Supernatural Creatures of Japanese Folklore
Japanese folklore is full of yōkai, or supernatural monsters, who vary from the shy and humanlike to the malevolent and beyond strange. Here are just a few that can send shivers up your spine.
Kappa (河童) or “river-child”—a type of water sprite said to lurk beneath Japan’s ponds and rivers. It looks almost human but has scaly skin, webbed hands and feet, and smells fishy. The kappa have an indentation on top of their head to hold water that is considered the source of their power. Kappa are naughty creatures, and their mischief ranges from tame to cruel.
Konak-jiji—a malicious monster who looks like a tiny old man, the konak-jiji’s modus operandi is to pose like a baby in remote mountainsides and cry until a kind and unsuspecting traveler picks it up. It then changes into its true nature and becomes so heavy that it crushes its victim.
Nure-onna—in the tales, a nure-onna has the head of a woman and the body of a snake. She is generally described to be as long as 300 meters, with long fangs, claws, and hair. She is usually found washing her hair on the shore.
Nure-onna (濡女, a female monster who appears on the beach) from the Hyakkai-Zukan (百怪図巻), circa1737.
In some stories, the nure-onna just wants to have some peace and quiet on the shore, while in others she is more malevolent by tempting victims to carry a small bundle that resembles a baby. When they attempt to escape, the bundle becomes heavier and keeps them trapped so that she can suck their blood. Watch out for bundles resembling babies!
Moku
mokuren—spirits who live in holes in shōji, or Japanese paper sliding walls. The mokumokuren’s eyes can sometimes be seen peeking out. According to the old tales, patching up the holes will effectively banish the spirits from the walls. Is this a tricky way to encourage home maintenance?
Akaname—this strange but very useful supernatural monster actually likes to lick bathrooms clean! Akaname means “filth licker” and supposedly appears at night to lick the grime off dirty bathrooms. I think I want one.
Nuppeppo—an even more bizarre Japanese mythical creature is the nuppeppo, which appear to be an animated lump of human flesh and fats with a horrible body odor. This blob seems to have a face and some semblance of fingers and toes.
Nuppeppo are considered harmless and are thought to roam around empty streets at night, or in abandoned temples or cemeteries.
You may remember one in Hayao Miyazaki’s breakthrough film Spirited Away. Darn it, they look almost cute and pathetic, lulling us into a false sense of security.
