◇ Depends on the scene Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below
A giant that grows as you look up: swelling anxiety you can overcome by facing it.
Category: Japanese yokai (how to read this category)
Psychology
A figure that grows the more you look up may mirror how worry expands the more you dwell on it. It often appears when a problem will not leave your head, or when someone above you feels overwhelming.
Folklore and history
The mikoshi-nyudo appears on night roads as a small monk and grows taller the more you look up. Keep staring and it may topple onto you. Remedies include declaring "I have seen over you!" or moving your gaze downward from its head to its feet.
A collection of true ghost stories — a reference for our reading-feature articles.
Obsessed with Ghost Stories (Sakura Fukatsu / Futami Shobo)
We may earn a referral fee on purchases made through these links.
This site's view
In this site's view, it is telling that the giant is defeated by "I have seen over you." Worry shrinks once you can see past it. If it shrank or vanished, you are grasping the whole problem; if it kept growing, stop staring alone and look at it with someone.
Going deeper: our reading
Mikoshi-nyudo is said to appear on dark roads and slopes, or in the shadow of walls, from dusk into night. A shadow so tall you must crane your neck resembles a child's view looking up at an adult. A scolding adult's face can seem huge to a child. In this site's reading, who the giant resembled and where you met deepen the meaning. If it looked like a parent, teacher or boss, that person still looms larger than necessary in your mind. On your usual route home, it reflects anxiety growing little by little in daily life. In an unfamiliar place, tension about a new setting may be enlarging the shadow. Meeting it with someone else shows a realisation that this worry can be shared. This is our speculation, but gazing steadily at its feet means you can return a problem to its true size by looking at its roots.
What to do on waking
Write down the worry that will not leave you, including the worst case and what you would do then. Seeing past it shrinks it remarkably.
In this scene
- ◎Good It helps you or gives treasure: like the zashiki-warashi, luck is coming (good)
- ▲Warn Tricked or taken: a hidden trap, or words to doubt (warning)
- Seeing what it really is: a fear becomes clear and fades
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
A reassuring choice for recording your route at night or on the way to a site.
Comtec Mirror-Type Drive Recorder ZDR048
We may earn a referral fee on purchases made through these links.
FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of mikoshi-nyudo (The Looming Giant) a good or bad sign?
A. Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below. A giant that grows as you look up: swelling anxiety you can overcome by facing it.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of mikoshi-nyudo (The Looming Giant)?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of mikoshi-nyudo (The Looming Giant)?
A. Write down the worry that will not leave you, including the worst case and what you would do then. Seeing past it shrinks it remarkably.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Japanese yokai"
- Kamaitachi (The Sickle Weasel)
- Amanojaku (The Contrary Imp)
- Yamabiko (The Mountain Echo)
- Iso-onna (The Shore Woman)
- Tomokazuki (The Twin Diver)
- Futakuchi-onna (The Two-Mouthed Woman)
- A Shapeshifting Tanuki
- The Tengu's Hidden Village
- Three Eyes
- A Demon Woman
- Being Chased by a Tanuki
- A Dead Tanuki
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
