Article Written by @dreamseeker10779

Japan has quite an interesting history, especially when it comes to their folklore. We hear about some of these creatures regularly, like the kitsune, Oni or Yōkai. We describe some of these creatures or monsters to be part of folklore or mythology, however many of them are in history, being creations of artists & writers in medieval Japan. We'll be going over a handful of these creatures to give you some inspiration so let's jump straight into it.

Oni ( 鬼 )

Oni is one of the oldest Youkai to exist, starting from ancient times in many folktales, religious beliefs, literature & art. AN Oni can be that of a troll, orge, giant or demon, but generally it is a beast like humanoid, with giant muscles, angry facial expressions, wild hair, razor sharp claws & a horn or two on its head. The colours of Oni can change, but appearance wise they usually are barefoot, wear a loincloth & carry weapons like clubs.

Usually, Oni are associated with evilness and are thought to have characteristics similar to that of ancient spirits which caused disasters and disease. Additionally, they are also associated with hell, whether it is by being gatekeepers or underlings of the god of hell assigned to punish its residents.

Kappa ( 河童 )

Kappa are another Youkai or reptilian Kami, known to live in and around bodies of water such as lakes, ponds & rivers. They have a humanoid look, with amphibian & reptillian features. In some Japanese beliefs, they are also thought to be a form of Suijin or Water God

Appearance wise, Kappa can be a body of an adult or child, with green coloured skin, the texture being either that of scales or slimy, webbed hands & feet, a turtle like shell on their back, a pointy mouth like beak & usually have a 'Sara dish' on their head, which contains water. It is believed that the water inside the Kappa's dish is connected to its life force, so should it be spilled or dried up, it could weaken the kappa or cause it to perish.

When it comes to their behaviour & activities, they have quite a range from being friendly & mischievous to being menacing & deadly. A kappa can play tricks on people, try & lure people into the lake, challenge humans to engage in sumo or even do good deeds like help bring fish to the people.

Kitsune ( 狐 )

Kitsune are part of a group of Yokai called Henge, that are shape shifting magical creatures of animals. . Foxes were once believed to be messengers of the divine being Inari, the Shinto deity of prosperity & fertility. That is why there are many statues of kitsune around Japanese temples and shrines. Additional beliefs were that these foxes could shapeshift into beautiful women. Kistune however were not thought to be evil monsters, but more so clever tricksters who likes to play tricks & pranks on humans, but also reward them in generous ways if they felt the receiver deserved it.

Tanuki ( 狸 )

A personal favourite of mine is tanuki, being a japanese raccoon which can shapeshift. They have a cheerful & jovial nature, that being said they can use magical powers to possess humans, as well as transform into humans, household objects, objects of nature (stones, trees, sticks, flowers etc). Through these tricks, they enjoy playing pranks on humans and stealing things from them.

Conclusion

There are many more creatures in Japanese folklore & mythology, but these are some of the well known ones.

Let us know if you'd like to see more about this topic or if you'd like to see us write about a specific countries folklore & mythology.