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- Tengu. Tengu is a legendary yokai that you’d likely have come across whilst exploring Japan. This popular folklore creature is often printed on arts and crafts and is featured in many cultural performances.
- Oni. Arguably one of the most famous yokai in Japan, the Oni is an ogre who is strong, fearsome, and mischievous. They are known to bring bad luck and disaster with them wherever they go.
- Umi-bozu. This sea creature is usually described as having a huge dark head that just appears out of the water. It’s said that when it appears, it will break through any boat that is nearby and kill its passengers.
- Yurei. Yurei are the most typical-looking ghost creatures within the yokai category. They are often depicted as floating white corpses, dressed in a draping kimono, with long black hair.
- Today’S Topic
- Ikai, Another World Existing Near Us
- Different Names For Yōkai
- Identify What’s Tricking You
- Matanozoki: to Identify Yōkai Or Ghosts
- Amano-Hashidate and Matanozoki
- Why Matanozoki Works
- Kitsune No Yomeiri: The Fox’s Wedding Procession
- Kitsune No Mado: The Fox Window Technique
- Sode nozoki: Peeking from Behind Your Sleeve
We’ve talked about yokai here before. I’ve done episodes on the tsuchi no ko, kama itachi, korori, jinmensou, tofu kozou, ushi oni, etc. But have I’ve ever talked about how to find a yokai. Where they specifically like to hang out, the difference between a yokai and a yurei/ghost, and how to increase your odds of meeting up with one — a yokai not a...
So one thing I’ve always loved about Japan and been fascinated with is the idea that there is another “world” (for lack of a better word) existing alongside our everyday one. It’s just a matter of seeing it or finding it or it finding you. There are different names it goes by, but one is ikai/異界 (literally different or other world) and it’s not exa...
Here’s one theory as to how yokai came about in the first place: that is, it’s from our human sense of awe and fear. That basically through the ages, people have kind of conjured them into existence. It’s important to note that while yokai is the most widely used word for these apparitions today, they used to be called other things. Like ayakashi/妖...
Here’s something I found interesting while reading, that is it was thought that when you experienced such a weird encounter, or freaky phenomenon you should as quickly as you could identify what it was that was messing with you. Was it fox? Was it a tanuki? By doing this you could escape danger. If you could expose the real identity of a yokai that...
Here’s an example of how it was done at sea: If you’re out on the ocean and in the distance you see a ship that looks suspicious, like it might be a ghost ship populated by funarei/boat ghosts, what you do is turn around, place your feet shoulder width apart, bend over, and look at it from between your legs, upside down. If it’s a regular boat or s...
If you’ve ever been to Amano-Hashidate in Kyoto you might see a lot of people doing this. In that case, it’s less to do with yokai and more to do with dragons. There are some viewing platforms that looks out over the ocean and to the peninsula beyond. There’s also a thin windy bit of land that connects the two. If you do mata nozoki that wind-y bit...
Let’s return to seeing through a specter’s disguise. How it’s supposed to work is that by making everything backwards. You’re turned away from the ship but you’re leaned over so the top of your body is now where the bottom of your body should be, that somehow by making everything topsy turvy, you’re able to pierce the veils that divides the two wor...
Quick quiz: what is it called when the sun is shining, but it starts to rain? Yes, a Kitsune no Yomeiri or a Fox Wedding Procession. Another otherworldly occurance.
That seques into something called a Kitsune no Mado or a Fox Window. This is another trick to identify what might be haunting you or lurking nearby. What this is is when you take your hands and make this complicated shape. There’s no way I can explain it, but I can put a little image of it up in the show notes. It’s possible to do, but takes a coup...
Now, if the hand manipulating is too difficult and you’re not the rambunctious type who just turns, bends over and looks between your legs to identify whether or not there is a yokai or yurei in the vicinity. I mean if you have a little more decoram than that, but still want to know what’s going on around you, then there’s a third method of seeing ...
Oct 9, 2024 · Yōkai are a fascinating aspect of Japanese mythology, embodying a wide range of supernatural beings and spirits that have captured the imagination of people for centuries. These entities can be whimsical, malevolent, or benevolent, and they play a significant role in the cultural fabric of Japan.
Yōkai are often referred to as Japanese spirits or East Asian ghosts, like the Hanako-san legend or the story of the "Slit-mouthed girl", both of which hail from Japanese legend. The term yōkai can also be interpreted as something strange or unusual.
- Amabie. Amabie, 2003, Kyoto University.
- Tatsu. Tatsu (Dragon) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 19th Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
- Kirin. Kirin by Kikuoka Mitsuyuki, 18th Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
- Ningyo. Ningyo (Mermaid) by Tadayoshi, 19th Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Oct 7, 2024 · Yokai are benevolent, mischievous or downright terrifying Japanese spirits with an alluring nature that has intrigued Japan for centuries.
People also ask
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Mar 15, 2022 · Yōkai are a beloved presence in Japan, from anime like Gegege no Kitarō, Yōkai Watch, and Demon Slayer to the recent fad for the pandemic-busting Amabie. Ghosts and strange creatures exist abroad...
