Chōchinbi

There is no single canonical origin in the supplied material; chōchinbi are treated in regional folklore as manifestations of mysterious flame phenomena (onibi). Local narratives variably attribute specific instances to resentful human spirits (e.g., a Koemon/Koemonbi tale in Yamato where a executed village headman's resentment is said to manifest as a flame) or to animal yōkai such as kitsune or tanuki (in some areas chōchinbi are explicitly called tanukibi). These attributions are regional narrative variants rather than a universal origin story.

Reported appearances are lantern-like small floating lights, compared to paper lanterns in size and behavior. Some accounts place individual lights roughly around lantern size and a short distance above the ground (regional accounts cite about three shaku ≈ 90 cm in one locale and about one metre in another), while other reports describe multiple lights appearing en masse and lining up like light bulbs. An Otogi Tsugeshou account mentions a blue face reported as floating within the fire in one narrative.

Chōchinbi are described as moving or floating along footpaths, riverbanks, and between rice fields; they often disappear when humans approach. They can appear singly or in groups (including accounts of several tens lining up). In some tales they are said to take on or mask other forms—e.g., tanukibi appearing as a human who pulled cattle—reflecting local traditions that identify them with kitsune or tanuki. Narrative accounts associate encounters with illness or death in at least one story (Koemon struck the fire, it split and surrounded him; he later fell ill and died), but this is presented as a specific tale rather than a universally ascribed, proven power.