Monsters of Japanese Mythology

throughout time people across the world told each other tales of how they came to be of heroes and monsters romance and tragedy death and rebirth mythology helped shape the ancient world explaining the unexplainable the land of the rising sun has always possessed a mystic quality japan is a country full of serene natural landscapes rich history and unique culture all of which echo within the legends of the creatures and monsters that inhabit their folklore and mythology this program will discuss some of the most famous and infamous monsters of japanese mythology it is important to note that

many creatures of japanese lore fall under the category of the yokai a class of supernatural spirits ranging from the kind and benevolent to malevolent and dangerous to the coming tricksters some may appear as human-like such as yukiona a spirit of a beautiful woman frozen to death or the rokurokubi a woman who can stretch her very neck and even detach her head from her body others dwell in nature such as the giant the darabachi whose sleeping form creates mountains or the ayakashi who inhabit the seas and inland waters of the japanese islands and others manage to

bridge the gap between the world of humankind and the animal kingdom one such creature is the kitsune a yokai that inhabits the body of a fox like many cultures in the northern hemisphere foxes were revered in japan as crafty and vastly intelligent animals though it was a common folk belief that all foxes had an array of magical powers culminating in flashes of fire such powers include producing phantom lights and sounds and an aptitude for shape-shifting while more than capable of transforming into giants and monsters they often take the form of people namely beautiful women or

elderly men some are even said to possess people creating what is called a kesunesuki to discern a kasuni in human form one must look for the presence of its tail or tails a trait they find hard to disguise other signs include fox-like features a dislike of dogs and a fox-shaped shadow the kitsune generally fall into one of two categories the zenko benevolent beings associated with the shinto kami inari and the yako who delight in acts of mischief and malevolence regardless of their alignment the kitsune maintain a popularity with both ancient and modern japanese culture lurking

in inland waters is the kappa an amphibious demon described as having either scaly or slimy green skin a monkey-like face webbed digits and a turtle-like carapace on its back additionally the kappa has a distinct cavity on top of its head called a sara used to carry water and three anuses allowing it to pass three times the amount of gas a human can though small in size roughly the size of an adolescent child the kappa is nonetheless a dangerous creature with immense strength and a talent for sumo wrestling the character of a kappa can range from

mischievous to honorable to dangerous such antics can include drowning humans and animals drinking their blood and eating their livers but not all kappa are menacing with stories of honorable kappa assisting mankind being just as common as the dangerous ones should a person need to rid themselves of a kappa a number of methods exist first kappa must have water in their sarah to empty it weakens the creature to the point of death if you bow before one it will return the gesture and empty its sorrow leaving it vulnerable second their favorite foods are cucumbers and eggplants

should a person carve their name and that of their family members into the vegetables throw them into the kappa's lair they will be protected for life other methods include detaching its limbs defeating it in combat using iron weapons on it using sesame or ginger or repelling it with flatulence the tengu are master martial artists with origins in buddhist legend often depicted as anthropomorphized birds of prey such as a kite or a crow though sometimes given a human form with a red face an exaggeratedly long nose or even retaining avian features of wings and beaks originally

seen as the harbingers of war depictions of tengu would soften seeing them become protective spirits of forests and mountains whatever their depiction their reputations as trickster spirits remain prominent tormenting all who would dishonor the dharma or the code of bushido from vainglorious buddhist monks to arrogant samurai warriors to drunken village braggarts all were fair game to the tengu tengu had a number of powers at their disposal they had the ability to shapeshift often taking the form of monks and tricking travelers into handing over all of their possessions or guiding them a wrong direction they could

communicate telepathically and enter one's dreams causing nightmares they could appear and disappear at will could even cast illusions such as serving a plate of feces disguised as a delicious meal to an unlucky person in the mountains dwell the satori large monkeys with incredible intelligence and the ability to read people's minds these creatures are believed to be the child incarnations of the yama nokami mountain gods of shinto religion having come to ruin and transformed into yokai form their telepathic abilities are so sharp that they are said to know what a person is going to do or

say long before the person performs the action the satori wander the mountains confronting both inhabitants and wayward travelers and taunting them with their mind games some myths even go as far as to say the satori drive people mad before killing them and eating their flesh as one might imagine the creature's telepathy and ape-like athleticism make it very difficult to run from or combat a satori one's best defense is to completely empty one's mind so as to assuage the satori's interest and should the satori be unexpectedly struck or caught off guard he will run away terrified

the kojiki describes a foreboding creature called the new originally described as a large pheasant-like bird that cries out in the night later legends depicted as a strange chimera said to possess the head of a monkey tiger-like legs a raccoon dog-like body and a living snake for a tail a menacing creature the new was believed to be a harbinger of misfortune from natural disasters to sickness and death the tale of haika tales of how a new attacked emperor kanoi in the form of a black cloud hovering over the palace roof each night bringing with it a

tempest of nightmares and life-threatening illness to the monarch the new was slain by a samurai warrior who shot an arrow into the black cloud killing the monster who died with a savage cry [Applause] every culture across the globe has their own legend of savage giants in japan's case they are called oni while their outward appearance greatly varies onei are most often depicted as immense humanoids with sharp teeth and horns a wild mane of hair clawed hands and brightly colored complexions in addition they are described as carrying a kanabo a massive studded war club and having

an appetite for human flesh oni are born when truly wicked people die and end up in one of the many buddhist hells where they are transformed into monstrous figures they become ogrish and become brutal servants of the great lord enma meeting out horrendous torture such as peeling off skin crushing bones and other torments too horrible to describe many oni are said to walk the mortal world causing pain death and destruction to any and all in their path only have a number of supernatural powers including shape-shifting invisibility and the power to create storms oni are said

however to be warded off with peas as peas cause them to go blind last and certainly not least for this program is the ryu portetsu the japanese dragon similar in appearance to the dragons of chinese mythology the ryu is depicted with a long serpentine body antler-like horns scales akin to a koi fish clawed hands and feet with three toes and long tendrils that resemble facial hair as in other cultures from around the world dragons of japanese mythology are extremely powerful in this case revered as deities distinctively associated with water be it rain rivers or the

sea they are said to live in undersea grottoes or other secluded areas far from human settlement where they hoard vast treasures and magic relics while the dragons of european folklore are almost always seen as antagonistic monsters the ryu come in a variety of forms such as the monstrous yamata no arochi that battle tusanu or ryujin the dragon that acted as god of the sea no matter their origin or their alignment ryu were equally honored and feared by the people of japan japanese mythology is filled with monsters and spirits of all shapes and sizes they come

in the form of nature-based yokai trickster spirits and savage monsters these creatures and the many others that fill japanese folklore continue to inspire fear and awe in the imaginations of people all across the world you