noun
artifact spirit; tsukumogami
In Japanese folk belief, a spirit that inhabits an object after it reaches 100 years of age. Often used in stories about old household items gaining sentience.
付喪神は、百年経った道具に宿ると言われている。
Tsukumogami are said to dwell in tools that have reached a hundred years of age.
この古い傘も、もしかしたら付喪神になるかもしれない。
This old umbrella might also become a tsukumogami someday.
The term 付喪神 (tsukumogami) is written with ateji characters meaning 'attach' (付), 'mourning' (喪), and 'god' (神). The reading 'tsukumo' is thought to derive from 九十九 (ninety-nine), implying a long period of time, though the exact origin is uncertain.