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.
Tsukumogami are said to dwell in tools that have reached a hundred years of age.
This old umbrella might also become a tsukumogami someday.
Standard ateji spelling; the most recognized written form.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but still used.
Alternate kanji spelling using 九十九 (ninety-nine) to suggest a long lifespan; rarely used.
The spelling 付喪神 uses 付喪 for つくも, an old expression associated with 九十九 “ninety-nine” and great age; 神 denotes the spirit believed to inhabit a long-used object.