Greetings yokai fans!

I’m sharing a bonus yokai this month, since there’s still a few days left in April.

Minokedachi is a yokai from the Hyakki yagyo emake I showed on A-Yokai-A-Day a few years ago. He hasn’t made it into my books or yokai.com yet, so I thought it was time to put him up onto the site.

Enjoy!

身の毛立
みのけだち

Translation: standing-up body hair
Alternate names: jūjūbō

Appearance: Minokedachi are ugly spirits which resemble hairy old men. Their bodies are covered in short, bristly hairs which stand up on end–the feature which this yōkai is named for. Their backs are hunched over, their arms are curled up like claws, and their lips are pursed in a pensive, unpleasant way, like someone who has something to complain about.

Behavior: Minokedachi are mysterious, and little is known of their behavior. Some have theorized that they haunt people and cause them to whinge and gripe incessantly about things. Another theory is that that since hair stands up on end as a result of fear, this yōkai may be a spirit of either fear or cowardice.

Origin: Minokedachi appears in a number of old yōkai picture scrolls, such as the Matsui Bunko Hyakki yagyo emaki, and Bakemono tsukushi emaki. Like many of the yōkai appearing in those scrolls, it appears in picture form only, with no story or verbal description whatsoever.

Greetings yokai fans!

Today I share with you the ten, or tenbu. As I mentioned earlier this week, this particular ten is named Bonten in Japanese, or Brahma in Sanskrit. You can usually recognize Bonten by his four heads, four arms, and his sedan chair of four geese. He also carries a hossu, a horsehair whip which is a Buddhist tool for peaceful swatting insects away while meditating (because splatting the insects and killing them would be a sin, and defeat the entire purpose of meditating). He also carries a spear for vanquishing ignorance, and a lotus to represent enlightenment. The four heads keep a vigilant watch in all four directions for the enemies of wisdom.

Bonten also often appears in a much more normal human form, with only one head, etc. The version above is popular in more esoteric forms of Buddhism. I ended up going with this form because I thought it would look impressive alongside the other Hindu-Buddhist beings up on the website right now, and set ten above the others as something truly special and powerful. This particular seated Bonten is based on a famous wooden Bonten from Toji, Kyoto. (It is also a National Treasure.)

On a side note, the post office still doesn’t have a date for when mail will be resumed, so unfortunately your April postcards and prints are still with me, unable to ship out. I will send everything out as soon as they can be sent, so in the meantime please don’t fret your lack of a yokai postcard this month.

天
てん

Translation: deva, celestial, god
Alternate names: tenbu, tennin, tenshu
Habitat: Tendō, the realm of heaven in Buddhist cosmology
Diet: not required, but some of them do eat and drink for pleasure

Appearance: Ten are a race of celestial beings in Buddhist cosmology. They inhabit Tendō, the highest of the six realms of existence in Buddhist cosmology. They are the most powerful celestial beings in existence, and rank below only the buddhas and bodhisattvas in Buddhist hierarchy. Many ten are revered as gods in Japan.

In general, ten resemble humans in appearance. They are often depicted with brightly colored skin, fearsome expressions, and gargantuan in size. Many ten have multiple forms, incorporating them have animalian body parts, or multiple heads and limbs. They often emit light from their bodies, and are capable of great magical feats. Ten are usually depicted wearing flowing robes or decorative armor and weapons. Specific ten are often identifiable in artwork using unique iconography, such as the animals they ride or the objects that they carry.

In a general sense, the term ten can refer to any of the inhabitants of Tendō. Sometimes all celestial beings in general–including the ashura, who do not dwell in Tendō–are included in this term. Other times, ten refers only to specific celestial beings–such as those who are worshiped as gods–while excluding the less powerful inhabitants of heaven.

Behavior: Ten are superior to humans in every way. They are stronger, longer lived, and in general much happier than humans. They can fly, they don’t require food (although some choose to eat and drink). They live in societies, and lead lives that are similar to human lives, just on a much larger scale and with far greater passions.

Despite their godlike existence, ten–like humans–eventually grow old, die, and are reincarnated. Their state of extreme bliss and power inevitably gives way to suffering. In some ways, the great passions they experience can serve as a distraction to enlightenment. They are susceptible to corruption and temptation by evil spirits. They can be overcome with feelings of pride or jealousy. As a result, after they die they might be reborn into a much worse state of existence. In this way, ten are still considered inferior to the buddhas and bodhisattvas, who have broken free from the cycle of rebirth.

Interactions: Ten are invisible to humans, except to those who have focused their mind so much that they are able to see all things as they truly are. Such people are said to have tengen–the heavenly eye. Such enlightened people can see beings from other planes, like ten, and hear their voices.

Origin: The Japanese word ten is analogous to the Sanskrit word deva, and the Buddhist devas all have Japanese counterparts in the ten. Part of the reason for Buddhism’s widespread popularity across East Asia can be attributed to its tendency to absorb local religions and customs and reinterpret them in Buddhist terms. In Buddhist mythology, the devas were originally worshipped as gods in India, but were so impressed with the Buddha’s power and compassion that they swore allegiance to Buddha as protectors of the faith. Thus, the gods of Hinduism were adapted into Buddhism early on. When Buddhism entered China, it syncretized with Chinese folk religion, and Chinese gods were interpreted as versions of the same beings found in Indian religions. Similarly, when Buddhism came to Japan, many Shintō kami were interpreted as local manifestations of buddhas and devas.

Among the ten that are the most well known in Japan are the shichifukujin (“seven lucky gods”)–Ebisu, Daikokuten, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Fukurokuju, Jurojin, Hotei–and the shitennō (“four heavenly kings”)–Jikokuten, Zōchōten, Kōmokuten, Tamonten.

Greetings yokai fans!

This week’s yokai is kendatsuba. There’s only a few more of these Buddhist spirits to go before I’ve got the whole hachibushu completed. Next time you visit a Buddhist temple, keep your eyes out for these guys. You can usually tell them because they have animal parts; sometimes a lion hood, other times a horse’s head or bird’s feathers!

Kendatsuba

乾闥婆
けんだつば

Translation: gandharva; musical demigods from Indian cosmology
Alternate names: jikikō (“scent eater”), kōjin (“scent god”)
Habitat: the heavens
Diet: incense and fragrant herbs

Appearance: Kendatsuba are demigods who are renowned for their musical talents. They usually appear as male humans, and are occasionally depicted as having animal body parts. They nature spirits, connected with trees and flowers, and can fly. They are revered as patron spirits of music and medicine, and as holy guardians who protect children from sickness and danger.

Behavior: Kendatsuba feed only on pleasant smells, such as incense trees and fragrant herbs. They serve other gods as singers, musicians, and messengers. Although they are artistic spirits, kendatsuba can also be violent. They often serve yasha as fearsome warriors.

Interactions: Long ago, kendatsuba were among the many nature spirits who were seen as an impediment to spiritual enlightenment. This was because they would disturb monks meditating in the forests and mountains. However, they converted to Buddhism after hearing the Buddha’s sermon, and pledged to no longer bother humans. They joined the hachibushū—eight races of divine beings who serve as warriors and spiritual guardians. They became defenders of the Buddhist faith, using their music to guide humans on their spiritual paths.

Origin: Kendatsuba come from Hindu mythology, where they are known as gandharva. Gandharva are spirits of the trees and flowers who are renowned for their skills in horsemanship, music, and illusion. They are the male counterparts and husbands of the apsaras (who are known as tennyo in Japan). They are also the keepers of a sacred hallucinogenic drink called soma. In Buddhism, they are viewed as celestial musicians, servants of the gods, and protectors of the teachings of Buddhism. Because they are closely tied to incense, herbs, and soma, they came to be viewed as gods of medicine as well.

The most famous depiction of a kendatsuba in Japanese art is found in the Hekijae (“The Extermination of Evil”) paintings, a National Treasure of Japan which depicts wrathful deities destroying evil spirits. In one of the paintings, Sendan Kendatsuba, the king of the kendatsuba, is shown decapitating hordes of demons with his trident in order to protect children and babies from harm.