azja: Kappa (folklore)

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

In Japanese folklore, the kappa (河童; "river-child") is a familiar type of water monster, considered one of three major yōkai. Kappa are said to be inhabiting the ponds and rivers of Japan. It is also known by various local names, including kawatarō (川太郎; "river-boy"). The kappa had been dangerous mankillers that drowned people, also targeting horses and cattle to be dragged into water. Later, they came to be depicted as mischievous beings which get punished (captured, having its arm severed, etc.), and in exchange of forgiveness, gratefully performed labor, or revealed a secret medicinal recipe (kappa's wonder drug). Accounts typically depict them as green, slimy (or scaly), human-like bein…

Evidence: 59 • authority: 72

Yōkai (妖怪; Japanese pronunciation: [joː.kai]) are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. Yōkai are a vast range of beings, including shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, and tricksters. They can be mischievous, helpful, or malevolent, often appearing as animal-like figures, possessed objects, or humanoids. They embody the mysterious and uncanny aspects of nature and human emotions. Yōkai are also referred to as ayakashi (あやかし), mononoke (物の怪) or mamono (魔物). Some academics and Shinto practitioners acknowledge similarities within the seeming dichotomy between the natures of yōkai and most kami, which are generally regarded as relatively beneficent in comparison, and cla…

Evidence: 48 • authority: 72

Touhou Project (Japanese: 東方Project, Hepburn: Tōhō Purojekuto), also known as Touhou (東方; lit. 'Eastern' or 'Oriental'), is a bullet hell video game series created by independent Japanese doujin soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. The team's sole member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has developed programming, graphics, writing, and music for the series, publishing twenty mainline games, thirteen spin-offs, and one remake since 1997. He collaborated with doujin developer Twilight Frontier on seven of the official spin-offs, six of which are fighting games. ZUN has also produced related manga series, fanbooks, and music albums. The first five games were developed for the Japanese PC-98 computer, with th…

Evidence: 40 • authority: 72

Kappa-dera (かっぱ寺), officially known as Sōgen Temple (曹源寺, "Sōgen-ji"), is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist temple in the Kappabashi area of Tokyo. It is named after the kappa, a Japanese folklore figure, and Kappa (合羽), a vendor in the retail corridor.

Evidence: 34 • authority: 72

Sarazanmai (Japanese: さらざんまい) is a Japanese anime television series jointly produced by MAPPA and Lapin Track. The series aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block from April 11 to June 20, 2019, for eleven episodes, and follows three middle school students who are transformed into kappas in order to collect shirikodama, mythical balls located in the anus that contains the physical manifestation of one's desires; Ikuhara broadly developed the series as a story about yōkai (supernatural monsters) for an adult audience. In English-language markets, Sarazanmai is syndicated by Crunchyroll, which simulcast the series during its original broadcast run; a dubbed version of the series was pro…

Evidence: 34 • authority: 72

Obake (お化け) and bakemono (化け物) are a class of yōkai, preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean a thing that changes, referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. These words are often translated as "ghost", but primarily they refer to living things or supernatural beings who have taken on a temporary transformation, and these bakemono are distinct from the spirits of the dead. However, as a secondary usage, the term obake can be a synonym for yūrei, the ghost of a deceased human being. A bakemono's true form may be an animal such as a fox (kitsune), a raccoon dog (bake-danuki), a badger (mujina), a transforming cat (bakeneko), the spirit of a plant—…

Evidence: 34 • authority: 72

Karas (Japanese: 鴉－KARAS－, Hepburn: Karasu; lit. The Crow) is a Japanese six-part original video animation series produced by Tatsunoko Production to commemorate the studio's 40th anniversary. Each Karas episode was first televised in Japan as a pay-per-view program from March 25, 2005, to August 3, 2007, before being released onto DVDs. Manga Entertainment compiled and released these episodes as two feature length, direct-to-DVD films for the English market. Karas tells the story of Yousuke Otoha, a former yakuza, living in a fictional version of Shinjuku, Tokyo populated by humans and yōkai (Japanese spirits). He is one of the titular karas, humans appointed as superpowered agents of the…

Evidence: 34 • authority: 72

The following is a list of Akuma (demons), Yūrei (ghosts), Yōkai (spirits), Kami and other legendary creatures that are notable in Japanese folklore and mythology.

Evidence: 34 • authority: 80

The "Kappa" Legend. A Comparative Ethnological Study on the Japanese Water-Spirit "Kappa" and Its Habit of Trying to Lure Horses into the Water

Evidence: 34 • authority: 72

Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (Japanese: 妖怪大戦争, Hepburn: Yōkai Daisensō; lit. 'The Great Yokai War') is a 1968 Japanese fantasy horror film directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda. It is the second in a trilogy of films produced in the late 1960s, all of which focus around traditional Japanese monsters known as yōkai. (It was preceded by Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters (1968), and was followed by Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts (1969).) Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare, along with the other two films in the series, was produced by Daiei Film and makes extensive use of tokusatsu special effects, with the majority of the creatures being represented by actors in costumes or puppets. The film was made in Fuji…

Evidence: 33 • authority: 72

A shuihu or shui hu (Chinese: 水虎; pinyin: shuǐhǔ; Wade–Giles: shui-hu; Japanese pronunciation: suiko; lit. 'water tiger'), is a legendary creature said to have inhabited river systems in what is now Hubei Province, China.