𝕐𝕠𝕜𝕒𝕚: 𝔽𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔 ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕁𝕒𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝔽𝕠𝕝𝕜𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕖 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟜
Like and Iron Club to an Oni - Oni ni kanabou (鬼に金棒）
TYPES OF YOKAİ
WİLDS
ONI 鬼 (DEMON OR OGRE)
The Oni, deeply rooted in Japanese folklore, religion, and popular culture, has been documented since the eighth century.
Over time, its depiction has evolved, but in contemporary Japanese culture, it's often portrayed as a large, fearsome humanoid with colored faces, horns, claws, and fangs. Typically depicted wielding an iron staff and wearing a tiger skin loincloth, the oni's horns remain its most iconic feature in modern imagination, prevalent in manga, anime, and film.
The term "Oni" is present in early Japanese texts like the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, but its kanji representation became standardized in the Heian period (794-1185). Early images of oni were influenced by Buddhist depictions of hell and Raijin, the thunder deity.
These depictions portray Oni as fierce, horned figures, consistent with their characterization as frightening beings since ancient times. The development of the oni figure draws from various influences, including Chinese, native Japanese, Buddhist, and Onmyōdō ('The Way of Yin and Yang') sources.
one of the most famous Oni legends, The legend of Shuten dōji, "Sake-Drinking Boy," originates from ancient Japan, with the oldest written account dating back to the early fourteenth century.
In the legend of Shuten-dōji, the capital of Japan is besieged by demons known as Oni, led by the formidable Shuten-dōji, also called the Sake-Drinking-Boy.
The government official, outraged by the abduction of maidens, summons the warrior Minamoto no Yorimutsu to rid the city of this plague. With a group of trusted men, Minamoto ascends Mount Oe, where Shuten-dōji is said to reside.
Along the way, they receive barrels of special sake from three old men, which are poisonous to the Oni. Disguised as monks, they infiltrate Shuten-dōji's iron palace and partake in a feast, where the Oni fall into a deep slumber after drinking the sake. Seizing the opportunity, Minamoto and his men slay the Oni and rescue the abducted women, returning to the city as heroes.
Oni in Festival and Ritual
Setsubun, observed in early February in Japan, marks a transition between seasons and symbolizes the shift from the old year to the new. The ritual involves scattering beans to drive away evil spirits, particularly oni, while inviting good fortune.
Its origins likely stem from a mix of Buddhist, Onmyōdō, and popular religious practices, including the purification ceremony called "Tsuina". Modern ceremonies feature humans dressed as oni, symbolizing the expulsion of bad fortune. The visualization of oni reflects their pervasive presence in Japanese culture, with rituals like those at Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto drawing large crowds to witness the symbolic defeat of Oni.
TENGU 天狗 (HEAVENLY DOG)
Tengu, celestial dogs, originated in 637, were mysterious mountain beings causing illness and war. They granted false powers to those who followed "the way of the tengu."
Characterized as mountain goblins with birdlike features, older ones had large noses and red skin, while younger ones resembled crows, called 'karasu tengu.' They were associated with kami kakushi, or being spirited away by heavenly deities, as depicted in stories like one where a tengu takes a boy who then embraces Buddhism.
MIKOSHI NYUDO 見越し入道 (ANTICIPATING MONK)
The Mikoshi-nyūdõ is described as a tall, monk-like figure encountered in mountainous areas of Japan. Legend suggests it may be a shape-shifting animal in disguise. Meeting one poses a problem, but there's often a way to escape.
For example, in Okayama Prefecture, moving your line of vision from the head to the feet allows safe passage. Yanagita Kunio records similar folklore, noting that if you say "I saw you" before it does, you'll be fine, but if it says it first, you may die.
KODAMA 木魂 (TREE-SPIRIT)
The Kodama, or "tree spirit," is a concept deeply rooted in Japanese culture, often associated with ancient, sacred trees. Its depiction varies but is famously portrayed by Toriyama Sekien, in 1776 making it the first Yokai in his famous series, as elderly figures emerging from a pine tree.
In contemporary culture, the kodama's significance is reflected in Miyazaki Hayao's anime Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke (1997).
Additionally, the term "kodama" also means "echo," linking the spirit of the woods to the phenomenon of sound reverberation. Today, the word "kodama" is also connected to the Kodama Shinkansen, named after the echo rather than the yōkai.
WATER
KAPPA 河童 (RIVER CHILD)
Kappa, creatures from Japanese folklore, have existed since the Edo Period, evolving into their known form. They're often depicted green creature resembling a monkey, frog, or turtle living in water, with a metal plate on their head that must be filled with water for them to come ashore.
They're said to possess a fascination with a soul-containing ball called the 'shirikodama' found in victims' anuses. While mischievous, they're also known for acts like sumo wrestling.
And they aren’t always bad. An interesting part of the legend is that they taught bone-setting to the Japanese.
If someone encounters a kappa and manages to catch it, the water demon will teach them how to irrigate their land if they are a farmer or teach them how to set broken bones.
Kappas, water creatures in Japanese folklore, have weaknesses on land: bowing makes them spill water from their head, rendering them helpless.
Another defense is eating cucumbers, which wards off kappas. Signs near water bodies warn of their presence. Cucumbers are their favorite food, and cucumber sushi rolls are named after them.
COUNTRYSİDE
KITSUNE 狐 (FOX)
Kitsune, or 'fox demons,' were known as cunning tricksters in the Heian period (794 to 1185), using illusions and shape-shifting to deceive humans.
They could make dilapidated homes appear as mansions. Since at least the ninth century, they've been depicted as transforming into beautiful women to attract men.
Kitsune serve as messengers of Inari, the rice field deity, with stone foxes guarding Inari shrines. The connection between Inari worship and kitsune folklore shapes religious beliefs and popular imagination in Japan.
TANUKI 狸 (RACCOON DOG)
Tanuki are raccoon-shaped yõkai also known for their shape-shifting abilities similar to the kitsune. One of the distinguishing differences between the kitsune and tanuki is the latter's overly large scrotum, which is used as their source of power for shape-shifting.
Another difference is the degree of seriousness between the two when it comes to the art of shape-shifting.
Unlike the kitsune who transforms into an attractive member of the opposite sex to seduce and take advantage of their victims, the tanuki as you will see in the Mimi bukuro, prefers to shape-shift into an old man or beggar.
VILLAGE & CITY
HITOTSUME-KOZO 一つ目小僧 (ONE-EYED RASCAL)
Hitotsume-kozō is a yokai with a single eye, often resembling a young boy. It's mischievous, sometimes scaring people with its appearance or licking them with its long tongue.
While not always portrayed as evil, it's seen as a bringer of disease and misfortune in some traditions, especially in the Kanto region. To ward it off, people would place bamboo baskets outside their homes, as the many eye-like holes were believed to frighten the yokai away.
KUCHI-SAKE-ONNA 口裂け女 (SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN)
Kuchi-sake-onna literally "slit-mouthed woman," a modern yōkai, is a female spirit with a slit mouth, whose legend emerged in 1978. She appears as an attractive woman wearing a white mask to conceal her disfigured mouth. She preys on lone travelers at night, asking if she's beautiful.
Depending on the response, she may attack immediately or reveal her mutilated mouth. Saying yes might delay the attack, but she returns to kill later.
Kuchisake-onna, a nocturnal spirit, targets solitary travelers, posing a dangerous question about her beauty.
If answered incorrectly, she attacks with a sharp weapon. Saying yes reveals her disfigured mouth, leading to further questioning.
Refusal or hesitation results in mutilation to resemble her, while compliance might delay but not prevent her murderous intentions.
HOME
TSUKUMOGAMI 付喪神 (OOBJECT MOSNTERS OR UTENSIL YOKAI)
Notably, many of the weird creatures parading through Tosa's scroll are household items and other everyday objects animated with legs, arms, eyes, and occasionally a tail.
There are, for example, a number of musical instruments, such as a red-limbed creature with a biwa (Japanese-style lute) for a head, dragging what looks like a koto with legs and a reptilian tail.
"Such yōkai-fied everyday objects are called tsukumogami ("tsukumo" symbolizing the number ninenty-nine and "gami (Kami)" referring to the hair of an elderly woman.
The morphing of normal utensils (kibutsu) transform into yōkai after surviving a hundred years, seen in Tosa's scroll, turning frightening creatures into playful household items.
This transformation both downplays the terror of hyakkiyagyō and suggests that everyday objects can become animated monsters, blurring the boundary between the supernatural and domestic life.
The expression "Hyakkiyagyō" therefore evolved to encompass a mix of terrifying and comical creatures parading through the streets, showcasing playfulness and a variety of yōkai. Notably absent are humans, highlighting the dominance of these wild creatures.
YANARI 家鳴り (HOUSE CREAK)
Sounding House, House Sounds, or Poltergeist
Yanari refers to unexplainable sounds within a house, the kind of phenomenon often called a "poltergeist" today. In an old Japanese house, yanari would be heard through the rattling of fusuma and shoji screens and other mysterious noises at night.
The first known reference to yanari appears in Gazu hyakkiyagyō (1776), where Sekien illustrates them as little anthropomorphic oni-like figures, scratching and hammering at the outside beams and foundations of a wooden house.
He provides no explanation or description with the image, other than the word yanari (literally, "sounding house").
Since the yanari appear in his first codex, containing mostly well-known traditional yōkai for which no explanations were necessary, it is possible that Sekien was simply illustrating a commonly known poltergeist phenomenon.
However, he may have been the first person to actually affix a concrete visual image- little demon figures-to this phenomenal yōkai, effectively transforming an intangible aural occurrence into an embodied living being.
THE END.?
Sources:
Michael Dylan Foster: The Book of Yokai
Adam J. Johnson: The Evolution of Yokai in Relationship to the Japanese Horror Genre
Yokai Parade Supernatural Monsters from Japan
