Mononoke

In traditional Japanese literature, mononoke (物の怪, literally “things of spirits”) are spirit-like yokai that include creatures such as yūrei (幽霊, literally “dim spirits”), shiryō (死霊, literally “departed souls”), onryō (怨霊, literally “vengeful spirit”), and ikiryō (生霊, literally “living spirits”). These spirits are able to possess individuals, cause diseases and even death. A less well-known sub-category of onryō is goryō (御霊, literally “honourable souls”) which are vengeful aristocratic ghosts such as samurai and daimyō lords.

Mononoke, Yokai

Betobeto-san, Everyone’s Secret Stalker

A formless ghostly creature wearing geta.

Do you remember that night after the farewell party? The time when you were walking alone and you hear footsteps behind you. Then, when you turned around, nobody was there. Inititally, you may think that its your stalker. But, it is not. It is betobeto-san, everyone’s secret stalker.

Over hundreds of years, tales of betobeto-san has passed down as oral tradition. Interestingly, in these stories, it is without form. In fact, you can only hear mimicry of the clacking of geta. “Beto. Beto.”

Similar to okuri-inu, betobeto-san stalks a lone traveller along a mountain path. However, betobeto-san is a totally harmless. It just walks in sync with you. In fact, betobeto-san is everyone’s secret stalker.

Mimetic Words

The Japanese language has a lot of mimetic words, more popularly known as onomatopoeia. These sound symbolic words includes words that mimic sounds and those that depicts state of mind & body. The word “beto beto” is one of these words. Furthermore, “beto beto” has multiple meanings. Interestingly, the most common interpretation is stickiness. Hence, there are many mistranslation of betobeto-san as “Mr.Sticky”.

However, a more apt meaning of “beto beto” is the sound of walking wearing geta. The common footwear in times of past. Therefore, Mr. Footsteps is a better interpretation of betobeto-san. Interestingly, there is a similar yokai of the Fukui prefecture called bishagatsuku (びしゃがつく). It only comes out in winter. Furthermore, it walks in the snow, “Bisha. Bisha.”

the Japanese Way

Nonetheless, sometimes betobeto-san‘s hauntings can be unnerving. Sometimes, you just want to walk alone peacefully. As such, below are 3 simple steps to stop the annoying yokai:

Step off the path.
Politely bow down.
Say “Betobeto-san, osakini okoshi”
「べとべとさん、お先にお越し」

Indeed, you have just politely said “Betobeto-san, please go ahead.” As a result, betobeto-san will walk on by and footsteps vanish into a whisper. Thus, manners maketh a gracious yokai.

Conclusion

Nonetheless, next time you hear footsteps behind you, do not ignore it. Please look back and check. Because, you never know, it could be your crazy ex stalking you.

Yokai Details

name: betobeto-san ( beh-toh-beh-toh-son )
katakana: べとべとさん
meaning: mister footsteps
abilities:
1. malleable anatomy — able to modify their feet to mimic any types of footwear

Josei, Mononoke, Yokai

Jakotsubabā the Warden of the Serpent Mounds

An old hag holding two snakes, one in each hand.

During my travels in Kawagoe, Saitama, I came across a lesser-known Itsukushima Jinja. Interestingly, there was a setsumatsuha (摂末社) that enshrines a pair of white snakes protecting a golden egg. The auxiliary shrine reminds me of a yokai that protects sacred snake mounds. She is jakotsubabā, the warden of the serpent mounds.

As it is said, there are numerous serpent mounds all across Japan. These mounds are sacred sites that enshrines snake kami. Jakotsubabā protects these serpent mounds, especially the abandoned and forgotten ones. She is the guardian that zealously attacks any unwanted trespasser.

Red Snake, Blue Snake

Jakotsubabā bears two snakes, one on each hand. But her snakes are unlike the more popular albino snake kami of pure white. She carries a blue snake on her right hand and a red one on her left. This harkens to the opposing duality similar to the yokai namahage. Hence, the red and blue snakes may represent the male and female sex respectively.

On the other hand, the red and blue colour may be more akin to akamanto. The two colours are options and either lead to death. When jakotsubabā confronts the trespasser, she offers him a the red and blue choices. Firstly, the red choice which will reveal a red venomous snake that bites and poisons its victim to death. Alternatively, the blue choice unveils the blue constrictor snake and it squeezes and crushes its the victim.

Foreign Origins

Originally, Toriyama Sekien (鳥山石燕) claims that jakotsubabā comes from the mythical land of Bukan (巫咸) in China. Also, Bukan is called Fukan or Wuxian in Chinese. Interestingly, Wuxian (巫咸) is also the name of a powerful shaman during the Shang Dynasty. Sekien says that Bukan lies north to the land of Jochū (女丑), literally meaning ox-woman. The jochū are girls that were sacrificed for a bountiful harvest, or so it has been said.

Additionally, Sekien writes that jakotsubabā is the wife of a great snake yokai named Jagoemon (蛇五右衛門). And, she is tasked to protect her husband’s the sacred burial mound. In Bukan, they call her jagobabā (蛇五婆), meaning Jago’s Hag. At the end of the notation, Sekien suspiciously said “the truth is unknown”.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are little information about jakotsubabā. In fact, we have more questions to its origin then we first began. But one thing is for sure, jakotsubabā is not to be trifled with. She takes her tasks and vocation seriously. The bony old hag fiercely protects the snake shrines all across Japan. Jakotsubabā is the true warden of the serpent mounds.

Yokai Details

name: jakotsubabā ( jah-koh-tsu-bah-baa )
kanji: 蛇骨婆 (じゃこつばばあ)
meaning: snake bony hag
abilities:
1. ophidiokinesis — the ability to influence and control all forms of snakes
2. parseltongue — the ability to speak with serpents

Mononoke, Suijin, Yokai

Locals Blame Unsolved Drownings On Deepsea Yokai

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.

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

Mononoke, Yokai

Groping Black Hand In Communcal Toilet

You have no idea how much I hate going to the toilet, especially at night. It’s not the dark, but what’s in the dark that worries me most. Though modern Japanese toilets are bright and clean, yokai or yurei can still reside in these lavatories. Today’s yokai is one that will caress and grope you just as you are doing your private business.

Unlike the more popular urban legend Hanakosan and Ako Manto, this toilet yokai, Kurote, is pretty rare to meet. Kurote is a hand-shaped yokai that is, usually, described as black and hairy. It, patiently, hides in toilet holes waiting for its victim, male or female. Some victims have described it as slimy, or even oily, to the touch.

A tale by the matron of a minshuku (民宿) of a small village, describes a young noble lady who visited her lover’s and stayed overnight. As it was a moonless night, she was warned against using the communal lavatory under any circumstances. But when night came, the young lady felt the pinch and had to, desperately, use the toilet.

As she was relieving herself, she felt a touch on her butt check. The lady peeped in the hole but did not see anything. Even though she was scared, the noble continued her business. Not long after, she had her butt slapped. Startled, she jump up and saw a black hand, Kurote, crawling around and hissing at her, like a spider. Even though it is just a hand, it is able to scurry around really fast and hide in the darkest corner. She ran out of the toilet soiling herself all the way to her bedroom.

Such stories of toilet harassment, is not uncommon in the rural areas of Japan. So if you do have to use the toilet in the middle of the night, take extra precaution. You never know where and when you’ll be touched by Kurote… unless you want to be.

Yokai Details

name: kurote (koo-roh-teh)
kanji: 黒手 (くろて)
meaning: black hand
abilities:
1. morph — change its shape into any form
2. hyper agility — able to move and jump with little difficulty

Mononoke, Oni, Yokai

Man Found Kilometres Away After Blown Off Bridge

Once, in a clear sunny day, as I approached a major bridge to cross it, I saw a couple halfway across coming towards me. Then suddenly, the man was blown off the bridge and the woman vanished. My thoughts raced, “Where’s the yokai? What’s the yokai? Should I still cross the bridge for work?” Being a workaholic, I turnaround and work from home instead. Tasking myself to find the mysterious yokai of the bridge.

Hashihime, meaning lady of the bridge, is one of the most bipolar yokai you are likely to encounter. She loves you for using her bridge but the moment you mention a better bridge, hell has no fury as her scorn. Unlike the bridge trolls of the West, Hashihime is usually seen as a ravishing lady to the men and a handsome dude to the women.

Forgotten Tale

An old tale tells of a now-forgotten trading village that was linked to the Tōkaidō road by a long and sturdy bridge. Through the years, the village had tolerated multiple small bandit raids and their vile atrocities. But an accidental death of a bandit has brought the leader to their door step. The bandit king vowed revenge led his rouge of bandits towards the village but stopped at the end of the bridge.

A woman was standing before the bandit king totally exposed with her wild hair flying in the non-existent winds. As he rose his sword to strike the naked woman, she burst into a flaming oni, burning the bandit king to crisp. The fiery oni, then, charged forward, setting the whole line of bandits and the bridge ablaze. The villagers were eternally grateful to the Hashihime but did not rebuild the bridge, in dread of her.

Hidden Shrine

In Kyoto, there is a shrine dedicated to Hashihime, the guardian deity of Uji Bridge. The original shrine was located in the west bank but was washed away by floods of 1870. Legend has it that a lady of the courts prayed to the Kami of Kifune to make her a living oni that has powers as great as her bitter jealousy. After 7 days of continual devotions at Kifune-jinja, her prayers were answered. She were told to perform a sacred ceremony in the Kawase River at Uji.

The noble lady returned to the capital city where she twisted her hair into five horns and painted herself bloody red. She then lit five torches, three on an iron trivet on her head and two clenched between her teeth. Once her preparations complete, she ran down the street to Kawase River paralyzing many onlookers and scaring others to death.

Oni Transformation

She dived into the rivers and stayed submerged fueled with rage and jealousy. After 21 days, the courtly lady emerged, transformed into the dreaded Hashihime. As a living oni, she took revenge on all who she envied and anyone else related to them. Her rage continue afterwards, as she slayed many that crosses the Uji Bridge.

Eventually a shrine was built to placate the Hashihime of Uji Bridge. In modern times, there are less deaths on the bridge and visitors to the shrine has more benign requests. Prayers such as to forget an old flame or cut off ties of your complicated relationships. Hashihime is really good at burning one’s bridges.

Yokai Details

name: Hashihime (hah-shi-hee-meh)
kanji: 橋姫 (はしひめ)
meaning: maiden of the bridge
abilities:
1. paralysis — ability to knock anyone unconscious
2. oni transformation — transform into a fiery demonic form
3. fire manipulation — limited control over fire