noun
passing demon; demon that brings misfortune to those it passes
Folkloric term for a malevolent spirit or demon that causes calamity to houses or people it passes by. Related to 通り魔 (sense 2).
See also: 通り魔
昔話では、通り物が村を通り過ぎると、不幸が訪れると言われている。
In old tales, it is said that when a passing demon goes through a village, misfortune follows.
通り魔 can refer to a random attacker (sense 1) or a passing demon (sense 2), while 通り物 specifically denotes the folkloric demon.
Compound of 通り (passing) and 物 (thing, being), literally 'passing thing'. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it appears in folk beliefs about malevolent spirits encountered on roads.