Month: December 2018

Oni, Yokai

Namahage (ナマハゲ)

Every new year’s eve, on the Oga Peninsula (男鹿半島) or Akita Prefecture (秋田県), a yokai pair returns from the nether lands. They search for the bad and the lazy, especially children. Just like Santa Claus, or dark Krampus, the local red and blue yokai couple reminds the children to be well-behaved for the coming year.

In recent months, 10 festivals of the Raiho-shin (来訪神) has been inscribed into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the yokai, Namahage of Oga, is one of them. Namahage is a pair of red and blue oni-like yokai that visits households every new year’s eve. They are part of the Toshigami (年神) group because they are deities that return to the land of Japan with each new year.

Namahage are oni-like yokai with large teeth and horns who walk around the village looking for the delinquents, especially young ones. They are usually dressed in a traditional Japanese straw raincoat called mino (蓑). These deities will shout out loud, “Are there any naughty children?” or “Are there any children whining?” Many unsuspecting children will be caught and interrogated by the Namahage. Questions about their general behaviour over the year, and even whether they have been studying hard.

Namahage Types

Jijinamahage (ジジナマハゲ)

The red Namahage is known as Jiji-namahage, or simply Jiji. He waves around an Onusa (大幣), a wooden wand with “lightning” paper streamers. This deity exorcises all forms of delinquencies, especially laziness and naughtiness. He ensures that the household is rid of bad habits that accumulates over the year. Purifying the house and family for the coming new year.

Babanamahage (ババナマハゲ)

Baba-namahage is the other Namahage, the blue (and more threatening) one. In her right hand, she carries a kitchen deba knife (出刃包丁) and hunts for those who have idle excessively. She “helps” to cut the heat blisters which comes from lazing around the fire too much. Baba collects all these blisters in her teoke (手桶), a wooden hand bucket.

Many towns and villages have stopped the Raiho-shin (来訪神) practice and eventually these deities may become a footnote yokai like the tanuki. But until then, namahage make sure that everyone does their part for the community in the coming dead of winter. No lazing around. I’m looking at you kid!

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Yokai Details

  • name: namahage (nah-mah-hah-gay)
  • kanji:  ナマハゲ (なまはげ)
  • meaning: raw peels (archaic form)
  • abilities:
    • phobia pheromones — release pheromones that induce fear among a large population
    • exorcise delinquency — gets rid of laziness and discord
    • oni transformation — able to change into a large semi-demonic ogre
Tsukumogami, Yokai

Bakezori (化け草履)

Have you been to a traditional ryokan ( 旅館 ) and found that your shoes were replaced by sandals? Or the jumbled ryokan sandals from yesterday are mysteriously organised every morning. Even in the wee hours! You may assume that its the hotel attendants, but its actually a yokai. That is a fact!

Bakezōri is a tsukumogami that evolves from abandoned straw sandals called zori ( 草履 ). As such, they are sandal shaped but stands upright on two legs. Also, they have two hands and one eye. Occasionally, when a bystander sees a bakezōri, it sticks out its tongue to mock and then disappear ot of sight

Elusive creatures

However, it is very difficult to see or catch a bakezōri. They are imbued with the ninja-like stealth. So it is difficult to see one moving around. Nonetheless, bakezōri‘s obsessive compulsive behaviour reveals their presence. They have an uncontrollable urge to organize footwear. Bakezōri arrange them according to type and size. They also pack them neatly away in the shoe closet.

Recently, a new bakezōri trait is discovered. The elusive yokai has a severe foot fetish. Also, they hate socks. In fact, they prefer the skin contact of bare feet. It is said, bakezōri eat socks to exude physical and territorial dominance. So if you have socks with holes in it or even missing socks, beware! You may just have bakezōri living in your house.

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Yokai Details

  • name: bakezōri (bah-kay-zoh-ree)
  • kanji:  化け草履 ( ばけぞうり ) 
  • meaning: transformed straw sandals
  • abilities:
    1. stealth — makes itself difficult to be detected or found
    2. hyperjump — able to jump more than 10 times its height
Josei, Warai-onago, Yokai

Ohaguro Bettari (お歯黒べったり)

In Tohoku region of Japan, a young foreign tourist was hiking up a mountain to visit a remote temple but reached it later than intended. As the sun was setting in the horizon, he was surprised to see a wedding bride waiting by the temple torii gates. Slowly, she turned her head around and threw the foreigner a big smile. The last thing the tourist remembered, before fainting, was the black teeth of the yokai.

Ohaguro bettari is a female yokai known for her thick white makeup and blackened teeth. She is usually seen, during the witching hour of dusk, dressed in white bridal  kimono. Ohaguro bettari will patiently wait, near temples and shrines, for young and eligible men. Those curious, will come withing range of the yokai’s charm and be under her hypnotic spell. 

Once the person is within arms length, ohaguro bettari will slowly reveal her wide black grin, inflicting shock and terror. Panic-stricken, the man will flee while the yokai cackles with a frightful joy. Some unfortunate men even claimed to be licked by the ohaguro bettari. The licked area would have the foul smell of saliva for weeks on end.

Past Stories

Many old documents described the ohaguro bettari as faceless (without eyes or nose) which make experts believe that it is a type of nopperabo. In addition to this, nopperabo are described as favourite transformations of the kitsune and tanuki. Does this mean that ohaguro bettari are actually these just mentioned animal yokai? Too far-fetched?

Either ways, ohaguro bettari is still a yokai and should not be underestimated. So if you see a lady in a bridal dress all alone, best to avoid an encounter and walk the opposite direction. Unless, of course, if you want a black toothy and revolting grin.

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Yokai Details

  • name: ohaguro bettari (oh-hah-goo-roh-bet-tah-ree)
  • kanji: お歯黒べったり (おはぐろべったり)
  • meaning: sticky black teeth 
  • abilities:
    1. bewitching aura — charm a person within range to drop their guard  
    2. cackle of the crone — loud laugh that cancels out all noise except the laughter 
    3. nasty lick — deposits irremovable foul saliva that smells of morning breath
Mononoke, Suijin, Yokai

Tomokazuki (トモカヅキ)

Over the many yokai experiences, those that arise from the endless sea are the scariest of the lot. The creature, I’ll be discussing, today is no different. This underwater yokai is said to be the main cause of many unsolved drowning accidents off the shore of Japan.

Over the many yokai experiences, those that arise from the endless sea are the scariest of the lot. The creature, I’ll be discussing, today is no different. This underwater yokai is said to be the main cause of many unsolved drowning accidents off the shore of Japan.

Underwater divers have always been cautioned and warned about the dangers of the deep waters and underwater currents. These include stories of vacationers how have claimed to have seen their double while diving in the deep ocean. These apparations are most likely to be the works of Tomokazuki. The yokai will beckon its victim deeper into the ocean and further away from the diving group. 

Origin Story

Tomokazuki is well known and feared among the Ama (海人) community of female pearl divers. Tales of close encounters indicate that the ocean yokai usually appear during a cloudy weather. The doppelganger Tomokazuki is described as dressed similar to the pearl diver and lures her victims deeper into the ocean by offering larger abalones. Many who were enticed had drowned and died. Ama of the Shima Peninsula mark their tools and clothes with talismanic symbols of the seiman (セーマン) and doman (ドーマン) to protect themselves from Tomokazuki and shiri-koboshi. 

If you do see someone unfamiliar while scuba dive in the waters of Japan, there are indicators that can identify a Tomokazuki. For the Ama divers, the yokai’s headband are much longer. On the other hand, for scuba divers’ Tomokazauki will probably be longer flippers. Nonetheless, be safe while swimming in the waters of Japan and be away of the dangers around. 

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Yokai Details

  • name: tomokazuki (toh-moh-kah-zoo-kee)
  • kanji: トモカヅキ (ともかづき)
  • meaning: continue diving (archaic form)
  • abilities:
    • metamorph — shape-shift into any human of any age, usually woman
    • water breathing — able to breathe underwater 
Kaibyo, Yokai

Manekineko (招き猫)

Did you notice the Japanese porcelain cat figurines at the entrance of of shops and restaurants? Or the lucky cat talisman that everyone seems to have attached to their mobiles or school bags? Well, these fortune charms are based of a real feline yokai that brings good luck and fortune to its owner.

The auspicious creature, maneki-neko, is very different from the other cat yokai such as Bakeneko and Nekomata. It proactively protects humans from harm and even brings them good fortune. Most recorded interactions are of individuals who who walks alone at night and was called away by a manekineko. This action evidently saved the individual from misfortunes such as robbers in wait and even lightning strikes.

Many believed that the maneki-neko originates from Kyoto, while some others claim that Osaka is their true origin. Also in capital city Tokyo, there are Imado Shrine (今戸神社) and Gōtoku-ji Temple (豪徳寺) which are, both, dedicated to the maneki-neko. No matter where the origin, one thing is for sure, the feline creature is a pretty recent yokai. Its existence began to surface in the early 17th century.

Nonetheless, maneki-neko is a benevolent creature that protects its owners. So if you are in need of good fortune, healthy lifestyle, better grades or even just true love, why not get yourself one of the luck cat talisman. It may  just be the charm that you need.

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Yokai Details

  • name: maneki-neko (mah-neh-kee-neh-koh)
  • kanji: 招き猫 (まねきねこ)
  • meaning: beckoning cat or inviting cat
  • abilities:
    1. serendipity — able bring good luck and fortune to an individual