko Itsukaichi, who is descended from a warrior who fled from the ancient capital of Nara to what today is Itsukaichi, Tokyo, after he was defeated in battle in the 1330s. He and his family eventually settled in Iwate Prefecture.

He reportedly adopted Itsukaichi as his family name. A legend has it that his son Kamemaro, who died of illness at age 6, said, ‘‘I will protect the family forever’’ and that he had become a ‘‘zashiki warashi’’ (household guardian deity).

Kamemaro is said to have frequently appeared before guests. Men who saw him in Enju-no-ma were believed to go on to greatness, while women married into wealth.

The Itsukaichi family went into the hotel business in the 1950s, converting its private residence into a Japanese-style inn.

Visitors to Enju-no-ma in prewar years included the country’s 19th prime minister, Takashi Hara (1856-1921), Adm. Mitsumasa Yonai (1880-1948), who became the 37th prime minister after spending a night in the room, and Kyuzo Mifune (1883-1965) who was called the god of judo.

Among prominent postwar figures who stayed in the room were Takeo Fukuda and his son Yasuo who both became prime ministers, Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Co, Panasonic Corp founder Konosuke Matsushita and Kyocera Corp founder Kazuo Inamori.

Enju-no-ma was so popular that it was booked solid through the end of 2011.

The fire miraculously spared a small shrine erected next to the inn. City residents and regular inn guests said the ‘‘zashiki warashi’’ guardian must have escaped from the blaze by taking refuge in the shrine.

Ninohe Mayor Toyoaki Obara, 69, said Ryokufuso was a symbol of the hot-spring resort and an important asset of the city. Although one housewife said, ‘‘Ninohe’s treasure is gone,’’ locals heaved a sigh of relief, saying that the spirit of ‘‘zashiki warashi’’ is safe in the shrine.

A female hotel employee said, ‘‘The fire did not result in any loss of life, thanks to the protection given by the ‘zashiki warashi.’‘’

Visitors from within the prefecture and other parts of the country have been flocking to the shrine. A 43-year-old company employee from the city of Saitama said he remembers Ryokufuso as a place where ‘‘I happened to meet ‘zashiki warashi.’ I certainly want to stay in the inn if it is rebuilt.’‘

Manga cartoonist Shigeru Mizuki, 87, said, ‘‘I think the ‘zashiki warashi’ is in the shrine. I hope the inn owner will make an effort to restore the inn.’‘

Mayor Obara said he will seek measures to assist the inn, as this will lead to the revitalization of the hot-spring resort.

‘‘I am determined more than ever to rebuild the inn after receiving the encouragement of many people,’’ said Itsukaichi’s second son Sho, 42, who managed the inn. ‘‘There are no clear prospects for reconstruction, but I’ll do my best.’’

Source:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/japanese-inn-famous-for-protective-deity-mulls-life-after-fire