Yokai Gallery 2

Yokai

This is a follow on post from Yokai Gallery 1

This is a Sazaeoni. A sazae is a shellfish known as Turban Snail in English. When a turban snail reaches 30 years of age it turns into a "turban snail ogre", sazaeoni. It can turn itself into a beautiful woman, and, as the story goes, when rescued from the sea by sailors will have sex with all of them but cut off the testicles afterwards.

Housoushi was a kind of exorcist who used his four eyes to watch over the four directions and dispel invisible "pollution". He seems to be developed from a Chinese shaman/magician. There are still ceremonies held in several Kyoto shrines involving Houssoushi, but he somehow dissapeared or fell out of favor in the ninth century.

Hyakume, literally "one hundred eyes", is a yokai that protects shrines from thieves. It is said that if you steal from a shrine then one of hyakume's eyes will chase after you until it attaches itself to you. It is possible that this is related to the symbol that was tattooed on convicted thieves.

Rokurokubi during the daytime look just like normal people, but at night they can stretch their necks to tremendous lengths and seem to delight in scaring people, especially it is said, drunks. There are buddhist versions of Rokurokubi that actually were humans who broke buddhist precepts, and were more bloodthirsty and demonic than other Rokurokubi.

Dorotabo was a hard-working farmer who died. His son who inherited the land was a bit of a wastrel who rather than work the land sold it off. Whenever the new owner tried to work in the paddies Dorotabo would emerge from the mud screaming "this is my land!!!". Interestingly his one eye maybe connected with ancient fertility rites, literally "the one-eyed trouser snake"!

Isogashi is the Japanese word for "busy", and is an invisible spirit that possesses people and drives them to busyness. I know a lot of Japanese possessed by this yokai.

If you've ever been walking down a dark country lane at night and felt as if you are being followed, but turn around and there is no-one there, chances are it is Betobetosan following you. The solution is to say "Betobetosan!... after you!" and he will pass you.

Looking like a Harry Harryhausen creation, Kanibouzu was a giant crab that hid in a temple and took the form of a buddhist monk. Whenever people visited the temple he would kill and eat them.

Hyoutoku is a variation of Kyotoko. In the story, a poor old couple meet a beautiful woman in the forest and she gives them a baby boy. They take him home and notice that the little boy is constantly poking his bellybutton until eventually gold starts coming out of it and the old couple become rich.

Yokai Gallery 1
Yokai Gallery 3

Yokai Gallery 1

Yokai

Yokai is a very broad category of creature that includes monsters, goblins, demons, in fact all and every kind of supernatural being in Japanese folklore. One man who is largely responsible for keeping yokai alive in contemporary Japanese folklore is Mizuki Shigeru whose manga and subsequent anime, tv programs and full length movies introduce many of the classic yokai as well as creating many new ones.

Shigeru's hometown, Sakaiminato in Tottori, has created the Mizuki Shigeru Road in honor of him, and there are more than 100 bronze statues of yokai along an 800 meter stretch of road.

The first statue just outside the station shows Mizuki Shigeru himself working at his desk. To the right is his most famous creation, the yokai Kitaro, though looking like a boy is actually 350 years old. Kitaro has appeared in 2 full-length movies. The yokai on the left is Kitaro's sidekick, Nezumiotoko (Ratman) who is almost as old as Kitaro and has never taken a bath so stinks.

Kappas, the water -sprites appear several times along the road.

The creature on the right is a Kirinjishi, and on the left is Shoujo, both characters are from old Chinese stories.

Nurarihyon is a yokai from folklore that may have derived from stories of a large jellyfish. In modern stories he is considered to be the commander of all yokai, and has a habit of slipping into peoples houses while they are busy making dinner and helping himself to tea and tobacco.

Momonjii is a kind of bogeyman that carries children off into the forest and is used by parents to threaten their misbehaving kids. Believed to derive from Momonga, a kind of small flying squirrel that turns into momonjii upon reaching old age.

Gangikozou is a fish-eating water monster related to the kappa.

Nuppeppo is probably from the Edo area, and to me looks like Mr Potatohead, but is actually a piece of dead flesh often found wandering in graveyards and temples.

Originaly from China, the Baku has been in Japanese folklore for a thousand years. It is a dream and nighmare eater, and it has had varying forms over the years. Baku is also the Japanese word for Tapir, and modern renditions have the yokai appearing similar to a tapir.

Nureonna has the body of a snake and the head of a woman. Exists in various sizes up to 300 meters in length, and often found on the seashore. has a habit of sucking all the blood from its victims.

for more yokai i9mages please click below

Yokai Gallery 2
Yokai Gallery 3

Buy Hoshi imo from Japan

Izanagi Shrine, Tenri

Izanagi Shrine is located just across from the Sujin Kofun on Route 169 in Tenri, just a little off of the Yamanobenomichi.

The shrine is mentioned in the Engishiki of the tenth Century, but at that time it was located in Yamada, southeast of its present site. It was moved here in 1641.

Enshrined here along with Izanagi is Sugawara Michizane, commonly referred to as Tenjin.

As often happened in the early years of Meiji, the shrine was renamed, but reverted to its original name after the end of WWII.

There is also an Inari Shrine in the grounds.

Nichihara Town

This is the draincover for Nichihara in Shimane, located on Route 9 about halfway between Masuda and Tsuwano. In 2005 it became part of Tsuwano. The design shows a catfish and some sweetfish (ayu). The Takatsu River that flows through Nichihara has a reputation for being one of the cleanest rivers in Japan, and a lot of people come here to fish for the sweetfish. Thats probably why the catfish is so happy.

I passed through the town on a walk from Tsuwano to Masuda, and saw the draincover just in front of an abandoned Pachinko Parlor.

The parlor is no longer there. Probably a convenience store or a new pachinko parlor has replaced it.

According to ancient beliefs, a giant catfish that lives underground is responsible for causing earthquakes. A fascinating article on the catfish in Japanese folklore.

Leading the blind

Japan first began to use raised "bumps" in the floor as a guide for the blind and partially-sighted in 1967--the first country to do so.

They can now be found all over the country, in stations, public buildings, and on the sidewalk.

There is still no country-wide standard, but the basic designs are "dashes" to indicate direction, and "dots" to indicate warning, i.e. a change of direction, platform edge, etc.

A variety of materials are used, though a type of rubberised plastic is the most common. Metal is sometimes used.

I find them a fascinating source of composition in photographs.

Kaikyo Messe

The full and proper name of the kaikyo Messe is the Yamaguchi International Trade and Cultural center.

It's located in Shimonoseki as part of the complex that includes the Kaikyo Yume Tower.

Like the tower, it was designed by NTT Power & Buildings.

Didn't actually go inside, but on the top floor is a gift shop specializing in Fugu

Typical Japanese Landscape 21

This is in Tenjin, Fukuoka, but it could be any Japanese city.

More typical Japanese landscapes....

Red Ogre (demon). Aka Oni 2

Got round to finishing another mask, a second version of the Akaoni, or Red Ogre.

The earlier version of the red demon mask can be seen here

A short blurb on Japanese Oni here

All my masks can be seen here

All masks are for sale .

Yatogi Shrine, Tenri

Yatogi Shrine, sometimes pronounced Yatsugi, is a delightful shrine located on the Yamanobenomichi a little south of Isonokami in Tenri. The main hall has a fine thatched roof, and behind it the line of seven hondens have cedar-bark roofs.

The seven kami are quite an eclectic collection. The main kami is Futsunushi, a kami of swords and lightning, and possibly the personification of the main kami at nearby Isonokami Shrine. Also enshrined is Takemikazuchi, a main kami of the Fujiwara clan. The myths have either or both of these kami descending to Izumo and convincing Okuninushi to give Japan to Amaterasu's descendants. As the Fujiwara (known earlier as the Nakatomi) wiped out the Mononobe, it is believed that gradually the Fujiwara kami usurped and replaced the Mononobe kami.

Another enshrined kami here is Amenokoyane, one of the kami who performed rituals to entice Amaterasu out of her cave, and another ancestor of the Fujiwara. Another kami is Kotohira, a variation of Konpira.

Strangely, Susano is enshrined here, though that may be connected to local legends that pertain to the spirit of the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi slain by Susano. It is believed that its spirit became associated with lightning, and in the hills behind nearby isonokami Shrine are rocks said to be it.

The gardens in May

A couple of video, with commentary, on what's going on in my veggie gardens right now.



The first is from the riverside garden, and the second from the village garden