We’ve already seen quite a few holy beasts of legend on this blog, including the kirin, hō-ō, baku, komainu, and shiisaa. Here’s another one!

Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered how many yokai there are in total, read on! | これまでこのブログと本でいくつかの聖獣を紹介してきました。麒麟や鳳凰、獏、狛犬とシーサーなどです。そして今回これらに加えてもう一つご紹介いたします！

いったいどれくらいの種類の妖怪がいるのか？と不思議に思っていらっしゃる方もいると思います。諸説ある中の答えの一つが今回のブログにありますよ！

Hakutaku

Hakutaku (白澤)

Hakutaku are wise chimerical beasts that resemble a white ox. They have nine eyes in total — 3 on the head, and 3 on each of its broad sides. They live in remote mountains, and only appear in eras and countries where the ruler of the land is a wise and virtuous leader. They are extremely good omens and symbols of good luck. Hakutaku can speak human languages, and are highly knowledgeable about all things in creation.

Hakutaku, like the other holy beasts mentioned above, are Chinese imports. One of the most famous accounts of a hakutaku comes from the legendary Chinese Yellow Emperor (2697–2597 BCE). The emperor was performing an imperial tour of his lands, and in the east near the sea, he climbed a mountain and encountered a hakutaku (bai ze in Chinese). The two spoke, and the hakutaku told the emperor that in all of creation there were 11,520 different kinds of yokai. The emperor had his subordinates record everything the hakutaku said, and it was preserved in a volume known as the hakutakuzu. This volume recorded each kind of yokai, along with what kind of evils they do, or disasters they bring, as well as how to deal with them — a sort of demonic disaster manual, if you will. Unfortunately the hakutakuzu was lost long, long ago, and no surviving copies exist.

Because of its incredible knowledge of the various kinds of yokai and monsters, paintings of the hakutaku were very popular in Japan during the Edo period. They were sold and used as good luck charms as well as wards against evil spirits, disease, and yokai. Because the hakutaku knows all, it was believed that yokai would stay away from him.

Are you interested in yokai? Can’t get enough of strange Japanese culture? Then you should check out my book, The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, on Amazon.com and learn the story behind over one hundred of these bizarre monsters! |

Hakutaku

Hakutaku (白澤)

白澤は白い牛のような妖怪で、合計９つの眼（頭に３つ・脇腹に３つ）を持っている。彼は人里離れた山奥に住み、賢明で徳のある統治者の治める世にのみ姿を現すという。

白澤は極めて縁起の良いもので幸福の象徴としても知られており、人語を話す事ができて森羅万象にも通じている聡明な存在である。

上記に記した他の聖獣達と白澤は似ており、これもまた中国の言い伝えが日本に伝わったものである。一つの有名な白澤にまつわる中国の伝説は黄帝(2697–2597 BCE)の時代にまで遡る。黄帝が彼の国々を巡幸していた時に海の近くの山道で白澤（中国語でbai ze）に出会ったとされており、白澤は黄帝にこの世の妖怪の類は11,520種類であると語ったといわれている。黄帝は白澤の話した事を全て記録するよう命じ、その記録は白澤図として知られているが、残念な事にこれは現存しておらず複写も残っていない。

この聡明で福をもたらす白澤の画は江戸時代の日本で有名であり、魔除けやお守り、病魔除け、縁起物などに白澤の姿が描かれ、販売されていたという。

他の妖怪にも興味をもっていただけたなら、是非アマゾンから「The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons（百鬼夜行）」をどうぞ！