Azuki Arai

In Japanese folklore there is a yokai known as a azuki arai. This ghostly phenomenon occurs near water, when the sound of azuki beans can be heard rattling and making a 'shoki shoki' sound. The spirit responsible often sings a song along the lines of 'should I wash my beans or find a person to eat instead?' 

Azukiarai as depicted in Takehara Shunsen's Ehon Hyaku Monogatari.

If you approach the singing you will almost certainly fall in the water. Azuki arai is depicted as a short ugly man with bulging yellow eyes, although he is rarely seen. Actually, if you do see him, it is considered to be a lucky omen. As with many of these mysterious Japanese yokai, azuki baba is sometimes believed to be a tanuki in disguise.

 

Tatsuya Morino in 'Yokai Attack'

Azuki arai figurine