tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60183694164738015312024-03-19T00:35:52.569+10:00Curious OrdinaryFolklore | Myth | Magic | ArtCurious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-37707835516329921532024-03-18T13:17:00.002+10:002024-03-18T13:17:22.663+10:00Jokotsu BabaIn Japanese folklore there is a figure known as jakotsu baba, which is sometimes translated as the old snake bone woman. She is a yokai, or supernatural creature, who appears as an old hag and has the power to control snakes. <span></span><a name='more'></a>Her legend first appeared in Toriyama Sekien’s Konjaku Hyakki Shui alongside the illustration later in this post.<p></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EPndDPwedloOjdhDSNnzHK6BX9iqMviPALKitUUPKQqVVJ1t7eGDeKNbsUSRJBb60okU8Ga7oG8izkuzHh4_OajMorXP71aDOz5i7LQamdVx6mflsqKMuDP7aGZ1rDuTW6KcNqKAuJVx/s16000/1649478196834545-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shigeru Mizuki</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div> </div><div>Not much else is known about her although some sources suggest she
originated in northern Honshu, while others believe she was from China.
As well as being able to control snakes, it is said she carries with her
both a red and blue snake. She can command the blue snake to use its
icy breath to freeze anything in its path, while the red snake is able
to shoot out fire and reduce victims to ashes. There is one suggestion that after her husband died, she transformed
into a yokai to guard his grave and used snakes to attack anyone who
approached.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbWdkwn63g3UIhGGZDnt6cEnC38ZTUBdR7qYKUExj-9P52YtMoRFLSfnNDR17SY-WJOWmErLuVaupyxk0Pem8WrPuHWkG7OOMqw6iVeAzWXz8MHMMYRzYK7XoQwNOTQ19B9yn8ixN-2jn/w456-h640/1649478192324767-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="456" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Toriyama Sekien<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbWdkwn63g3UIhGGZDnt6cEnC38ZTUBdR7qYKUExj-9P52YtMoRFLSfnNDR17SY-WJOWmErLuVaupyxk0Pem8WrPuHWkG7OOMqw6iVeAzWXz8MHMMYRzYK7XoQwNOTQ19B9yn8ixN-2jn/s1600/1649478192324767-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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</div></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-76936950731479719612024-03-10T13:27:00.003+10:002024-03-10T13:27:47.633+10:00The Legend of Joren Falls In Japanese folklore it is believed that bodies of water often have a nushi, or guardian spirit, which can take various forms including dragons, snakes and many others. Joren Falls on the Izu Peninsula has a drop of 250 meters into a deep dark blue pool at the base and many visitors report feeling uneasy when viewing it. <span><a name='more'></a></span>This is the tale of the nushi who is said to inhabit the pool.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivCd7irjUZCrpmBTU3HFF7aRkC10GDzMij3zcOn6OS_yIciARfryCwfAdjfg7PpyT5-aaz7UahO7Bm2C2lN27mQffgECVprHX-Buo3XQbGiIJTrIo8Rocxw6YHpnGHFT-ckWF-xmSLAHpmjf9Jb-ScaGtWxPwncYO0l_DXtmRaY3GGpDNuvIMkF1j-jQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivCd7irjUZCrpmBTU3HFF7aRkC10GDzMij3zcOn6OS_yIciARfryCwfAdjfg7PpyT5-aaz7UahO7Bm2C2lN27mQffgECVprHX-Buo3XQbGiIJTrIo8Rocxw6YHpnGHFT-ckWF-xmSLAHpmjf9Jb-ScaGtWxPwncYO0l_DXtmRaY3GGpDNuvIMkF1j-jQ=w380-h640" width="380" />
</a>
</div><br /></div><div></div><div>The story goes that there was once a local farmer named Kanbe who worked in the fields nearby. One day he sat beneath a mulberry tree to rest and watched with interest as a silk spider wove a web between his big toe and the pool at the base of the falls. Not wanting to destroy the spider’s hard work, when he got up to resume work, Kanbe gently took the web from his toe and attached it to the mulberry tree. Just then, the sky grew dark and the waterfall seemed to roar even louder before the mulberry tree was torn from the earth and pulled into the pond. </div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgROHYFzwfdCG7KNCi25txmvOTyO-CQ0Lb18SJnbNS2_YErAv6rX9zdNQkq1fWFO6VOf6rFgs5qNN_XbxRrvOZSgVllw82B7jLXd0EMElh-wRYSnbQcb1_w9VNxyQcz2ec6LyQF2LqtdWVwd2BBXZecogjbBK7rJ39iaqp-VUs1KRTBf6A8nZCoi3kFew" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgROHYFzwfdCG7KNCi25txmvOTyO-CQ0Lb18SJnbNS2_YErAv6rX9zdNQkq1fWFO6VOf6rFgs5qNN_XbxRrvOZSgVllw82B7jLXd0EMElh-wRYSnbQcb1_w9VNxyQcz2ec6LyQF2LqtdWVwd2BBXZecogjbBK7rJ39iaqp-VUs1KRTBf6A8nZCoi3kFew=w583-h640" width="583" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Okumura Masanobu</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div> <br /></div><div>Feeling very lucky, Kanbe ran home and when he told people, no one in the town ever approached the waterfall again for fear of becoming victim to the spider who was obviously the nushi of the pond. Many years later, a travelling woodcutter accidentally dropped his axe into the pond. He was a good swimmer so decided to dive straight into the freezing water and retrieve his axe. When he surfaced he saw a beautiful, almost transparent woman standing near the rocks at the base of the falls with his axe in her hand. She informed him that she was a silk spider and nushi of the pond, and that she would return his axe on the condition he told no one about her, saying that if he did, his life would end. </div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmLrAapaBLW4T8y9mZHYZXTyznBK-D1f0l-1yhiiKAqMBeq62xK60R0MQQaTwmGaULOYoo2554d0dqRrq6tqZpV9tF9HudmQC0lZIzaYtwmfbMu9WYNuGUK4_kqZXBOZhIfqVIebGqgLwLrt3rwJUcavMdNfBz2hCUQIaW8c9qH6lNnLJySS3bXdNevg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmLrAapaBLW4T8y9mZHYZXTyznBK-D1f0l-1yhiiKAqMBeq62xK60R0MQQaTwmGaULOYoo2554d0dqRrq6tqZpV9tF9HudmQC0lZIzaYtwmfbMu9WYNuGUK4_kqZXBOZhIfqVIebGqgLwLrt3rwJUcavMdNfBz2hCUQIaW8c9qH6lNnLJySS3bXdNevg=w640-h494" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adachi Ginko, 1885</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div> </div><div>Feeling terrified and lucky to have escaped, he went to the village. He asked around and heard the rumours about the spider nushi. Later, when he was very drunk on sake, he let his ego get the better of him and began boasting about his meeting with the silk spider and how he had come away unscathed. That night he died in his sleep and the villagers knew for sure the nushi was responsible and continued to keep well away from the waterfall. </div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMzGjU8tJtuTbwwdXvrYEJzwDWfB14Ql5fSX4jGL3c3NyeLUTBrMUNvM822f39Q313hqq1vqYI1rFEF7NyQtEVkJ5iu-PBAU1Ut2ocQdEStVNQgX0-KWq-G33zV-UxFPng02mBNS09aXZAZxtAzp9gsaGA1B0mG1H0VIOjYMwXQdptfg8Vb7f3qGhDHA=w420-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="420" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Keisai Eisen,1847</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMzGjU8tJtuTbwwdXvrYEJzwDWfB14Ql5fSX4jGL3c3NyeLUTBrMUNvM822f39Q313hqq1vqYI1rFEF7NyQtEVkJ5iu-PBAU1Ut2ocQdEStVNQgX0-KWq-G33zV-UxFPng02mBNS09aXZAZxtAzp9gsaGA1B0mG1H0VIOjYMwXQdptfg8Vb7f3qGhDHA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
</div></div><div><div>The spider nushi is this tale was a yokai known as <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2024/03/jorogumo.html" target="_blank">jorogumo</a>. I've written more about them <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2024/03/jorogumo.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The photograph below is of the real Joren Falls on the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.</div><div> <br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidL-LzmDp0_XrQwHG898p8DgeAWSyV6p5ThuZcAO1r1qiFUsMeeOPQjOfSREzUyccd7PpGIwGT9vRmkH3FYiPaN8sioxCDTJ2ym4xdzmEp98Tnno-DyS7OqDZT2441dOqXjy0nEwwI0uTRcUCtE-_wRIE52AKwiPs6ii2OgdcxLZ-1a2sAeS6uPQrSKA=w400-h317" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Joren Falls</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidL-LzmDp0_XrQwHG898p8DgeAWSyV6p5ThuZcAO1r1qiFUsMeeOPQjOfSREzUyccd7PpGIwGT9vRmkH3FYiPaN8sioxCDTJ2ym4xdzmEp98Tnno-DyS7OqDZT2441dOqXjy0nEwwI0uTRcUCtE-_wRIE52AKwiPs6ii2OgdcxLZ-1a2sAeS6uPQrSKA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
</div> Here are a few more waterfalls depicted in ukiyo-e prints for your viewing pleasure.<br /></div><div> </div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjO0-qbqoSad2JBjVHzPsEccLIsul7EQmua8Kga451o4jYK4Rn-zDuSBjnaATZq0MFU9MU1_HJvinHk2L42ewtKfVcC_jB1KgLJeo9r3RSF783wAGf0js3PPuyuRLtOrPKZdiGCHsRkRzSEcCDBh8LulYdB5kS7aCi_D4xKUuD8KlTKZri70woEsdOHOw=w415-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="415" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige, 1858</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtMTRf2uQ1XwiEKZzYuLL_6O5K-8Xg-jB_azZ5xFyu4-tsAeVUqfPndxexdrxGB8PUDjYHd50GgsPSAu9a42Zc3eqxq6-Zy5qojyujaYR8QHYoXk8nSLgU5lYC1qDyQG2IZ8x5wrX72PAlRZoYGXeBhSDzD6xZJuCijgZ4P4E0emlaBSK5kk0yOVAC2A=w427-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="427" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Katsushika Hokusai, 1832</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7SQnyINPLpEkOzJvvft4M_2JlZxlInW18fxuHvPiSMSz6bcU1gMcvxZO_Wmku4jfz5z99bfkPc3UA0NWehmzzrSzuzYAa25uOIk2Y6cCDTYz2HkoHbevBhVIXx0fEcC71PrPVh1N_M2lpGCJULFnQSDavLRf68R0DZy0F_EVBFATBSE5SmbdAEwUzQw=w432-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="432" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kawase Hasui, 1951</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div> </div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-42151064386076480262024-03-10T13:23:00.002+10:002024-03-10T13:28:42.225+10:00Jorogumo In Japanese folklore there is a giant spider yokai known as jorogumo. It is believed that when a regular golden orb spider reaches 400 years of age it can develop supernatural powers including the ability to shapeshift. At this time it also chooses to eat humans instead of its regular diet of insects.<span></span><a name='more'></a> In order to obtain humans to eat, jorogumo will often take the form of beautiful women in order to seduce unsuspecting male victims. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghozSxJPK8PFh-tO___aFGtEprOd5Z69zEaFND8Sn2Ze7ozA2C9ryIzmzL8O13ouQMIYLZ4MIjXcMxKE7Q6diHCiwaRsIeUq0I31rNPWU1j8XR_R--6ARdnfr5Rh28o6ybDYypxaAdHD8EQrecDd-Zi_Jhffp943twBXAtb6YDSJkRhuzUdEZLkOZEwvVx=s16000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shigeru Mizuki</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div>She will then lure the men to her home only to trap them in her powerful web, which is strong enough to bind a fully grown man. Jorogumo use their toxic venom to poison their victims, and then enjoy watching them slowly die. This horrifying spider yokai can live among a community without being detected. Over time jorogumo can amass piles of human bones without anyone suspecting a thing. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhJLWpf795KzcfKU16paV6Kr7Iw2mCZefEc1bn7Y1nvZ0bylcHSdMXHXgyaRTCm3Y-Q5E-zERauaB_kLhIXKOPQ2jFu-LpcOEDw9hedWKr0yqptWvDLDF1wwfoDNbIQPQlunbgpI_ZgCs/s16000/1661258517400441-1.png" /></td></tr><tr><td><i>Toriyama Sekien<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>They also have the ability to control other smaller spiders, including fire-breathing spiders, which they command to burn down the houses of anyone who might be suspicious of their actions. The name jorogumo translates as 'entangling bride' but in older times they were known as 'whore spiders.' Jorogumo feature in many traditional Japanese tales and they often make their homes in caves deep in the woods. You can read about one of these tales set in <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2024/03/joren-falls.html" target="_blank">Joren Falls here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ6-EK1GLPIN7fo-vRE25oPcIyJdRL6_b5RBmRJwOeTg-PZMcLDbiIk3i-n0qN_ZJ8uZQfdJFVox7arzNrk_gLE3mjod5s3Y8RiEnsbiPahXAdL0ahqIU2BaWf6tmS5Kjg3JJOVJ6FggT/s1600/1661258521244169-0.png"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ6-EK1GLPIN7fo-vRE25oPcIyJdRL6_b5RBmRJwOeTg-PZMcLDbiIk3i-n0qN_ZJ8uZQfdJFVox7arzNrk_gLE3mjod5s3Y8RiEnsbiPahXAdL0ahqIU2BaWf6tmS5Kjg3JJOVJ6FggT/w512-h640/1661258521244169-0.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr align="center"><td><i>Anna Valerious</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-23282766042672637802024-02-20T14:07:00.029+10:002024-02-20T16:31:59.139+10:00The Fox BarberIn Japanese folklore there is a tale known as The Fox Barber. In a village in Tottori Prefecture there lived a fox named Oton who loved to bewitch people and shave their heads. The leader of the village called a meeting and offered a reward to anyone
who was willing to try and defeat the mischievous fox once and for all. <a name='more'></a>Two young men volunteered and despite many warnings not to attempt such a
task, they set out towards the Tamichi Pass. <br /><p></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjfiNL2Ew4rxLCRWiI12nJ7_VNupCBS_KyxAn7Dmm1jbnkwzNPM4v-r2O7Jz2GtX6ycAa3TwOEXPPslmcKcuW7pz_NRjlkfBMUnQhtA4tA317hwdwQb90jXkJSW27AavWufgnprqRwWYVC68IfUri1NHKfehBihuZ_IjgEjsxtBA9Z7G1aRno6DIukIw=s16000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shoson Ohara, 1930</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>They saw a large golden
fox ahead and watched in amazement as it put a leaf on its head and
transformed into a beautiful woman. Next the fox woman picked up a stone
Jizo statue and after stroking its head it transformed into a baby. The
two men followed and saw the fox woman knock on a door and be welcomed
inside by an elderly couple. Outraged they wait nearby wondering what to do. When the old lady came
outside they told her what they had seen but she didn’t believe them.
<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkE1V-NbT9yeCqpC-5c-NcWokA841LYnYWRfFsSPRgVUH22GvDBaCYGRKki_dyDDESC5mUE3GNi2NZL77JLEt3sEKHeYDrSjGzRxbx04aNC4vv0pcc6RQ4SDlXLp5xxLpRJRFVDwErlEFRhiBNsHEze8O1tHgoZRxvPniQNQtJFfak4GGr4JwMzwGAww=w345-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="345" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shoson Ohara, ca. 1910s</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The old man also came out and was outraged by their suggestion. They
persisted and suggested the old man throw the baby into a pot to learn
the truth. The old woman was horrified but the man agreed. He went
inside and tossed the baby into the pot. It did not turn back into a statue and the old man was furious that they
has caused him to kill his own grandchild. The men were terrified and
very confused. The old man said he would turn the men over to the
authorities to be killed but just then a priest arrived. <br /></div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW2uSySR55hq_UPYwGAeEZ4mYWVuXX486qvCBCk59ict4EMFyJlo9bhk8gdXyIp58JBsJBIO2uq2wFR9OkPZaBDyToxXrK30EajNm1_F4tLL_8X-4IYIY3_HzOpwDZINfXO522p0jgWl9cf50lj1jys37EbaRkikJTpUcT69R26jMJkLW3roDLAEaRHw=w428-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="428" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Horiuchi Tenrei</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW2uSySR55hq_UPYwGAeEZ4mYWVuXX486qvCBCk59ict4EMFyJlo9bhk8gdXyIp58JBsJBIO2uq2wFR9OkPZaBDyToxXrK30EajNm1_F4tLL_8X-4IYIY3_HzOpwDZINfXO522p0jgWl9cf50lj1jys37EbaRkikJTpUcT69R26jMJkLW3roDLAEaRHw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
</div></div><div>He suggested to
the old man that the two young men become priests so they could spend
their life praying for the baby’s salvation. Everyone agreed so the two
men followed the priest back to the temple where he shaved their heads
and made them priests. Next thing they heard someone calling their names and they realised dawn
had come and they were in a field in the middle of nowhere. When they
saw each other’s shaved heads they were enraged and realised at once
they had been tricked by the fox Oton. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiShFcM4NSzYzKBQQhH1X2fmaLEvNv_eWa0lWeZd3qOXItN5syNaqtiLgxMcceZXqLakFAdVGkvdqYdhPRPGtLdvZpzArZ9wxZHvG4yFF3iZ_QJp5skDWqwdU544qAaDqn0EnVLfsyWlq10tN13W3kLkP1W34ZbYGGuufvomaxH8yZwEwDEjt7E3TyfOg=w434-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="434" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1886</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-85296736289284336492023-06-27T17:25:00.004+10:002023-06-27T17:30:37.884+10:00The Butterfly LoversThe Butterfly Lovers is considered one of China’s four great folktales. Set in the Eastern Jin dynasty, it tells the tragic love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Zhu was the only daughter of a wealthy family. Despite living in a time when women were not allowed to study, she convinced her father to let her attend classes disguised as a man. <span><a name='more'></a></span>During her studies she met Liang Shanbo and they became close friends.
Zhu fell in love with Liang, but he did not notice that she was a girl. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZXRPM4h4Tndbyo0DvIZLRDpKq7KhiZ-D0J2n9N7oF114NW5--zsjqs05ajF9acCXJI46V77u_C4kXFFk0QdqqJECUT2khyNS-6jHhD-MjjEwKF1mIB92szMRjOpRdnOYDlUfMg4BFalBg5LT2kFYXcZ_p2nbdvTjGlqLKzCgjI_dWdWGeIjs7MmPjMw=w640-h452" width="640" />
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</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Her father summoned her home and despite her attempts to let Liang know her true identity, he still did not realise. She had the idea to suggest to Liang that he might like to meet her ‘sister’ and encouraged him to visit her home when he had the chance. Many months later, Liang visited Shu and discovered that she was a woman. They confessed their love and made a vow to be together forever. Unfortunately, Zhu’s parents had already arranged a marriage for her to a
wealthy merchant. Liang was devastated and his heartbreak caused him to
become progressively more ill until eventually he died. </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBZEY1tMbpVtswGXvRR_SVstP9RARPGx9MzOjaCcX_EG7mvM5OHifBl7ekgxpgU38636mdg4jM96Nxf6L_pFNHAYZ86LbjUI3qoLFdX_HsmG_vuThzE1j2TV2qRXG0CFy5-i_b3IX8_6yv6So0tNsJk-X2Cd-pO6df6NMnYFAXZGO3XYvACb_s8Z83cg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBZEY1tMbpVtswGXvRR_SVstP9RARPGx9MzOjaCcX_EG7mvM5OHifBl7ekgxpgU38636mdg4jM96Nxf6L_pFNHAYZ86LbjUI3qoLFdX_HsmG_vuThzE1j2TV2qRXG0CFy5-i_b3IX8_6yv6So0tNsJk-X2Cd-pO6df6NMnYFAXZGO3XYvACb_s8Z83cg=s16000" /></a></div><div> <br /></div><div>On Zhu’s wedding day, the procession was stopped by strong winds as it approached Liang’s grave. Zhu left the procession and went to the grave to pay her respects. She was so filled with despair that she called out for the grave to open up. A huge clap of thunder was heard and the grave suddenly opened. Zhu didn’t hesitate, she threw herself in to be reunited with Liang. From the grave emerged their spirts in the form of a pair of butterflies, finally united for eternity. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHANb7sNO9C2Z-DvdTpuUfq_h0U7gg6MbaGuS9efyDxW8Uh00KSP2B-PoXg77iEgGP8pcxBRiFPGxybv0lTJHU9Z0PCp6SGn50yux0I04rC_exJfS1yFYyh2-YSKmklJDAMq5RUhIqzpzm94r8M6jD6hujV_MFu7Uo3WaJ1Lw9l0GGA7_U5BxdQl9vPQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHANb7sNO9C2Z-DvdTpuUfq_h0U7gg6MbaGuS9efyDxW8Uh00KSP2B-PoXg77iEgGP8pcxBRiFPGxybv0lTJHU9Z0PCp6SGn50yux0I04rC_exJfS1yFYyh2-YSKmklJDAMq5RUhIqzpzm94r8M6jD6hujV_MFu7Uo3WaJ1Lw9l0GGA7_U5BxdQl9vPQ=s16000" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDV-x1oTdsbs2nMHdoJT4dvty2dqHdCyhDTEgqfoPlmsVEzhsFT_Oe2Ttn9GYyByYpz7MkNA_SUcXlcGl7eGd0f7ykEVIzzartAPMN_uxiHZCgWl5qr92tuchQichh6leKzNGx_vUcOjo7NXY2KVhMC18McBnPr7eAZ1La7pR3JN3ykmQ5bmSc-MfNYQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDV-x1oTdsbs2nMHdoJT4dvty2dqHdCyhDTEgqfoPlmsVEzhsFT_Oe2Ttn9GYyByYpz7MkNA_SUcXlcGl7eGd0f7ykEVIzzartAPMN_uxiHZCgWl5qr92tuchQichh6leKzNGx_vUcOjo7NXY2KVhMC18McBnPr7eAZ1La7pR3JN3ykmQ5bmSc-MfNYQ=w400-h640" width="400" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I have not been able to source the artist details for any of the images in this post. As a rule I always credit artists and so will continue to search for details and update if I am able to find them.<br /></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-51565100279423625322023-06-27T12:43:00.004+10:002023-06-27T17:48:14.157+10:00RokurokubiIn Japanese folklore, rokurokubi are yokai that appear as regular women but with the curious ability to extend their necks. There are actually two types of rokurokubi, one whose neck is able to stretch out to an extraordinary length and wander around while the body is sleeping. <span></span><a name='more'></a>The other is known as nukekubi, and in this case the head can actually detach from the body and fly around freely. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiekfb7Qq1AOcVe3EIR40cxXxT8BIEJSIQxJAEpcAeED8NT97pFyBYkjpfpEncrqJWlbUX58gQ8xnb0fXezFIe4SkJ9NW0IpIuf-vokCIrE5IMyKzcmJEreu1RLdR2O5Dw-IXbicgUxiHwwBYv_WgDD0XLUbzGyowESl3JrjWKedRdmjRicyeXdmRg7JQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiekfb7Qq1AOcVe3EIR40cxXxT8BIEJSIQxJAEpcAeED8NT97pFyBYkjpfpEncrqJWlbUX58gQ8xnb0fXezFIe4SkJ9NW0IpIuf-vokCIrE5IMyKzcmJEreu1RLdR2O5Dw-IXbicgUxiHwwBYv_WgDD0XLUbzGyowESl3JrjWKedRdmjRicyeXdmRg7JQ=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Backemono no e, ca. 1700</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>These strange extended and wandering heads have been known to lick the lamp oil at night, attack small animals and basically scare people senseless. It is believed that rokurokubi were once human but transformed into yokai as a result of some form of curse. In some cases it is even said that the rokurokubi results from the sins of a male family member, but the woman bears the punishment by receiving the curse. Considering the injustice of this, it's no wonder she wants to scare people.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigNOKvXXmWStF0h5xbTmJs2B0mBbylsGH1S4JO9CE7DX0s-DAUQU1NcAhZbPUMBizMzqY90QtfG0F72DahH0OISC3MW2_oVTP7EZ5tyHsc1LepAr9Agmw2KhDqSaEAMfGBt_j6NU5wNDgYM3d1WYqOLpjKksD4ROIDUjHTKhT8cyFGNP6wQcUu_Le1eA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigNOKvXXmWStF0h5xbTmJs2B0mBbylsGH1S4JO9CE7DX0s-DAUQU1NcAhZbPUMBizMzqY90QtfG0F72DahH0OISC3MW2_oVTP7EZ5tyHsc1LepAr9Agmw2KhDqSaEAMfGBt_j6NU5wNDgYM3d1WYqOLpjKksD4ROIDUjHTKhT8cyFGNP6wQcUu_Le1eA=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shigeru Mizuki</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>There are many legends and tales of rokurokubi in Japanese folklore and varying origin theories. If you want to read one interesting tale about rokurokubi, yokai expert Matthew Meyer has written more <a href="http://yokai.com/rokurokubi/" target="_blank">on his website</a>.<br /></p><div><div><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKPRojTVcCyLPmQ1NQ21e7jJ1AJ-hHQb0TIsts-ARL6pefpAI3QNzYyF2UlvMYcFhaE4eMnBZvT1kRuPOyb6wFsHiCrkOUOUEylVaJ-DLbTTZHyTTR-rAYU5Vkw6nGtUafN04t4fLbwnl91DFO1q8VrZoS5M0nXe9jV3PcdCABhIO_WtkM5BB2-hgq2Q=w338-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="338" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Katsushika Hokusai</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc2RKNNNUrBlTCPcP9scSvAoO_IRu5VL4A_xGskMp8uULpsaI-dqs8fL3KZbHwX2D-keNP1U9Zkla3W4AkE56zSZliR_wMT_UEg8FVxY9wTBJX_ePfmEzeLsvCK-CWYZA4NvN9giPLksGseKKZBraJl_DoIfCJzjYN_N__Jctcaay4vvarlXn0U-6Glw=s16000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Toriyama Sekien</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-76965496571644922972023-04-23T15:41:00.000+10:002023-04-23T15:41:06.912+10:00Abe no Seimei Abe no Seimei was a famous onmyoji, a Japanese magician and diviner for the imperial court in the Heian period. As an onmyoji, Seimei practiced onmyodo (meaning 'the way of yin and yang') a form of Japanese occultism based on Chinese five element theory. It involved magic, divination and spiritual protection and had an important role in Japan before eventually becoming prohibited in the mid 19th century.<span><a name='more'></a></span>Abe no Seimei was said to be able to predict the gender of unborn babies, locate lost items, summon spirits, conduct exorcisms, and command <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/oni.html" target="_blank">oni</a> to do his bidding.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUMQCqHeT6KbSfUznaNGS_WFmjTaV4f-FALeL3mRcgcDFOTsakAfwUxoTGUZEsRQwAjNS2WJ-3kAZIwCT7vNSa5fmmJbdUZx9KsmtsqBMnTOgfa9Dm25mPAalda_PX648qcs2tf-fLkTfvEAxo76FZTNV55hwy4nSzZoooL3dpWMLjl6EiDHgFgt0Aw/s733/abe%20no%20seimei.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="733" height="495" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUMQCqHeT6KbSfUznaNGS_WFmjTaV4f-FALeL3mRcgcDFOTsakAfwUxoTGUZEsRQwAjNS2WJ-3kAZIwCT7vNSa5fmmJbdUZx9KsmtsqBMnTOgfa9Dm25mPAalda_PX648qcs2tf-fLkTfvEAxo76FZTNV55hwy4nSzZoooL3dpWMLjl6EiDHgFgt0Aw/w640-h495/abe%20no%20seimei.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Abe no Seimei' - Hokushi, mid 19th century (British Museum)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>His supernatural powers were attributed to his mother being a kitsune, making him half yokai. Legend goes that his father had saved a white fox from hunters and as a reward she took the form of a beautiful woman named Kuzunoha and married him. Seimei was born soon after and it was not long before his powers became evident. At the age of five Seimei saw his mother in her fox form. She told him the story then disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjt5uRqDQEvrQPXHNBBY92xhrJNtjBVDIu0yhBTl-eGyuruDv0PEZOTbhzmurfHP1UNKAi2prYdrdTrirvLfaT4X45x0e3UQprzCyLpZ0mzvNDKuHY9E-trBAJC53qLwTJ9acjuBhZj6G/w439-h640/1665575646156620-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="439" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Yoshitoshi</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div><div>Seimei became very famous and had many rivals, most of whom he easily defeated. One rival ended up killing him but then a Chinese wizard retrieved his bones and brought him back to life, whereupon he got his revenge. Today Abe no Seimei is worshipped as a god at many Shrines in Japan, the most famous being Seimei Jinja in Kyoto. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZX77kMgvDe2bxwfHYoGgHVbc2Jjea45oUWOHBtooJe9luLq8J5vvw22AUfs2CCx57CS_v3byR_92L_mEb2hpurjjAYlGNuLEY1Wl5I00qVzZsCHBUI_g7ObrK2vRcXe4Fjc1KczZEcpN/s16000/1665575641934857-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Seimei Jinja, Donny Kimball</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkUa9SnmduKESfKVrrHehUvXYhT_ey438-pv4tOS7c1Hao2aEOjG2FTGgaI5vgSIYFAO6Duo9v_OBYRML4uONZxCokeqb3luEVjC9K1lG7HkOKNhqvG2I72Mr5uh8wpBKY1IhhSm7ytP_/s1600/1665575652246315-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkUa9SnmduKESfKVrrHehUvXYhT_ey438-pv4tOS7c1Hao2aEOjG2FTGgaI5vgSIYFAO6Duo9v_OBYRML4uONZxCokeqb3luEVjC9K1lG7HkOKNhqvG2I72Mr5uh8wpBKY1IhhSm7ytP_/s16000/1665575652246315-0.png" /></a></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWF9Vsi_zPsMpA4nblwZbv4Ak2jUTVPwvKyaFU_XTB-UaSueM_FDcgPF1v0vUZj4gOrdLxJYSzkfqcdeg8owIOo6MBVis3XanmqUSO4A-sw4w_HpwuHnbXgY_euhehsW7BFYczOlSFMh8/w640-h357/1665575637977935-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>'Abe no Seimei & his shikigami before an assembly of god-like demon spirits' <br />from the 14th century emaki scroll 'Fudo Rieki Engi.'</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2MsKlbkeBD63NC8rk7er2vQWFLyy-lGDgvqneBMZrPNChx9PRz0gtWC3lCb4hPuHDiDnm0wfed3YTnSudQXy7uT6CRwu3BP6Nim-F_L704Scx9Adx9NqK6MQoO0d_Au1N7jsBDtjnLh7/s16000/1665575633838008-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Ema with Abe no Seimei and kitsune</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKChQPpdroZnmG_CHfintoLmol6V44DTphgNYogQ1nbpI7ypgnMjisFXufaNwkr96FAI5p1b8DV058TS7X0BMypQOefZAvMhZz9yoHFRbD694Hj6xTE_y-33E2DvWnIZRzm5u2FM3KDOS/w483-h640/1665575629081781-5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="483" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Kikuchi Yosai</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-44105201782250509532023-04-16T12:46:00.002+10:002023-04-16T12:47:10.055+10:00Inugami In Japanese folklore, inugami is a type of spirit possession in the form of a dog familiar. These yokai are created by powerful sorcerers and remain in a family for generations. They are capable of doing the bidding of their masters, often committing terrible deeds on their behalf. They are also able to possess others, causing serious illness and even death. <span><a name='more'></a></span><span><a name="more"></a></span>Inugami are similar to other types of spirit possession such as shikigami and kitsune-tsuki or fox possession.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcKJBV-qM6kTHYEfeaRmorej2ZU2_xfKBJKihVRLeerZRonhlCu4Av0nqO9QKLLzpcp72vqNBY7BPni7WVv7wLlGyBqSYf91L9cl5F88WmJIZIQk_pYRrvfRTOBWQwfziReJD_Qz7aJc4qd9lu3DeUlNedvabApnr4KKL9W_Zgx7VtxmG9DbIFYFM22A=w640-h496" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Inugami from Bakemono no e, ca. 1700</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div></div><div>The process of creating an inugami is quite horrifying. Firstly, it requires that a dog be nearly starved to death and when it is at its most desperate, its head chopped off. This head is then buried in a place where many people will walk over it, such as a busy road. The dead dog’s spirit will become angry and transform into an onryo (vengeful spirit). At this point the head is resumed and dried out and enshrined in the secret place within the home. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR0s6LCleo4jHaujZlnvt7kUvakKrhEHTtv-7ial1-6-LvL34Bmb2cAAd7pKtgHPeIAVQjepdpKVEMRviWrBq9Xw6vOPcUEkRaWkLwsF3lMqk8yuIGbybUtGneFtp0lnb9SEdrTYhDwUa-zq1SVu2uq2QxcvLCyCSWump27PsvhWkG8EfgDklrzh0EwQ=w384-h400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="384" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Toriyama Sekien</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><div>From here the evil sorcerer is able to create a fetish, whereby the head is possessed by a spirt that can then be controlled. After this process, the inugami can take on a form that allows it to appear just as any normal dog. Families that have inugami will create one for each family member and these spirits are passed down through generations, often bringing the family great wealth and fortune. In some cases though, the inugami will turn on its masters and instead cause the family misfortune and ruin. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJOVmDffzoDsQLxzZFz5urvxj_Z717S2r7YOhhSKOR7A7CANtRcbWlTnc7X4HR3aPGXwGmCGBWp3CgCuH0wMkk9oeo7urstICGpmCUlybu9QFlVDVz89jeDTIQOle5NqGSrvQFt0t54yE9IdZ_AMZ1TbQUspffWeuTUOh03qCuIuZNLOvse331TkFXAA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJOVmDffzoDsQLxzZFz5urvxj_Z717S2r7YOhhSKOR7A7CANtRcbWlTnc7X4HR3aPGXwGmCGBWp3CgCuH0wMkk9oeo7urstICGpmCUlybu9QFlVDVz89jeDTIQOle5NqGSrvQFt0t54yE9IdZ_AMZ1TbQUspffWeuTUOh03qCuIuZNLOvse331TkFXAA=w440-h640" width="440" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Toyokuni I, ca. 1810.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>In the past, if someone was suspected of using this kind of spirit possession, they were exiled from the community and forced to live a solitary life away from the rest of society. If you develop strange pains in your chest, shoulders, hands and feet, feel very jealous for no reason, and start barking like a dog, you may be possessed by an inugami. The only solution is to hire a sorcerer to try and remove the spirit possession, but there are unfortunately no guarantees that the process will work. </div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXFRXrCSEbpynt3ou6XCffQVR6fiNR68GWiT-TYJYgEg3cbzoBjQi-OhVDwenhr4wS-839lZQUT4ABM3v1-u0aFOlO0apRG817rqglvnb-S5jsAjCsudls6ngAXi4cL3rINkjfxDNKQPwgFtvOapui6YjXbmVPRQ6hJ5MoASoEbGSMRuyt4x5lnxAsWA=w640-h444" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Inugami' from the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNj_3bebHBV1mhSoyHwNeduSz_cV3WE3t5qYgRr5yXOoMI_1p9qb3MRvBMD9FbKScMt6bQQbolC-jJ8-AWQjq567Ssbdru0gS5Yo9QId0BSjfHs1EPWoCaVVYM2okNOQLOx732KE-rU7PHIxRqcgcMP4lkK13gOEIzjzEbcmaVHwvhIvHa83MJYQp-eQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNj_3bebHBV1mhSoyHwNeduSz_cV3WE3t5qYgRr5yXOoMI_1p9qb3MRvBMD9FbKScMt6bQQbolC-jJ8-AWQjq567Ssbdru0gS5Yo9QId0BSjfHs1EPWoCaVVYM2okNOQLOx732KE-rU7PHIxRqcgcMP4lkK13gOEIzjzEbcmaVHwvhIvHa83MJYQp-eQ=w439-h640" width="439" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1834</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-49065142289328537842023-04-15T14:16:00.002+10:002023-04-15T14:17:03.748+10:00TatarimokkeIn Japanese folklore, there is a yokai known as tatarimokke, which translates as cursed infant. A tatarimokke appears just like an ordinary owl but is actually the spirit of a dead baby or young child. These yokai remain close to the home of the family with whom they lived while alive. <span><a name='more'></a></span>It is believed that their hooting is actually the sound made by the spirit of the dead baby.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuJjHAMb8Ky8n-bBP1obpL_WOZObEQTc0EkpY8d5S47V6gjiVTJB0gFrh7wIeoHsTknLDEvyjoDnErWTcp9xuH2tiz7RlAZlPudl3jjy1kU-uOBI3OiLPH4wXkshHxzykgE1_rkB2e-Dz5dwGgNG8PXYW1ssFtCbuV_k5ZKin0UITl8SsfGTOT6AXq0w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuJjHAMb8Ky8n-bBP1obpL_WOZObEQTc0EkpY8d5S47V6gjiVTJB0gFrh7wIeoHsTknLDEvyjoDnErWTcp9xuH2tiz7RlAZlPudl3jjy1kU-uOBI3OiLPH4wXkshHxzykgE1_rkB2e-Dz5dwGgNG8PXYW1ssFtCbuV_k5ZKin0UITl8SsfGTOT6AXq0w=w640-h610" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Ohara Koson</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Tatarimokke are generally harmless and are usually highly respected by the grieving family, who will leave them offerings. However, depending how the child died, they may seek revenge. If the child was killed or cast away unwanted by its parents, it will be far more sinister, often holding a grudge against those still alive. In these cases, the presence of a tatarimokke can cause unpleasant sensations in people who pass through the areas they haunt. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8qCr25rgK84eMs-w1XSatlkEO1Gme86TWZqYSNJWU3Dwx_oH_KRDQEnTAjzxmj_FI8OxDB-p8-OUcfZ911GEnBcYqH4lovACb9Dc3ueu7X0s1l5x3N-mp_J9fI8PzFsNmR3YYRnVe4RcKdFI1aJnF-UOw27wPOopBDiK78hB1bc4gwNdrmZ_w_EGJYA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8qCr25rgK84eMs-w1XSatlkEO1Gme86TWZqYSNJWU3Dwx_oH_KRDQEnTAjzxmj_FI8OxDB-p8-OUcfZ911GEnBcYqH4lovACb9Dc3ueu7X0s1l5x3N-mp_J9fI8PzFsNmR3YYRnVe4RcKdFI1aJnF-UOw27wPOopBDiK78hB1bc4gwNdrmZ_w_EGJYA=w469-h640" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige, 1832</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><div>They have also been know to create strange sounds, appear as floating fireballs, and other weird phenomena. There are even more rare cases when tatarimokke are the spirits of murder victims and in these cases the yokai will curse the perpetrator causing ruin for both them and their family, even in future generations.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGwxDRUr1LVYdB3fc2Kz_0QWPevbcG3V-OedBPHUvZBrskwDyVTtSZobtQuriPNEdtwjGTzw9isnDccWbZErdrXP5ubohcW5GYnNLRmTg6qoEW8KVPjEwYN8Ddp52Au-0uR60E49cdEBbbN4UlFmsa1y5SDmzGQs6gdkh0ukxPn_fgXJh0Z9NtXut8iw=w406-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="406" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Masaharu Aoyama, 1950</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqlFjNUK-tMEO_3fzpERFDbNq1Re7D81ECQ4x_uZUyw0_4IGfQ0gIs0M96gyxwKcAkr-9E4eaFPfK-8dQWiCbBePUW64TuKLQJvVpsI4p1kNdQL641olFUpKxka0fwMIFJcyQB3zuYVkiDVev18olpXs-rVaPQNmgG6eNdGuHqiXUeb_uWazLw1hF95Q=w640-h406" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwfeu6URFXRE8qMtiIiqdahKIUig7IlgZv0fMYtTsVIDXjRVKQ477J-EWin1KcYG6cUUrDxZtQZvwBU5Za4uxyUSIKtgnjw52vzqQGbtlT3RrnR9uUEqy0xrhj9I8CSbP0xsq44EwHdU2LKplg0sQZJuKNa81VQ8xjO9AcuT7zoB3OkwFY3VROJR41Bg=w447-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="447" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Yoshimoto Gesso, 1930s</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5p2mA-u8ceWsTyEO7_Sphky3LDrE-6zJFhPMhDNUQESQfyxEaZ7HCVzR0x97dskPl08Nc1Fp-YtB1LKlRtRa49WsWPMHsyaRospeTXGbMC81dc2cDQFbqLUr6xr-_j4tAam2z76JCxJDpHUtyxmEklA-9J3wAI8-AC1FYiebpSElMwLHJFTw2WtRG2Q=w423-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="423" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Ohara Koson, 1920s</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUuQ4hKko9GbVXze2Zd5P7jF45SKUvCA507O2t8V4v7nCvB0CGmkybWcDcaGS0VXCvzKzRrPm37BoF7LEbDTnbN2Mqfc5qAtNuEvZCEOHPz5n8pwiekhFyt7lDDmsirabgYq2EIEPlz_hJQhHTH0q_hVXIUHKWUgjEsYMJVaQ8aJh1xAnG7RZNdPW3yg=w275-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="275" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Narazaki Eisho, 1930</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-17294442985159144762023-04-13T11:42:00.002+10:002023-04-13T11:43:06.640+10:00UkemochiIn Japanese mythology, Ukemochi is a goddess of food and because food is so important for survival, she is still worshipped today alongside Amaterasu at the Ise Shrine. In one myth, she invites the god Tsukuyomi to attend a feast. <span>When he arrived, the goddess produced the food for the feast from her body. <a name='more'></a></span>She vomited up the fish, meat and rice. She then pulled even more food from her nose and rectum. <div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUWxulP1u90Bx5yiIIOMb6dx6AYajxwp5ixXQF_gs_EvSmCOTTFBzBGbWHMmUsHep8Y8IbnOUsvzaXGJjUDaY_Eqe_JWR4cmV6vcUupOQMeszvthSxawCfQ9eAeFl0JJkPdREg5SCEL27/w502-h640/1669195750712189-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="502" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Tatsuya Kosaka</i> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div><div>Rather than being impressed by this amazing feat, Tsukuyomi was so disgusted he killed her on the spot. From her dead body millet, wheat and beans sprung forth and silkworms came from her eyebrows. The god Tsukuyomi was the brother and husband of the great sun goddess Amaterasu. Despite this, Amaterasu was outraged that he had killed Ukemochi. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-VIEDl9vS_dWsL97f7oCSNOnFAhDr2eduG-3IrmVvJtCZhl3eA3RwKxugPtiX9jEQ7A4tK-v0-ZCNJfwhW-N0ILcF2edTUPgbSMmoCo0K2lT0QEN0qWgsEP5xG1vgT2Dy3fkZ9s6jeoI/w508-h640/1669195745005912-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="508" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kris Waldherr</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div><div>She banished him to the moon thus creating the division between night and day, and he was thereafter known as Tsukuyomi, god of the moon. It is also said the food that came from Ukemochi’s body could not be destroyed and was taken to the heavens. Some suggest that Ukemochi is connected to Inari, who in their male form may have been her husband. In their female form, some suggest that Inari and Ukemochi are actually the same goddess. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-30449211081959937312023-04-13T10:34:00.005+10:002023-05-10T21:17:05.432+10:00The Man Who Became a DragonIn Japanese folklore there is a common belief that most bodies of water contain a nushi, or guardian spirit. There is one particular tale about a man named Botaro, who was the son of farmers. Instead of helping on the farm, each day he chose to go fishing alone at a nearby pond which everyone thought was very strange behaviour.<span><a name='more'></a></span> One day, he did not return home and his parents were very distressed. They searched high and low for him and began to fear that he had drowned.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS1PVkckzsWHXLP18T_FYFUVtl-6GA2kTUkJQokAEjT9bh-gDlPu2mPE9CL8aTSdABQG6ILmpsf2atdkhpe-8stojatDChzryO3_gzErdwspNkU4RlQRFVtY8fI_bT9ogn169eO4Zd1l2cg0B5gsY3_eh0XFHU8hiSt0BgIwOwnLdxR2w8vftPFR2RA/s1441/fishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="976" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS1PVkckzsWHXLP18T_FYFUVtl-6GA2kTUkJQokAEjT9bh-gDlPu2mPE9CL8aTSdABQG6ILmpsf2atdkhpe-8stojatDChzryO3_gzErdwspNkU4RlQRFVtY8fI_bT9ogn169eO4Zd1l2cg0B5gsY3_eh0XFHU8hiSt0BgIwOwnLdxR2w8vftPFR2RA/w433-h640/fishing.jpg" width="433" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1853</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>They mourned his death, but to their great surprise, he returned home one day as if nothing had happened. Despite his parents worry, Botaro continued to go fishing at the pond each day. One day, after returning home from fishing, he was very tired and headed to his room for a sleep, telling his parents not to look in on him. Thinking this was a very strange request, they crept outside and peered in through his window. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLomdLHAIFwS9cqagEOwE5z6CZWjJSQIgYCojBpUr_4MCAtqf9YFqVXZGjCxxOrTNznn3uZSSUOIFDgEABc4nMRdBwJ8eJnc2OFnqG7lscWVHw9WAnjeaddRGd7mw7voTH2OpNYkbYmes/w466-h640/1676545826915894-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="466" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Okumura Masanobu, 1740</i>
</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br />On the floor they saw a dragon lying asleep on the floor. The room began to fill with water and the dragon woke suddenly. Upon seeing them, a huge wind carried the dragon up into the sky. At this point everyone realised that Botaro had spent so long fishing at the pond that he had transformed into the nushi of the pond. Afterwards, no one ever fished or swam there again.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRjc9MDv9RK7F7DvinYPzZV8EhgRFc5KuBOwhXAnxi_eUcOSKFIH4UponZ8RGiR93tgLZs9T2cuvH_jdSBLxkTO-5DBZUEjvIq5IWbwuid0oaLB_yk93l_Uh17ABEkUib_GJMHjOOAxRX/w549-h640/1676545823340351-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="549" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Totoya Hokkei</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uo1r8OkdEKq7cdKjqQhwe_ZFm01XWtBWc_n7BWNVY8KOoRM1P8BWcKumWerzxBCHpTIZGyhi8wbStXTpYbozGBH3eWi8jdtSOrA7OD8PwsoqkYJ8E3EF5qlxqKbLCE9nJLMkNRnWRspa/w640-h452/1676545830946151-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige, 1833</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOfjyG9Ptlgg9xAnDtDpHQUCG7BMUaalmAlHLLuDOqnB9BxStTDO1UiMkIl1ONc0ZuGGvQXHBSaJmdcdY9oC8w4hj1Pg4Qy5g50NXQNAeikG6pwBnUxIQEPpv5OMr-aol3ramUvsRxMtX/w423-h640/1676545818993136-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="423" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Kasamatsu Shiro, 1957</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-10975291716018736642023-01-03T18:32:00.004+10:002023-01-03T18:32:58.246+10:00Senbiki OkamiSenbiki okami is a supernatural phenomenon relating to large packs of wolves that is found throughout Japanese folklore. This strange yokai occurrence tends to involve travellers being chased at night by wolves where they find that their only option to save themselves is to climb up a very tall tree. What happens next is that the wolves climb on top of each other's backs to form a living ladder. <span><a name='more'></a></span>However, regardless of how high the wolves go, they are always one wolf short of reaching the traveller. <div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFlXMRDyXZceDD4lb-Z_YiASDBOk-6g5ec9EhyphenhyphenLRvegcbY2vHuqRav3RbRBF4Me_6wEUN3U5BR32nmrrelM0nBP6ttLVYazFx7Mhi54v22f6jWO4AquvjyT3-YxeuhTwknefwSqluHDxa/w432-h640/1665102689463043-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="432" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Moon at Kitayama'- Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1886</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><div>The wolves then call for their leader, who is actually an evil bakemono, who climbs up the wolf ladder to meet the traveller. Against the odds, the traveller uses a sword to defend himself, injures the bakemono and flees to safety. The next day the bakemono is discovered in human form with the sword inflicted injury and at this point his killing days are over.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ8_wo7d-HCJzqpeZSHL7Md8GRfFHNcLlygLTOEVd89SM7AcwjZDGwxOwY3DZTg21swmEmY49_FXiGHFKqBwSufmmQKP0wgk28MSFH34VEQ1Wr9ulo6oqFc0d9NhmQSJVqHmlzLCSa-_r/s16000/1665102685617561-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tsutsui Etsuko/Saiwa Ota Daisuke</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmogvC3-du6Ystc88HrrsS451CKIb48JSAh8fqCsX3IW1DzEe39wGDfwYdBCuhiGf1WQawxqIpZNvgbLyr1iUVp9mzEgSyUU_zPHdZeh5LcxqFUtEudSD-uL72tEMYfx5wt5GgpyoNecIY/w530-h640/1665102681502446-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="530" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Wolf Hat'- Utagawa Kunisada, 1853</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="513" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABL_4sPXvdYR3srsfK06A6Utz1fDIZQcwO0VGdSiQcm1o6o2XmqZ2yaMBNOl7_YyBSSPHRYyuvjq-jljMzyXPLRdkt3BHwlNmBjQibIM9wCLLTLoGqh35o1Jm5nrpoH04zUGJ6BtTkcgi/w640-h513/1665102677566296-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Wolf, Lady & Samurai'- Tomioka Eisen, 1895</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-74490265767807452672023-01-02T13:43:00.000+10:002023-01-02T13:43:11.774+10:00Aosagibi <div>In Japanese folklore there is a belief that when animals and birds reach
advanced age they can transform into yokai. Aosagibi, which translates as blue heron fire,
is a phenomenon that occurs when an elderly night heron develops
supernatural qualities. <span><a name='more'></a></span>Over time the heron's feathers begin to fuse together to form shiny scales that give off a glowing blue light in the dark.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="605" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtDzCCjnj5Xe8MuRgT1WHkWrPtI8w3zDlz0gTrLPj0Mxec5i22UN9d_WIcxP4KOvJ0GZJCPkxYVOyy_jBQUVXSqfq6qfemVOaXXKWci6HDv8isG_86FCKHhhb02OXs8THX5qYBiRBTnme/w640-h605/1668406440097683-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Night Heron' - Ohara Koson, c. 1910</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>This yokai also breathes out a golden powder that forms a heat-less fiery light that is carried away by the wind. The glowing blue of an aosagibi is a wondrous sight to behold but like regular herons, this yokai is very timid and will try to avoid human
contact. If you are lucky enough to see one, be assured that they are
harmless </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscz2LNGsLQzJloYHQHeLefMX0ofBYqWgsCAlCj58EEa5IoPqTFFhs5tlc1kepLXlmQd_BR7u2veMEjapiym3oXkBlJ9WPA37ru0tiOoxy_6E57kngbNivRob-hXgcN9skeTBrC4YyKBmf/s16000/1668406436526142-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>pandorasboxisopen via Tumblr</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>However, if you see a glowing light at night, resist the urge to follow it because it might actually be onibi, which can be much more dangerous. Onibi are ghost lights formed by the spirits of dead
humans or animals. Although they look beautiful, they have been known to
lure people and suck out their life force until they die. Hidama are
one type of onibi that can manifest in the shape of birds.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0u23Ct8L2KCrhRE6ss5GWo5GlTLb5fo2P_kQWHtZh8F0mRkADfSW3sx3_Mjx6rO3CW10ER2pWP_aAsmQTPMY0ehpAXwTWEldrRarZ49aPN1JD_S3HCDNpDEh33qjdBfpRgfdB0CddLpdP/s16000/1668406426236320-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Toriyama Sekien </i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Aosagibi live near rivers and bodies of water, generally preferring
locations where they can hide among thick reeds. This phenomenon was
first recorded by Toriyama Sekien in his Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki in 1779
which depicted a night heron with a mysteriously illuminated body. Aosagibi are mostly transformed night heron but other wild birds like ducks and pheasants may also become this yokai.</div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt4OMbzplM9hIBZV3Idh9FfH7_BDXectfG_NY-xGcf5rmLAwwydhmsjbVYIl_gA_DGxE-fFcMMrvWZEJGefe2AbsjbIyDXAkY4X6K09lGBRoUPGMrWiSAJ_dWrmAy4WVX74ajepu_u75a/s1600/1668406432790635-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt4OMbzplM9hIBZV3Idh9FfH7_BDXectfG_NY-xGcf5rmLAwwydhmsjbVYIl_gA_DGxE-fFcMMrvWZEJGefe2AbsjbIyDXAkY4X6K09lGBRoUPGMrWiSAJ_dWrmAy4WVX74ajepu_u75a/w454-h640/1668406432790635-2.png" width="454" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>ShotaKotake</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXS_0ec5w05wQZ69zv89ieyGtUw3R9oLH8CU4sEhzHHLwpB7lSrYBzda-z60c7-j7Kej0C7c8v0EMd12mLfcQAdEEKjDH7tfdK1UzUSMm9VjGdYX7CYvAw2JJVHkFFnwTdibPUHYc25A1/s1600/1668406429524379-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXS_0ec5w05wQZ69zv89ieyGtUw3R9oLH8CU4sEhzHHLwpB7lSrYBzda-z60c7-j7Kej0C7c8v0EMd12mLfcQAdEEKjDH7tfdK1UzUSMm9VjGdYX7CYvAw2JJVHkFFnwTdibPUHYc25A1/w335-h640/1668406429524379-3.png" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Onibi taking the shape of birds, Wakan Sansai Zue</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-25305743955850610882023-01-02T13:18:00.006+10:002023-01-02T13:46:34.897+10:00Nopperabo Nopperabo is a strange supernatural phenomenon from Japanese folklore. This yokai appears just like any normal human, but it is far from ordinary because it has no face. Generally nopperabo aim to scare unsuspecting victims out of their wits. They lurk around on dark streets, often keeping their backs turned until people get close, whereupon it turns to reveal a featureless face. <span><a name='more'></a></span>In some cases it will initially appear with a face, but use one hand to wipe it away, revealing a featureless orb instead. <p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBa6lYRo0uCp8Wng3xYMoXaHnHX0RYG10QBd7XNqXhGhocIYreYfq0MQVFrhlYIPjgw1dnHX3_T9NyeaZeiGpE65vUTN8tB083C40hykbSg7vSkua7jyuPYIqrrpnuI3Tcg7QjARVvd71X/s1600/1668407886132320-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBa6lYRo0uCp8Wng3xYMoXaHnHX0RYG10QBd7XNqXhGhocIYreYfq0MQVFrhlYIPjgw1dnHX3_T9NyeaZeiGpE65vUTN8tB083C40hykbSg7vSkua7jyuPYIqrrpnuI3Tcg7QjARVvd71X/s16000/1668407886132320-0.png" />
</a></div></div><div> </div><div>Nopperabo work in groups, delighting in the terror they cause. When a
victim runs from one faceless yokai they find themselves confronted with
yet another. Sometimes nopperabo even take the form of family members
or friends to really freak their victims out. It is believed that these
yokai are actually shapeshifting tanuki, kitsune or, most frequently,
mujina (magical badgers). </div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5Yx_DO_VO-hyC7CXt_3FHsguibDmQkU-NhGn9IANwXjABB6cyhbKNYS7ujAapeXoYjPOnO9MucIhyphenhyphens-58Yp2muI0nVh6LA-33i-LAzXNDYTi9GNiPc80VU4mVU6TudzKYnI6IKfJqB__/w640-h317/1668407882210436-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From Studio Ghibli film, Pom Poko<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>The full <a href="https://vimeo.com/312456572" target="_blank">nopperabo scene in the Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko</a> is worth watching as it is a perfect example of how this yokai operates.</div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-24863255216569868642022-11-27T18:21:00.001+10:002022-11-27T18:21:11.393+10:00The Sumo Doll Who Chased Off the BanditsIn Japanese folklore there is a strange tale of a magical wooden doll in the likeness of a sumo wrestler. Long ago, five bandits stormed into a wealthy man's mansion. They tied up his family and demanded that he take them to where his riches were stored. <span><a name='more'></a></span>In a storehouse the bandits found boxes piled with gold. As they began
to carry them out, they were confronted by a huge sumo wrestler with a
booming voice, a red face and eyes shining into the darkness.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhade_w-XrXR7JHkjC8Nsq_uJ00aX6ytacWskCIs6evgFquCdsTWmE-rafiOy4HRKCx_1IMzOacN3kMUbvBKfOxGpboKSa7BWj7AWNI5Uo8lmcZ_h3VYgCBqTFsRUB_FbUWa23yy8ltdTGy/w458-h640/1661068321006898-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="458" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Best Match of Sumo Wrestler Dolls' - Utagawa Kunisada, 1847</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div>Terrified, they dropped all the gold and ran away. The wealthy man untied his family and they returned to the storeroom. They found a wooden sumo doll, still
sweaty with fresh dirt on its feet. They realised that they had been
protected by the spirit of this wooden doll that had been in the family
for generations. The man decided to build a shrine for the doll and he prayed to it daily thereafter.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbthSNtPmH4RIROwOFFMAIwTZ5GdGGm39soijaSjoEsO8EPThLHWZ9RqoZHJDdqCQIdUkLGPHzxOWweUsI3Mb8jpaJ7yaZpiGv57qTBL-iBi5eQAyQ1KVcDD7oOBsQNI4d0lMayLPQGpC/s16000/1661068312624021-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Fighting with Dolls, Children's Play'- Yamamoto Shoun</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aZWOkBhyKMrcEj2XeQbzORy0PKNo35IiYlxvH35r7ufHUhdSiKasMxEwnWOzSppr26gfZWlu8vDWPABrUNWcfhSyYwJnerrjDemBY9fFQx6OcvdXNLOn_htH4-K2RWF23daW2cbLhcEm/s1600/1661068316692626-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aZWOkBhyKMrcEj2XeQbzORy0PKNo35IiYlxvH35r7ufHUhdSiKasMxEwnWOzSppr26gfZWlu8vDWPABrUNWcfhSyYwJnerrjDemBY9fFQx6OcvdXNLOn_htH4-K2RWF23daW2cbLhcEm/w433-h640/1661068316692626-1.png" width="433" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'A Sumo Match' - Utagawa Kunisada, 1817 (left panel)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTTm_C9nltYbcuZZVI8NQ1ce29bH1QRrfEdwkQ82VfW7z8WYCcVdYCwc_u6k1poc83_GAe7dMmBBuXoEY7AnE7KIFHmhZiUIVQDKigBsVl8ma2b0CRuMwQq86FJ7L22CEgTqbdVjzsFB4/w525-h640/1661068308224260-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="525" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wooden sumo sculpture, 19th century</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-8779301773906804822022-11-23T10:08:00.004+10:002022-11-23T10:09:54.832+10:00Tsurube OtoshiIn Japanese folklore there is a strange yokai phenomena known as tsurube otoshi. These creatures live in the tops of trees alongside paths that go through forested areas. They take the form of disembodied heads of either humans, <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2020/04/tengu-in-folklore-and-art.html" target="_blank">tengu</a> or <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/oni.html" target="_blank">oni</a> which can range in size from a regular head up to around two metres across. <span><a name='more'></a></span>When they are hungry, these giant heads will wait in the trees for travellers to pass
by at which point they drop down like a stone and crush their victims
before eating them. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdMG5xzSc_UVmw2J0JQSzTIv-3LgvvXRl-Gouh7uvxRXKCr3X-W3ykx_kqBsFHWdz37LqdThyxHA9Kz6dm6PMe4kpo05hHBbLtQfZjouoqJVXHGm_KOA8f3OCpuoRLtPDJFyGm5xMi1Xb/s16000/1668389574123172-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shigeru Mizuki </i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>They are known to enjoy this so much they laugh and
sing afterwards. Sometimes they enjoy crushing people for fun, even if they are not hungry. Another way they have fun is dropping stones or well buckets onto those passing below. The folklore varies depending on the region with tsurube otoshi either appearing as an enormous solitary head, or as groups of smaller heads. In some cases they are even said to appear as large fireballs with facial features.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1XudeLEyrGqWocQdimG8_h_Jka0Yl9lCWy2AJSVYsGHvOZtSLp4rHgyV7woTyZ1nY9jAPurB3n9zUCuVHCFBEwkzrC9yfbedoECes9SQDd4oq1R_PHxndaaJbsC1QxLiQfGsTIhkAdwD/w634-h640/1668389570204466-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="634" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Z5EOeX" target="_blank"><i>Oliver Renomeron</i></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYqeSdlb8aPqSP-bHlJqsHR06KT0Ovwpoeigksyd27nhpHDS6NKaKWlrVrIuIZi9NnIpKGnBNo0CbODRNNqTDUsEAkkBxWJy2V1zMnNGLU3pdtpivuqCaEDDWUWnLufJryOaBJ8neNMRA/s16000/1668389566788559-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Illustration from the Kokon Hyakumonogatari Hyoban by Yamaoka Genrin</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-57023136914239142352022-11-21T13:13:00.003+10:002022-11-21T13:13:26.949+10:00The Goblin SpiderIn Japanese folklore there are believed to be terrifying goblin-spiders. These yokai look exactly like regular spiders during the day but at night, when everyone is sleeping, they grow to an enormous size and develop supernatural powers. Goblin-spiders shapeshift and take on human form in order to do terrible things. <span><a name='more'></a></span>In one famous tale translated by Lafcadio Hearn there was a remote Buddhist temple haunted by a goblin-spider. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVX27yLTwSokfBe41ycMpL-SaSF47L5QCj3OU-FE8O-Q-XVPMe3d_SR_d7llGZfLmwW6sEF_SJpR5O6QF4J8WMNHGjQHpj_BmF6eucJ1BgYEP53UKiwxVLN0y9fRvLqLzoF_hjWaDSuK6i/w435-h640/1668389835120643-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="435" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Katsushika Hokusai</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div></div><div>A brave samurai went to the temple with the intent of killing the spider. At first it appeared as a human with only half a body. Then it appeared as a priest playing a shamisen (Japanese stringed instrument). The samurai was suspicious but the pries assured him he was playing to ward off the goblin-spider. He then handed the
samurai the shamisen which subsequently transformed into a thick spider's web and trapped him. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lPRlmoRRIJEgmSP0sqpuM0_8yEsmGShbqVbDWNhszQpdEWEaH3E1Ej52UKkqmDzRT2wWn8jYxbOmUP3F3-DqXrPrpoc33_cnhTrCigTxcX2mFS-egtcIGKQxjb3JcTQLo_SnSf2M5MQQ/s1600/1668389819129555-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lPRlmoRRIJEgmSP0sqpuM0_8yEsmGShbqVbDWNhszQpdEWEaH3E1Ej52UKkqmDzRT2wWn8jYxbOmUP3F3-DqXrPrpoc33_cnhTrCigTxcX2mFS-egtcIGKQxjb3JcTQLo_SnSf2M5MQQ/w419-h640/1668389819129555-4.png" width="419" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC06McfN0BiLhHzMCo0nNoRekLSY3S18y0MeGvdbKL_M-V0vHqNpv4ImrdKp9oH8jcr2XNDoHWWWcfKUzsrO8QzxrrAGL8VLkYgPyfVTONT780I-pJ-AmkQ995x3U0HR1r-gx3O34jesW/s1600/1668389830944404-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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</div><br /></div><div>The samurai lunged at the spider, stabbing it, but it quickly crawled away leaving the samurai struggling in the net. Next morning the local people came and rescued him, and then they
followed a trail of blood to find the injured spider, which they
promptly killed.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPdLlDKAp3-Fo5VSc183vBUB20ABT3Dj_EDUVAmgbbSM-JJ0KaUIlnkHpxG14u11HIDqQF3MipmRi-y3H5-gG0dCsdPre8T-p6LuL1Gg5HugekEF0XTZc441qTLQaBdXIissXadErKAc4/w640-h451/1668389813048642-5.png" width="640" />
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</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Illustrations from 'The Goblin Spider' translated by Lafcadio Hearn, 1899.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC06McfN0BiLhHzMCo0nNoRekLSY3S18y0MeGvdbKL_M-V0vHqNpv4ImrdKp9oH8jcr2XNDoHWWWcfKUzsrO8QzxrrAGL8VLkYgPyfVTONT780I-pJ-AmkQ995x3U0HR1r-gx3O34jesW/s1600/1668389830944404-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC06McfN0BiLhHzMCo0nNoRekLSY3S18y0MeGvdbKL_M-V0vHqNpv4ImrdKp9oH8jcr2XNDoHWWWcfKUzsrO8QzxrrAGL8VLkYgPyfVTONT780I-pJ-AmkQ995x3U0HR1r-gx3O34jesW/w432-h640/1668389830944404-1.png" width="432" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeY8WTPpaJNFlEcZbyjFglMQwAgzQ6udEj0WEjNxw-Q2TBm6H44oJj-L9oPNQ1jdjgHT7VeJdiCIDgvG1RFVcgRR6hMFrTwqDHvkxObg83czVqHexIu6dn0BxZ6Mkz2gfI0Mg6KxQZna2Q/s1600/1668389823313840-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeY8WTPpaJNFlEcZbyjFglMQwAgzQ6udEj0WEjNxw-Q2TBm6H44oJj-L9oPNQ1jdjgHT7VeJdiCIDgvG1RFVcgRR6hMFrTwqDHvkxObg83czVqHexIu6dn0BxZ6Mkz2gfI0Mg6KxQZna2Q/w640-h590/1668389823313840-3.png" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88ZiO_cpLkl-wDxudnNU03Yn3M9FKzg6r2DO0dFiVPiMC3iIFj9hoJPk8eF_dZPDIvqR3ETgA-BgFAy0sEBdOFQO98FbKH0fRNwpYMcsXgS44ep3fA3sf0TSgBvxWjwgaH7odPDV8FOsF/s1600/1668389827382003-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88ZiO_cpLkl-wDxudnNU03Yn3M9FKzg6r2DO0dFiVPiMC3iIFj9hoJPk8eF_dZPDIvqR3ETgA-BgFAy0sEBdOFQO98FbKH0fRNwpYMcsXgS44ep3fA3sf0TSgBvxWjwgaH7odPDV8FOsF/w502-h640/1668389827382003-2.png" width="502" /></a></div><div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-55991351122253380122022-11-13T17:31:00.005+10:002022-11-13T17:38:39.602+10:00Kainan HoshiThe Izu islands look like a picturesque and idyllic place to visit, but in Japanese folklore there is a tale about kainan hoshi, a type of yokai that haunts the area. They are believed to be the ghosts of drowned shipwreck victims who roam the open sea, riding in washtub boats. <span><a name='more'></a></span>In one version of the tale they are said to be the souls of twenty-five local men who fought to free the island from an awful oppressor. After murdering him, they escaped to see in wooden washbasins and floated from island to island looking for shelter. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, they were turned away by the local inhabitants in each village and as a result, they drowned at sea. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_curzczd7Qg9UYApN2mv6LDsarTWMoi1iYtdDv4h4gdHmyqHwLoiwYMU8rsCA1BRMjohgcamSEnNj19DQSfIvynJecnm2wDELCMgt4QULlwpTU1mV-Q7P0rYqg6ubo8n4V6VmkwbPUXGp/w640-h431/1668305130565674-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>'Izu Dogashima' - Kawase Hasui, 1937</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>In vengeance, they haunted the area and every year on the 24th night of the first lunar month, kainan hoshi returned to the ports and villages of the Izu Islands. On this night each year, locals stay locked in their homes, too scared to go out. They put fragrant leaves in their door cracks which are ceremonially burned and buried the following day. It is believed that anyone who sees these ghosts would be sent mad and doomed to die.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nGw3uclt5c0Q2RMztQ1p45j-NTsIJZlaMg1ozcEyphG-Wdd6_vrr1inKKHFrryYnhQRZdN9iUbnbpZW2v99xRHPVEZcVCkRvmnezOITU4vQyUqsqRBud3jjqu3Ou2QxsGweZ00Prrgvs/w480-h640/1668305124479564-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Shinichi from 'Yurei Attack'</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br /></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-70771100809322513072022-11-13T16:59:00.009+10:002022-11-13T17:25:13.555+10:00Sanzu RiverIn Japanese Buddhism it is believed that to enter the underworld the soul first needs to find and cross the mythical Sanzu River (river of three crossings), which is the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead. <span><a name="more"></a></span>This river portal is believed to be located on a desolate yet holy volcano in northern Japan. <span><a name='more'></a></span>Some believe the dead are accompanied on their journey to find the Sanzu River by three <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/oni.html" target="_blank">oni</a> (underworld demons) and face many horrifying trials along the way including seas of blood and attacks by ghastly birds. <div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8ao4zkAAnQ_tDEi-xwUxZR8jCYMv4QQMb8qaf6m192KNkkhd_-eYkmOnmDPVW8qsZkqjq9bgSrEK7w1gyGr45rKwlivPU0_qtwJCxEIz0L_Ax0w9fMXXLxeHDa1adUbdD7BFyMX9btzB/s16000/1668310181048814-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>From Tosa Mitsunobu's Juo-zu</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>There are three ways to cross the river, a bridge for the good souls, a shallow section for those who are neither good nor bad, and a deep section filled with poisonous snakes for the evil souls. After crossing the river, the dead enter Meido where there are a number of trials and they are judged as either worthy of going to Tengoku (heaven) or doomed to go to Jigoku (hell). If you are interested in more detail, yokai expert Matthew Meyer has written about this complex process <a href="http://yokai.com/meido/" target="_blank">here</a>.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A6NefAmwyo3MIQWSS7vZXFFbf8nOigqQOjtF3PGRJXpnUy6k36szop5ZurffYNCCM0JdYdUHqnM8FOtnjvYQ7BGZz7DI3YZdiN-XBUbjqH8fs4r_AfsKD0k-u0Otrg04qPw_FwGYJN4l/w640-h300/1668310171518190-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Scenes of Hell and Heaven' - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1835</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A6NefAmwyo3MIQWSS7vZXFFbf8nOigqQOjtF3PGRJXpnUy6k36szop5ZurffYNCCM0JdYdUHqnM8FOtnjvYQ7BGZz7DI3YZdiN-XBUbjqH8fs4r_AfsKD0k-u0Otrg04qPw_FwGYJN4l/s1600/1668310171518190-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><div>The deity Jizo is believed to protect the souls of children who die before their parents. This is because it is believed they are unable to cross the Sanzu River and are destined to pile stones on its banks for eternity. You can <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/05/jizo.html" target="_blank">read more about Jizo here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZ3i9wnxTGCO0_xG7lYHW6b_0f02bIx_hNhi3TpaMo_oT4TAFtvTF8URSczXDqqVgdAAyRAaguq5eh30rDQgRDNRVOQfcYRvnBhTXPeXoFVbBLTJbBq-az1V0Nxj1yHayj41FFN0WevRQ/w429-h640/1668310176375195-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="429" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>'A Buddha in Hell' from the series 'One Hundred Pictures by Kyosai' - Kawanabe Kyosai</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFjVXQjEuwXlN8q-F43T9WlloTy43DN_oCLvlq8Oabvb5_oCj1Nrcwl6YgIvyMjIPVMNV5GvTJzTnSzw5tDqhCnmb3tLuFrqMyHujAiK8j1dUC9mu9acpI2pUWBzWY0s09rKJmhlZkHjW/w640-h457/1668310166043238-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i> 'Holiday in Hell' - Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1868</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-51154567851393399322022-11-07T12:27:00.002+10:002022-11-07T12:27:38.052+10:00Gonzaburo the Flute PlayerIn Japanese folklore there is a tale of a kind-hearted young man called Gonzaburo, who was a beautiful flute player. He cared for his aging mother and would play the flute for her, which brought her much happiness. <span><a name='more'></a></span>One Autumn there was so much rain that his village was flooded and his home and fields were washed away.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ30Muvin-ds4YWO19ZUvsibW9x43dYH4PML77kwFpFRQMkzM6U-fILZakwkSL0F4G8W9WammkwJpX0Y6ygkswpcV2igSY2YUgvkAQiB6Pn5EdFl7WY6VZs_EIaONLNmOja64KeuEj1v_/w478-h640/1661310858020672-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="478" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>'Flute Player' - Torii Kiyonaga, 1783</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div><div>Gonzaburo's mother was missing so he decided to wander while playing his flute in the hope that she would hear him. He searched high and low and looked along the river but had no luck. He began to suspect she was dead and couldn't stand the thought of living without her.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVV_9xS17tx-NAmOEWHcDwC4xS_4wK_2ZAtGOWuTnIEg7H0ndkEUpiiFZmA3TfMaY87dzpFbMBelF311qXHTpDXQRUQXG9yKoRy8TOx_ov1OgSixvCTsG1gtGYZOh7u3vciB-ANFibS6l/w640-h505/1661310852954452-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Night Rain' - Utagawa Hiroshige, 1839</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div>In despair he played one final tune on his flute then threw himself into the river and drowned. A few days later a strange thing happened. Each night after the sunset the sound of the flute was heard coming from the river. The locals began to think that it was Gonzaburo's ghost still searching for his lost mother.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXafLgYE-jOto0YGMwDcpLs6mw5XNdSx6aFgpgzSaNIQ84-GSzWaso89jcaY1NUuKSLng0ZZMW143JzpIt7RU4wXo4o5nhwuhDTg0DB0TT-HFXzI17DBGiLR4jWsQMpY8Lljgc5U7PWVKt/w446-h640/1661310846730821-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="446" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Ogata Gekko, 1896</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>They were very frightened so they built a grave marker and read sutras. The ghostly flute playing was not heard again. The river was thereafter known as the flute-playing river. This story is connected to the Fuefuki River in Yamanashi Prefecture and there is apparently a small Shrine on its bank in honour of Gonzaburo. In Japanese fuefuki refers to the sound of a flute and some say the flowing river still sounds like a flute being played.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtmXI0LuqHLULqhEs3pmRgpIZZ8YJzemibLgqEKaJrCsi8az61qFJcl-GnuqGXMtCnUEtJ9uiZY7hy6y6iPx2yzzboBwypKFbu9KtlSlFC9t5k9Q1Og6t7Ty2wzJMiv-ayubuaXULx_Xz/s16000/1661310842516641-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige, 1856</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9_lSfgz9CUteXuvjBIEtMKVznsAuIZRE5GcznYayhc5GIgi7gyJHQOd2050d5WVX-fn5J9Au0ocgIT09_emsys7CDOjnadfkPqs8h4OcqhvXrpcHaR-PT8mIos6CWN_Ove7rvk3Ulu3V/w640-h480/1661310838323386-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Fuefuki River, Yamanashi Prefecture</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrlsRfk6JliYRa_UXngbv8fFFAFafSxrgpoxSwlktoP2QJd0wmGrKVCUOLyJTy_9QLiSJijzDBDPuhm47ofYVt1o3YOfiaGF7xHLzmQMnYjkKZFahS6Dk0DhRA4J8XEiRmwnEiiT4AiDr/w427-h640/1661310828841182-6.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="427" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige II, 1860</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv92O4x7-qlZ2pzKj0AdLVMHyirHEt9CpyKYc3In-53iKMveAx6qhmB6BOuoyFAFp0x89uuZW6UxBl9F_X8NeG7JmijebhuHht5hS-wEpzIeFxuni_YE3iQqpuxYufKe8Koc_mGsxsmWm4/w467-h640/1661310824484146-7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="467" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Kobayashi Kiyochika, ca. 1930s</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbf-MkapeiH9-cvFipZzk2PdpWCu-6Vso4DmgN2SKGk8OM5rB1cbvwu612-IzlESF1FT4fZhjzhU6ratTPhua1w-yl8ZH_u0_2RuCsxQ0dWlzVVvXrAMbyuHIv_xq8qtW-9Y5xPHDiI80Q/w295-h640/1661310819493597-8.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="295" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Katsukawa Shunsho, 1782</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-8888321544746507972022-11-07T11:55:00.005+10:002022-11-07T11:56:40.215+10:00Sobojo and EritategoromoIn Japanese folklore, Sobojo was a tengu king who lived on Mt Karuma as a mountain hermit and taught warriors the arts of swordsmanship and magic. He was once a human but due to excessive pride he was reborn as a <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2020/04/tengu-in-folklore-and-art.html" target="_blank">tengu</a>. Legend says that after his death, <span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">his </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">priestly robes took on his spirit and transformed into a yokai known as eritategoromo. </span><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXiCrAb8JatpyrnmsT03JR4eEKLcZBLAGhszFs4Ku8-iItNMyGNPAAnXmVahd28xvOkgl7xzxh984whmob_cE3Flvx9crpMA_yIIwjNNnVKxZMhpR2WZsGoGBZHHO3lpzWmItlsTTZiw_/w433-h640/1647738582728003-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="433" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>'Sojobo: King of the Tengu' - Katsukawa Shuntei</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The robe sprouted eyes and a beard, and it's collar turned into a pointed nose. Not much is known about this yokai but it is believed to be related to the idea that one should always </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">remain humble. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">It seems Sobojo thought he had reached enlightenment and would be reborn as a Buddha. This arrogance led to his tengu rebirth and despite his helpfulness towards warriors, he also had a dark side. </span></div></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR431QMP9jx0k9YfaPdE9nHqIjmkLe_VoOJgcBF8L21NgDEFUk4WpgUaJ49M8HY42YTOAIr4aqwfDWJkXFG9T1ojCQpUSy9bIE85yIJY4HE46-qwnwN9KCQJCqG0pUM7yWgpplU8Cms0M/w451-h640/1647738573988906-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="451" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;"><i>'Eritategoromo' - Sekien Toriyama</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Allegedly he ate the children who wandered too far into </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">the forest. It is this evil nature that is likely to have attached itself to Sobojo's robe, causing it to transform into a yokai after his death. If you are curious to learn more about the different types of <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2020/04/tengu-in-folklore-and-art.html">tengu</a>, I have written about them <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2020/04/tengu-in-folklore-and-art.html">here</a>.</span><div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwKx_7eN2JfLa7LBNCrKSyyie8d8dqMh5Ea6Pandjm8w3_bzD8gLY-fZflkEHSepp0dCys4nzqGdfchaaw7ynSjOBUw62gF1p906HrAjVn_56R_J2p5zowU1kywEE80kYC4riEjD2ZR20/w640-h417/1647738568660095-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige, 1834</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJDhw6esKoBnToz3n0BxNoyFXeXhckDruHlLak49e66W3cWX353ATOgRiRODXF5dLpypu_OsZ3UwjpLdsKdAzidXs2-XPOUjCOsmNLSYvkZCajzX607d3Kn_wqeIMWlpO1pUFk636q55h/w640-h481/1647738563500493-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, 1886</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_lJWUZbtlwCT2zLI-G2_7ITuWy1Imo1DqLNs9U6afV3KQV3sywH5BbnvoC4z2yYrzt4hPFHYbqDa86TwxqlioPe3fLoaNTSTN_2woltX3l6SfEx_n0Bq2Kvqx3uJhX7Z_PpyE6Wco-Uv/s1600/1647738578496633-1.png" style="letter-spacing: 0.2px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_lJWUZbtlwCT2zLI-G2_7ITuWy1Imo1DqLNs9U6afV3KQV3sywH5BbnvoC4z2yYrzt4hPFHYbqDa86TwxqlioPe3fLoaNTSTN_2woltX3l6SfEx_n0Bq2Kvqx3uJhX7Z_PpyE6Wco-Uv/s16000/1647738578496633-1.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>'Tengu Sojobo teaching Minamoto no Yoshitsune the art of sword fighting' <br />- Japanese scroll, late Edo period</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-6369687503619079132022-10-20T18:57:00.011+10:002022-10-20T19:16:56.252+10:00The Two Children and the Yama UbaIn Japanese folklore there is a tale about a sister and brother and their encounter with a yama uba, a type of yokai sometimes translated as a mountain witch. One year their persimmon tree was full of ripe fruit so their mother suggested they take some to their grandmother who lived in the mountains. <span></span><a name='more'></a>She warned them to walk quickly and beware in case they met a yama uba along the way. <p></p><p></p><p></p><div></div><div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHri6ZCm7o3vS9m4bLqqa_3rlZzn3mywDKTLZG03EaPnav8loOzk09UEgSPt6JBcmPiZnrPARgWl6oaGfbBkLDWLhlU3P4XYlyopDnClkbdtZqQKkgJ1er9Eb9x_NgMUTGfCMdmMN9f9ecZwLEgiOwlOLWMefEZKevpZJRPiLMJ7L50QHAXquYpA8dw/s468/Persimmons%20-%20Copy%20(3).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHri6ZCm7o3vS9m4bLqqa_3rlZzn3mywDKTLZG03EaPnav8loOzk09UEgSPt6JBcmPiZnrPARgWl6oaGfbBkLDWLhlU3P4XYlyopDnClkbdtZqQKkgJ1er9Eb9x_NgMUTGfCMdmMN9f9ecZwLEgiOwlOLWMefEZKevpZJRPiLMJ7L50QHAXquYpA8dw/s320/Persimmons%20-%20Copy%20(3).jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Picking Persimmons' - Ishikawa Toyonobu, ca. 1750s (detail)</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div>They set off and soon encountered a kind old woman who asked them where they were going. When they explained that they were taking the persimmons to their grandmother's house, the old woman laughed and told them that she was their grandmother. The sister said that she could not possibly be because their grandmother had a mole on
her cheek. The old woman claimed that she had covered the mole with rice
powder then disappeared, only to return soon after with a mole on her
cheek.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2G6-XUaGzAgLtJhS-cFfT8xrtBVZ1PcupAB7wP5WbVoZ7rFbGxuYcH3eCmg7dG7PTGK9VUWPi_J-9Bsz1IihfJBBscOSUImPAXoOjhHS7KLgmnAsjDd1a_vxeGDAqzly6IbIEj66Ez09/s16000/1656683855494903-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Katsukawa Shunsho</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The children ran to embrace her believing that she was indeed their grandmother. They continued walking and along the way grandmother noisily crunched on one persimmon after another with teeth that seemed stronger than the children could remember. When they got to the house she cooked them a lovely
dinner after which it was time for bed. The two children argued over who would
sleep with their grandmother that night. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCcOYlc_ORa95Zk9X0j6zLAr_LS0whATveHl0qV-W92yJtnciyAcoH3q7DQtfJkyvM4spo-A740r1Aj9s0hzAndmIcOXmW9-jcGkVQXn_iceoY9sRY6eDAlZWghtlNLlSiD3BOCFGTaEM/w430-h640/1656683847393275-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="430" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Housr at Okutana' - Kasamatsu Shiro, 1955</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><div> </div><div>The sister won and so the brother curled up to sleep on his own. During the night he was woken by
loud crunching noises and he assumed his grandmother was eating more of
the persimmons.
He called out to her to throw him one and with a thud something rolled
towards him. When he picked it up he saw with horror that it was his
sister's bloody arm. Realising at last that his grandmother was a
yama uba, the boy ran out of the house with the old hag in pursuit. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzFYLCsLZFIfDy_AGx8uAUh4dd1e2twybvZB2Bzjdw5xDYp2QVk4Ivj_CvcEXJqMwxmy8rxo-4ebc4jkIspNQExf6PrJeRJLxDGPOR77Xwd4jOFpLXuGOrJoMuG9Detf2CGXhn4ibWpZL/s16000/1656683843875837-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Suzuki Harunobu</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Passing a tree, he climbed up quickly, stripped off his clothes and tied them to the
branches, then kept running for his life. The wicked yama uba arrived and when she looked up she thought
the boy was in the tree and so went to get her friends to share the feast. When
they all arrived back and realised that it was only empty clothes hanging in the tree,
they were so angry at her for tricking them that they killed her on the
spot. <br /><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5L4N104VKmX0y0tvINt9N_p_M2bPCMOHCuMtULkCWmlDyglYni5yf4Kr037o8-TXM-rwVisnn5i9szzvjmUAfaL6ZaSD-lgmEP5_UV11PvvtN8X5Tj3nIdKbplKBaKGxnKFzZTW9GAYy/w567-h640/1656683839753311-5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="567" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Landscape with Pine Trees' - Keisai Eisen, 1848</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>You can read more about <a href="http://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/yama-uba.html">yama uba here</a>.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0tkAaabe102ORNtqf71IJNctzyO3JUZXHx_JDQ7eRBnXZGIOiOBmA3tR425pDYo6zJpOFw7Nvix1ywJjJa5NHvY48aoZIickCK2VL3j73lUSDxJiY8e_t3GgzPPj5yFGke1iKhfummwU/w562-h640/1656683834724442-6.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="562" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Persimmons' - Kubo Shunman</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0tkAaabe102ORNtqf71IJNctzyO3JUZXHx_JDQ7eRBnXZGIOiOBmA3tR425pDYo6zJpOFw7Nvix1ywJjJa5NHvY48aoZIickCK2VL3j73lUSDxJiY8e_t3GgzPPj5yFGke1iKhfummwU/s1600/1656683834724442-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
</div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gGN5DMnoPuUHrEspmJPTSyXRl-E_g1wBf_qJSnmy2Gfg0dRVXfvgQK_Ve5sbCgg5h7qLy2pNAmYm_lT1inT4LfpVnC7u3mpXs97tKI8iKhFxGLTe2sEFoXTwPJIUEAUjJhW2Dyc4so8T/w302-h640/1656683858858847-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="302" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> 'Picking Persimmons' - Ishikawa Toyonobu, ca. 1750s</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-89873821569187519122022-10-19T18:36:00.000+10:002022-10-19T18:36:08.221+10:00HyakumeIn Japanese folklore there is a yokai known as hyakume, which means 'one hundred eyes.' This creature is about the same size as a human, but just a fleshy blob that is completely covered in blinking yellow eyes. Hyakume generally live in abandoned homes or empty temples. <span><a name='more'></a></span>They are nocturnal because the daylight sun is far too bright for all their eyes.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8S6yBBgoUax88o2G0i3RPQd8D51KEStzcxbAMlWMqQlZKobLxIcQxb2NyeAY_AQpI1tFK5rqRsdKXrW3yXQT2wpNenP3FBE8pufA16BTb64M_Z0U1cLs2HD77POKLogdLTEwu8rImvj3c/s16000/1665102982167417-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shigeru Mizuki, from GeGeGe no Kitaro<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Hyakume are also very shy and tend to avoid human contact. They do like to guard the area they live from intruders and thieves though. If someone suspicious should arrive, one of hyakume's eyes will detach and fly towards the intruder, sticking to them for as long as they are in the area. When the danger is gone, the eye returns to the yokai.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIshiO6tbOnJlPyJLVP9IFUwozuNcawkOlIvsKktp1riXoJD8_upA_7OWvBJsut4fumCnKRY8zRZ7HaUlUrgGlO5oOPjAqo4J7HSxp0Fkm56jH2baJUEGShQaRSi9DTzRYi0u_T7muvsp/w431-h640/1665102978570948-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="431" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unknown artist</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>If threatened hyakume will jump out and attempt to scare any danger away. Given their unusual appearance this strategy tends to work well. At this point hyakume will slink back into the shadows again. They look very similar to a yokai called nuppeppo, the only difference being that a nuppeppo doesn't have eyes.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5kEq5YQHraf_mOaKRGLGzI5vRTgCf0l4gKzBMZ940MzPTnj8cNEf4FVkEmpUrD1bDHO4Y4l-C_EvdxxFMm1qCO2MYjELJexnuqjjAsCK13WKr69jvF6eGLdPpK0oyZ8W619IOucAYhrQ/w325-h640/1665102974375553-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="325" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yokai Mania</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-90920189262049766742022-10-19T13:53:00.006+10:002022-10-19T18:42:34.211+10:00The Dog That Ate a Tanuki Long ago in old Japan there was a temple in the remote countryside. The area was known for its prevalence of tanuki, a mischievous shapeshifting yokai. One evening a farmer was walking home and saw the local priest crouched down in pain. <span><a name='more'></a></span>He went to help and the priest told him he had hurt his foot and asked if he could be carried to the closest village.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkt2-Ir4Ikn-uHQnR5XdOBOrV-OfUzhX5Cai5m1qpRTK2EmpvYRPQqwERsFTsvwGqWGbDDKRDFQSq_dY23OeVWc_yvHJvU8Vi2vMIrdIovYULAX7yE5V3Sn6qkHg9QSb4MEIZ_rostY9l/w426-h640/1656683584536566-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="426" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /><div></div><div>As the man lifted the priest onto his back, he realised that he was very thin and light. When questioned the priest said it was because he didn't eat much anymore. The man was very suspicious so he gently felt the priest's foot only to discover it was covered in hair. Realising the priest was actually a tanuki in disguise, he tied him up, took him to his home and locked him in a room inside his house.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDAA76o3tTiL-48DKB49emLD1c97lzr-i4uBrU5HtHl4FUEG1fh9vpQXxVzqDdi1swHbNosbe4AiUrUImdl0tx4Cyi3Zwl-muC6f88OyzQbh0RezUL2ICunAvw8N5LPvmkInoEhq2oUmo/w640-h417/1656683580423864-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Hiroshige<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Once he confirmed that the real priest was still at the temple, he let his hunting dog into the locked room. Much growling and howling ensued, and when the noise finally died down the man peeked into the room. He saw that the dog had killed the 'priest' and on the floor instead was the corpse of a very large and very old tanuki.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDAvPNbCM9o7TOeNOKPgWFSa4K8QCWCG_osbRYoCUYOIPM6DKiD1I3VKaGHmEA3m8Jm1co5k2LoSVs0_YcfzFgMEIX-eRookwMdIhi-2XU0ST4PyQIXqfYrC7Lgl8N-CQ6N9cCZVCunOb/s16000/1656683576872466-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tomioka Eisen<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div></div><div>If you are interested in <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/tanuki.html" target="">tanuki</a> and their incredible shapeshifting abilities you can read more <a href="https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/tanuki.html">here</a>.</div></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6018369416473801531.post-67201725641668950782022-07-02T15:22:00.001+10:002022-07-02T15:22:26.390+10:00The Man Who Did Not Want to DieIn Japanese folklore there is a story of a man named Sentaro who did not want to die. He was quite a wealthy man and lived a life of luxury and idleness. However, he became quite preoccupied with the idea of dying, and after hearing old tales from China about a land where the elixir of life could be found,<span><a name='more'></a></span> he decided to set out in search
of it. <br /><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe68Ay0Wm0b080WzKbGvG4NZ6RBdazJUhE-ptzKd7DzRt02vOmPB8E2A_B947XMtEjze8kqpkrFAJxT03dYdvV5OinVvVjlh0RP6XD9VxrtLfeCELXmxa147QfG6crEXI1KbvV_DAgL59/w491-h640/1650030265503981-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="491" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Torii Kiyomitsu, ca. 1761</i></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div>He travelled far and wide looking for hermits who would have the
elixir, but to no avail. He came to a Shrine and spent seven days praying there to the god Jofuku, who was said to be the patron of the lands containing the elixir of life. Finally Jofuku
appeared to Sentaro and lectured him about how selfish he had been in life
and said he could never live as a hermit.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatEfNZWtBm0qIxbPLLc8aqs2CIvzCZZ8E5VckTh_GovJR50QDscjFqRYaVKw6poJq1oTCazb6XJljIn6yPKWc9VtiH6GCuA2eNEzoftwiWWBMyIBMSOmWek6O4xPGhYnAn-XNBFMEXfCD/w429-h640/1656730168155154-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="429" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Shrine' - Ogata Gekko, 1892 </i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Instead, he sent him to the country of Perpetual Life. To get there Sentaro was given a paper crane which grew in size and carried him across the sea to this
new land. Once there, Sentaro learned that no one ever died in this
place. As a result, they all longed to travel to the land of death,
believing it was a blissful utopia.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfwYcm23OCRBmVvWll_sbWhPBdKfr_pJO9hsfDi_az-gRYIkMwnid2F39mE9942r3brjnVW8bVoOCM_o6RMIMH1jLhTbdBrF5WOJpYFPPxDLA6nGyBFpoDtzL4wbOmlSoNMqgkD4Pgwq6/w400-h352/1656730160231582-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From 'Japanese Folktales'</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The inhabitants of the Land of Perpetual Life ate poisons in an attempt to shorten their lives, but they had no success. Sentaro decided to accept his fate and enjoy his eternal life in this new place. However, after 300 years he grew bored. He retrieved his paper crane and left to return to his home thinking death wouldn’t be so bad after all. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueO2_XimRzcspd5a9f1q-goGz1w0kERUiRlqE9-Wd6xuk86jWQA9X9e9sB3rCnJHsV2KM7cN_z3HY-bNrRGGunbCz6sUtjYFXzKIPpxsMoD_PSAEE493uh0tmRLRX1ta3RLTfxDnhCUmc/s16000/1656730152892108-6.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'The Isle of Eternal Life' - Kitagawa Utamaro, 1794</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>On his way, when he was flying over the ocean, there was a terrible storm and the paper crane got wet causing him to fall into the sea. Immediately he was fearful of death and called out to Jofuku to save him from the circling sharks. His wailing and crying woke him from a dream and he found himself still at the Shrine where he had been praying.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hwnroTQj21DLR_eWeFWBQ9reMDyt8QgfhajzEyZLJzIm3U9RkSdDKsd7wIZXrdIago0NO8IoL-rgbY2w_H9AyLMw0QJZQTvU5ci8EAp2ku2dpoq5hMLBXif0o8ASvw_dAMJyikUw_dtv/w426-h640/1656730149059437-7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="426" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kawase Hasui, 1931</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>A messenger of Jofuku arrived to say that the god had shown him in a dream what eternal life was like, and that he should give up his quest for the elixir of life and go home to live a productive life instead. Sentaro took this advice and returned home leaving his vanity and selfishness behind him.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfe9mCwW4wwbvIvNFTq_jEI6o6_4JOjmh6KEXWu6oIqazl5GzWPLYoDaQhcChVGd7K1A5p3O4i204aCLTg9cZ54xHToybwu_hBprVXYvwfLQ40JcGfCUO0cL9W_UAJ6wYvFyKELAd4vxg/w640-h566/1656730140970178-9.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Utagawa Kuniyoshi</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii24pH2uH80vd4FxVqnm6uwh_47zjSanXS_SKyWMaXSNpEfdVXunpViZmbHTinBScyYLjQ4FyCwlux2BrF1c2zrN2Dul741niO1z70t39QcwZMd_-undyTb-XSkj7K1ieusUkZpo18qkN/w289-h640/1650030166387682-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="289" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Sentaro' – unknown, ca 1811</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5f-nwwnSD_7kLfxxhntqF0G37Gc9WCWYf_nD32BwUcD6Xfxe4t55NfU2mLSw81NuBBy-B2XWTvAvm83CkFDSWJANFAhvjJEc3gZYddqueXPz0jC-JwRQMgW3pjNXa-8DfyzYClS8FaZS/w465-h640/1656735706060494-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="465" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Landscape: Hermit's Hut under Trees' - Suzuki Shonen </i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP62ibRZort9S2sVq8tpnJO9v3VWsZzVSciHB_DXXMqHHKz0x-YOiMvGz6CmkB_AT4FpOMCcTta0JXfE4s1QML-684N38S6Hbr6dTx-95vYYfvUn_wd1p6us3Ss3Sc_owd3Wlaic1JMQku/s1600/1656730164128136-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP62ibRZort9S2sVq8tpnJO9v3VWsZzVSciHB_DXXMqHHKz0x-YOiMvGz6CmkB_AT4FpOMCcTta0JXfE4s1QML-684N38S6Hbr6dTx-95vYYfvUn_wd1p6us3Ss3Sc_owd3Wlaic1JMQku/w565-h640/1656730164128136-3.png" width="565" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 'Four Hermits' - Yashima Gakutei</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8voF8P0mNN8cPgQ989TzxVqQQyCHNcJG0KRXfHqOTLz1NXaXu5DUzqb6QTww3bGx_FWdcE-6HK8NzF0PN4fDjIOHpy4WcVf_bHizZVfhAf2AlbRY5nmAdSAa6lT37HcDcw6OIrMRFNsZ/s1600/1656730156280813-5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8voF8P0mNN8cPgQ989TzxVqQQyCHNcJG0KRXfHqOTLz1NXaXu5DUzqb6QTww3bGx_FWdcE-6HK8NzF0PN4fDjIOHpy4WcVf_bHizZVfhAf2AlbRY5nmAdSAa6lT37HcDcw6OIrMRFNsZ/w436-h640/1656730156280813-5.png" width="436" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'Crane' – Bakufu Ohno, 1953 </i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSF7O573RwIMXkADNGT67B_JXBLx52Pe6SM2HIMXPbShHyOw2j4b9QY0-5K3Rjpu2xHK19Y7OOePCLTJK89oxbqDslJxvEC5SceMZ-w6eP-s92zhvh3fj_EEhEzU4vCpgTZ7gfUZ9qYkK/w640-h440/1656730128281796-12.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Katsushika Hokusai, 1831</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Curious Ordinaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582442365463413271noreply@blogger.com0