Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Kasa-obake
Karakasa or Kasa Obake, are a type of Tsukumogami, a form of Japanese Spirit that originate from objects reaching their 100th year of existence, thus becoming animate. Karakasa in particular are Spirits of Parasols (umbrellas) that reach the century milestone. They are typically portrayed with one eye, a long tongue protruding from an open mouth, and a single foot, generally wearing a geta.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Bungaya
Monday, December 08, 2008
Kitsune
Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; kitsune usually refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Shisa
Shīsā (シーサー) (Okinawan: siisaa) (alternative spelling shishi or shisaa) is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often found in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawa mythology. Many people put a pair of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from various evils. When found in pairs, the shisa on the left traditionally has a closed mouth, and the one on the right an open mouth. The open mouth to ward off evil spirits, and the closed mouth to keep good spirits in.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Noppera-bō
The Noppera-bō (のっぺら坊, Noppera-bō?), or faceless ghost, is a Japanese legendary creature. They are sometimes mistakenly referred to as a mujina, an old Japanese word for a badger or raccoon dog. Although the mujina can assume the form of the other, noppera-bō are usually humans. Such creatures were thought to sometimes transform themselves into noppera-bō in order to frighten humans. Lafcadio Hearn used the animals' name as the title of his story about faceless monsters, probably resulting in the misused terminology.
Noppera-bō are known primarily for frightening humans, but are usually otherwise harmless. They appear at first as ordinary human beings, sometimes impersonating someone familiar to the victim, before causing their features to disappear, leaving a blank, smooth sheet of skin where their face should be.
Noppera-bō are known primarily for frightening humans, but are usually otherwise harmless. They appear at first as ordinary human beings, sometimes impersonating someone familiar to the victim, before causing their features to disappear, leaving a blank, smooth sheet of skin where their face should be.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Amazake-babaa
Amazake-babaa (甘酒婆, "amazake hag") is an old woman yōkai from the folklore of Miyagi and Aomori prefectures. She comes to the doors of houses at late night asking for amazake in a child like voice, but if anyone answers they fall ill. It was said that to keep her away, a cedar leaf is placed in the doorway. She was also known as the goddess of Chickenpox.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Amanozako
Amanozako (天逆毎, "heaven opposing everything", or 天狗神, "tengu deity") is a monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki, an ancient Japanese text, which states that she originated when Susanoo let his own ferocious spirit build up inside him until he vomited her out. The Wakan Sansai Zue describes this deity as having a furious temper, a beastly head with a long nose, long ears, and great fangs so strong they can chew metal blades ragged, and to be capable of flying for a thousand ri.
Amanozako was illustrated by Toriyama Sekien in the third volume of his Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki.
Amanozako was illustrated by Toriyama Sekien in the third volume of his Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Hyakki Yakō
Hyakki Yakō (百鬼夜行; lit. "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons") was a Japanese folk belief. The belief holds that every year yōkai, the Japanese supernatural beings, will take to the streets during summer nights. Anyone who comes across the procession will die, unless protected by some Buddhist sutra. The game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai was based on the folklore.
It was a popular theme in Japanese visual art. An early example is the famous 16-century handscroll Hyakki Yakō Zu (百鬼夜行図, with zu meaning "picture"), attributed to Tosa Mitsunobu, in the Shinju-an of Daitoku-ji, Kyoto. Notable works of this motif include those by Toriyama Sekien and Utagawa Yoshiiku. These works are more often humorous than frightening.
It was a popular theme in Japanese visual art. An early example is the famous 16-century handscroll Hyakki Yakō Zu (百鬼夜行図, with zu meaning "picture"), attributed to Tosa Mitsunobu, in the Shinju-an of Daitoku-ji, Kyoto. Notable works of this motif include those by Toriyama Sekien and Utagawa Yoshiiku. These works are more often humorous than frightening.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Inugami
In Japanese mythology an inugami (犬神, inugami? lit. "dog god") is a type of shikigami (式神, shikigami?), similar to a familiar spirit, resembling, and usually originating from, a dog, and most commonly carrying out vengeance or acting as guardians on behalf of the inugami-mochi, or "inugami owner". Inugami are extremely powerful and capable of existing independently, as well as turning on their "owners" and even possessing humans.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Ikiryō
In Japanese mythology, an ikiryō (生霊, ikiryō?) (also read shōryō, seirei, or ikisudama) is a manifestation of the soul of a living person separately from their body.
Traditionally, if someone holds a sufficient grudge against another person, it is believed that a part or the whole of their soul can temporarily leave their body and appear before the target of their hate in order to curse or otherwise harm them.
Souls are also believed to leave a living body when the body is extremely sick or comatose; such ikiryō are not malevolent.
Traditionally, if someone holds a sufficient grudge against another person, it is believed that a part or the whole of their soul can temporarily leave their body and appear before the target of their hate in order to curse or otherwise harm them.
Souls are also believed to leave a living body when the body is extremely sick or comatose; such ikiryō are not malevolent.
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