Curious Ordinary

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.

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.

In 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.  When he arrived, the goddess produced the food for the feast from her body. 

In 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.

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 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.

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 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. This river portal is believed to be located on a desolate yet holy volcano in northern Japan.