枕まくら返がえし

noun

makuragaeshi; pillow-flipping monster

A yōkai from Japanese folklore said to visit sleeping people and flip their pillows over. Often mentioned in ghost-story contexts.

• 昔むかし話ばなしに出でてくる枕まくら返がえしは、夜よ中なかに枕まくらをひっくり返かえす妖よう怪かいだ。

  The makuragaeshi that appears in old tales is a monster that flips pillows over in the middle of the night.

noun

changing a pillow's position; repositioning a pillow for a corpse

Refers to the act of moving a pillow, especially in funeral rites where the deceased's head is repositioned (often to face north, as in 北枕).

See also: 北枕

• 葬そう儀ぎの準じゅん備びで、故こ人じんの枕まくら返がえしを行おこなった。

  During the funeral preparations, we repositioned the deceased's pillow.

noun

acrobatic pillow routine; multiple wooden pillow act

A traditional acrobatic performance using several wooden pillows (often seen in rakugo or variety shows). Rare, specialized term.

• 寄席よせで見みた枕まくら返がえしの曲きょく芸げいは、木きの枕まくらをいくつも使つかう珍めずらしい芸げいだった。

  The makuragaeshi acrobatic act I saw at the vaudeville show was a rare performance using several wooden pillows.