Curious Ordinary

I am now publishing monthly in-depth articles about Japanese folklore and culture on  this site . The newsletter is called ' Hanashi by Curious Ordinary ' and you can either visit the site or subscribe (for free) to have updates emailed directly to you.

Because Japan is surrounded by ocean there are many legends of ghost ships in Japanese folklore. One supernatural phenomenon is known as mayoibune, which translates as 'wandering ship,' and it involves ghostly ships that appear on moonlit nights during the Obon holiday.

There is a strange Japanese tale from Shikoku Island about a fisherman named Yazaimon and a giant octopus. One day a giant octopus was having a sleep on a rock just off the coast of Kagawa. Yazaimon saw it there and thought how delicious it would be, so he climbed up on the rock and cut off one of the octopus's legs while it was sleeping.

In Japanese folklore basan are a rare nocturnal bird yokai found only in the mountains of Ehime Prefecture. They resemble a very large chicken with a bright red comb and luminous feathers. Most remarkably they breathe a ghostly fire from their mouths which is cold rather than hot.

In 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.

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.

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.

In 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.

In 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.

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. 

In 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.

Senbiki 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.

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.

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.

In 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, tengu or oni which can range in size from a regular head up to around two metres across.

In 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.

The 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.

In 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 tengu . Legend says that after his death, 

In 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.

In Japanese folklore, uwabami is an enormous snake yokai with shapeshifting powers believed to eat and drink absolutely vast amounts. One of its favourite foods is people and legend says it can swallow humans whole.