Greetings yokai fans!

I hope you are all having a good holiday. New Years is just around the corner and I am preparing to head back to Japan to continue working on yokai!

Today I am posting the next set of microbial yokai. This posting covers two main types of these yokai, shu and shaku. We saw a kan no mushi last time and I talked a bit about that… Shu and shaku are hard to translate, so I ended up leaving their names as shu and shaku. The reason is because these are different types of bugs, and they are so tied in with Chinese magic that is becomes very hard to accurately translate them. I’ll try to do a bit of explanation here, before the posts.

Shaku have defined shapes and forms. They infect specific parts of the body each time, and are pin-pointable. Their illnesses are usually illness “of the blood” (a vague term in Chinese medicine, which I’m not advocating here, but just describing as the yokai are described in Edo-period textbooks!). The main idea behind this “theory” is that blood can become too hot or cold, or too slow, or too thin, and it causes various ailments. Shaku cause pain deep within the body. Shaku are tied to “in” (i.e. yin), the cosmic force of negativity and shadow.

Shu, on the other hand, do not have definite forms. They collect and dissipate, causing problems as they take various shapes. Shu cause pain on the surface of the body usually. Their ailments are not of the blood, but of the “ki” (another vague concept, called “chi” in Chinese, related to words like “reiki” — it basically means “energy”). Shu are related to “yo” (i.e. yang), the cosmic force of positivity and light.

If that’s a bit confusing, don’t worry, it is! If you read The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits you’ll be a little familiar with in and yo and the cosmic forces, but that’s such a deep and confusing subject that it would take a whole other Patreon project to delve into its meanings. For our purpses, we just care about the yokai 😉 but it helps a bit to get a basic explanation of the energies we’re going to be talking about with these “disease yokai.”

Anyway, on to the yokai!

Hishaku

脾積
ひしゃく

TRANSLATION: spleen shaku (a type of infection)

HABITAT: the spleen

APPEARANCE: Hishaku is a microbe which lives near the belly button and infects the spleen. It has a fuzzy, yellowish, bear-like body and a long red tongue. A large red pentagon-like shape appears on the hishaku’s side; this is a symbol of the belly button. Hishaku love sweets, and can’t get enough of them. They also have a fondness for humming and singing.

INTERACTIONS: Hishaku infections are most likely to occur during the changing of the seasons. This is because hishaku are related to the element of earth in Chinese element theory, and those days are also closely related to the element of earth.

Hishaku can be treated with acupuncture around the belly button.

Hinoshu

脾ノ聚
ひのしゅ

TRANSLATION: spleen shu (a type of infection)

HABITAT: the spleen

APPEARANCE: Hinoshu is a lumpy, rock-like microbial yōkai which infects the spleen.

INTERACTIONS: Hinoshu cause a lot of pain. When a hinoshu infection settles in, the victim feels as if they have fallen from a height onto an enormous boulder.

When an infection takes this form, it becomes very difficult to recover from this illness.  Traditionally, acupuncture is used to treat it.

You can view these guys at http://yokai.com/hinoshu/ and http://yokai.com/hishaku/

That’s all for now! More on January’s plans soon!

Oh, and by the way, there is a “hara no mushi” dance based on these critters. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNqV_oyNZCI&feature=youtu.be

Greetings yokai fans!

I hope the polar vortext is not making you too uncomfortable. It’s quite chilly here!

Of course in the cold weather, everyone seems to be catching colds, so it’s so appropriate that this month we’re looking at these “disease” yokai.

Our first three are ready. Hopefully you won’t catch one of them!

Haimushi http://yokai.com/haimushi/

肺虫

はいむし

TRANSLATION: lung worm, lung bug

HABITAT: the lungs

APPEARANCE: Haimushi is a tiny moth-like creature with a segmented body and four wings.

INTERACTIONS: Haimushi infect the lungs and cause various health problems. They are fond of cooked rice. If a haimushi leaves its host, the person will die and the haimushi will transform into a hitodama—a fiery orb which floats about in the sky.

A haimushi infection can be treated with byakujutsu, a traditional remedy made by burning the powdered root of the herb Atractylodes japonica.

Haishaku http://yokai.com/haishaku/

肺積

はいしゃく

TRANSLATION: lung mass, lung clump

HABITAT: the lungs

APPEARANCE: Haishaku is a lumpy creature that sticks in the lungs and causes sickness. Its nose opens directly into its lugs, so it is extremely sensitive to smells. Haishaku strongly dislike pleasant and foul smells. They prefer strong fishy and raw smells. They also love spicy food.

INTERACTIONS: People infected with haishaku have the same smell and taste preferences as the haishaku. They also commonly develop depression.

Haishaku infections can be treated with gentle and shallow acupuncture.

Kiukan http://yokai.com/kiukan/

キウカン

TRANSLATION: cow distemper

ALTERNATE NAMES: haikan (lung distemper)

HABITAT: the lungs

APPEARANCE: Kiukan is a type of kan no mushi—a creature which causes distemper and irritability in children. Kan no mushi can take many shapes and infect many parts of the body. A kiukan is a kan no mushi which takes the shape of a cow and infects the lungs.

INTERACTIONS: Kiukan tend to act up and cause stronger symptoms around mealtime. When a kan no mushi takes this form, recovery becomes more difficult. However, there are a number of ways to treat it with acupuncture.

Greetings, yokai fans!

Tonight I bring you the jikininki. I included a creepy little tale that I really like! It’s based on Lafcadio Hearn’s story about the jikininki as well as an old story from Ugetsu Monogatari. It’s got just the right amount of creepiness to it. I think you’ll like it!

http://yokai.com/jikininki/

食人鬼

じきにんき

TRANSLATION: human-eating ghost

HABITAT: old temples and ruins

DIET: human corpses

APPEARANCE: Jikininki are ghouls which feast on the bodies of the dead. They appear as ordinary humans for the most part, except their features are more monstrous. They have sharp, pointed teeth which they use to peel the flesh off of the recently deceased.

BEHAVIOR: Jikininki are found near villages, usually in abandoned temples or old ruins. They avoid excessive contact with humans, but remain close to human settlements, as humans are their main source of food. Jikininki gain their sustenance by devouring the flesh and bones of the recently deceased. They do not enjoy their existence and do not find pleasure in eating the dead. It merely temporarily relieves some of the pain of their eternal hunger.

Jikininki exist somewhere between the living and the dead. They exhibit some ghost-like traits; they and their dwellings are often invisible during the day, appearing only to unsuspecting travelers during the night. They usually hunt their prey at night as well, slipping into temples when the dead are lain there for funerary prayers.

ORIGINS: Jikininki are closely related to gaki—hungry ghosts of Buddhist cosmology who are constantly starving but unable to eat anything. A jikininki is born when a person performs evil deeds, corrupting his soul. Some jikiniki were corrupt priests who could not properly pass on after their deaths. Others were once humans who, for some reason or another, developed a taste for human flesh. As time went on and they continued eating people, they gradually transformed into these monsters. 

LEGENDS: Long ago, a monk named Musō Soseki was traveling on a pilgrimage when he became lost deep in the mountains. As day began to fade, he came across a dilapidated old hermitage, where an elderly monk gave him directions to a village not far away. Soseki traveled on, and just as night fell he arrived in the village.

The son of the village chief welcomed Soseki and invited him to stay in his house as a guest. “However,” he said, “my father passed away earlier today. In our village, we have a custom. When one of us dies, we all must spend the night away from the village. If we do not do this, we will be cursed. But you are tired from your journey, and seeing as you are a priest, and also not a member of this village, I see no reason why you too must leave. Please feel free to stay in my house this night while the rest of us leave the village.” Soseki gratefully accepted. The villagers all left the village, and Soseki was alone.

That night, the monk recited funerary prayers over the body of the village chief. All of a sudden, he felt a presence nearby. Soseki felt his body freeze up, and he was unable to move. Then, a dark, hazy shape crept through the house and up to the body. The creature devoured the remains of the village chief, and then slipped away as quietly as it had arrived.

The following morning, when the villagers returned, Soseki told them what he had seen during the night. The village chief’s son told him that this was just as the local legends say. Soseki was surprsied, and asked why the monk living in the hermitage did not perform the funeral prayers for the village. The village chief’s son seemed confused. “There is no hermitage nearby. What’s more, there haven’t been any monks in this region for many generations…”

Soseki traced his steps through the mountains to the old hermitage he had seen the night before. The old monk welcomed him into the hovel and told him, “I apologize for showing you such a sight last night. The monster you saw in the village chief’s house was me. Long, long ago I was a priest. I lived in that village, and I performed many funeral services for the dead. However, all I could think of was the payment for my services, and not the souls of the deceased. Because of my lack of conviction, when I died I was reborn as a jikininki. Now, I am forced to feed off the bodies of the dead. Please, save my soul and release me from my torment!”

In that instant, the elderly monk and the dilapidated old hermitage both disappeared. Soseki was sitting on the dirt, surrounded by tall grass. The only feature nearby was an ancient, moss-covered gravestone.

Greetings yokai fans! And happy Thanksgiving!

On Thanksgiving my mother always pull old decorations out of the attic, such as a cornucopia, a teddy bear riding a sled, and some cute little sewn mice wearing pilgrim hats, among other things. These are Thanksgiving staples, and have been in my family since as long as I can remember; probably even before I was born. But every year it’s a welcoming sight to see the same old decorations layed out for Thanksgiving.

If this were old Japan, some of those things would probably become tsukumogami. I can imagine those little mice running around, stabbing at wooden turkeys and plastic fruits with their miniature forks and knives…

Today’s yokai sort of fits that theme, with a little bit of added mischief (“Hey! Who moved this piece?! I know it was one of you…”). It’s not Thanksgiving-related itself, of course, but it has that same quality. As a kid I always wanted to play with those objects, but since they were old I was told they weren’t toys for me to play with. Just like the kaichigo would be told about the precious shells he is playing with. I think the colors are quite Thanksgiving-y as well, so it’s a good post to share today.

You can read the post on yokai.com too: http://yokai.com/kaichigo/

 Kaichigo

貝児
かいちご

TRANSLATION: shell boy
HABITAT: decorative shell boxes
DIET: none

APPEARANCE: Kaichigo is the spirit of a shell box come to life. It takes the form of a small, doll-like boy in a kimono.

BEHAVIOR: Kaichigo haunt the shell boxes used to store beautiful and expensive painted shells. They come out when nobody is around and play with the shells, flipping them over and moving them around into different positions.

ORIGIN: Kaichigo’s origins lie in kaiawase (“shell matching”), a popular Heian period game which uses painted seashells. Beautiful shells of the right size and color were collected and decorated, their insides lined with gold and painted with scenes from popular stories, such as The Tale of Genji. The two halves of the same shell would be painted with the same scene, and players of the game would try to match the two sides. Beautifully decorated shell boxes, or kaioke, were used to store the shells while not in use. Kaiawase gradually became replaced by similar matching games, such as karuta, which use less exquisite playing pieces. The kaioke and shells themselves came to be viewed as precious art objects instead of toys. Because each shell half will perfectly fit its matching half and no other, expensive kaiawase sets came to be used as wedding dowries—symbolizing a perfect and unique match between bride and groom. Some boxes have been passed down from mother to daughter over and over for centuries. Those kaioke which have been around for a very long time and are no longer used as games begin to resent their existence. They grow restless and want to be played with once again, and develop a soul: the kaichigo.

Greetings yokai fans!

After a difficult and stressful election campaign, I think we all need a yokai to cheer us up. Fortunately, today’s yokai does just that!

腹出し

はらだし

T<small>RANSLATION</small>: belly exposer
H<small>ABITAT</small>: old temples and homes
D<small>IET</small>: unknown, but has a fondness for sake

A<small>PPEARANCE</small>: Haradashi is a goofy-looking yōkai that can change into various different forms. Occasionally a haradashi will appear as a headless torso with arms, legs, and comical facial features on its belly. Other times it looks like a kind, elderly nun, or a goofy female monster with long black hair. Whatever form it takes, the defining characteristic of a haradashi is the large, silly-looking face which appears on the creature’s enormous stomach.

B<small>EHAVIOR</small>: Unlike most yōkai, haradashi do not do anything harmful. They are cheerful and agreeable yokai, and enjoy amusing others and cheering people up. They frequently disguise themselves as ordinary humans and then use their belly faces to surprise people and make them laugh.

I<small>NTERACTIONS</small>: Haradashi appear to sad and lonely individuals, particularly those who are at home drinking alone. Haradashi will slip into these peoples’ houses to cheer them up. When offered a drink, a haradashi happily accepts it, and then bares its belly and performs a ridiculous dance. Those who entertain a haradashi in their homes find that their troubles and worries vanish, and they become filled with hopes and dreams.

Haradashi don’t only perform house calls. They make their homes in old temples and invite in those who need help. They call out to people who are lost or seeking shelter from the snow or rain, and invite them to stay the night in their temple. A haradashi will present its guest with a warm room and a hearty meal, and of course entertain with its signature belly dance.

Greetings yokai fans!

I’ve been so busy preparing for Comic Con in Baltimore this weekend that I wasn’t able to finish the writeup for August’s last yokai until today! So here it is, just half a day late. Tennyo, the celestial maiden:

天女

てんにょ

TRANSLATION: heavenly woman, celestial woman

HABITAT: Tendō, the realm of heaven in Buddhist cosmology

DIET: as a human

APPEARANCE: Tennyo are extraordinarily beautiful creatures who resemble human women. Aside from their unparalleled grace and elegance, and supernaturally attractive faces and figures, there is little way to differentiate them from ordinary women. They wear beautiful gowns called hagoromo (literally “feather cloth”), which allow them to fly.

BEHAVIOR: Tennyo are servants and courtesans for the emperor of heaven, and companions of buddhas and bodhisattvas. They sing, dance, play music, recite poetry, and do much of the same things as their earthly counterparts in human imperial courts; though they do them all with more grace, refinement, and beauty. They aid and entertain the other inhabitants of heaven, and they even occasionally fly down to earth to visit.

ORIGIN: Tennyo are a female-only subgroup of tennin, one of many celestial races native to Tendō. They are based on the Indian apsaras, celestial nymphs from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They were brought to China from India along with Buddhism, where they developed into the tennyo we know today. The Chinese Buddhist tennyo was later brought over to Japan.

LEGENDS: Tennyo are a popular subject of folklore throughout all of Japan. Legends often involve love stories and marriage between tennyo and human men. The most famous story is the Noh play Hagoromo.

Long ago, in what is today Shizuoka, a fisherman named Hakuryō was walking along the pine-covered beaches of the Miho peninsula. It was a beautiful spring morning, and Hakuryō stopped for a moment to admire the beautiful white sand, the sparkling waves, the fluffy clouds, and the fishing ships on the bay. A pleasant fragrance filled the air, and it seemed that ethereal music was dancing on the winds. Something caught his eye; draped over a nearby pine branch was a robe of the most splendid fabric he had ever seen. It was made of a soft, feathery material, and was woven in fantastic colors, so he decided to take it home and keep it as a family heirloom.

Just as Hakuryō was preparing to leave, a young woman of breathtaking beauty appeared in the nude before him. She had flowers in her hair, and smelled just as beautiful as she looked. She said that he was holding her hagoromo robe, and asked him to return it. Hakuryō realized that this beautiful maiden was a tennyo. He refused to return to robe, saying it would bring good luck and fortune to his village.

The woman grew sad, and lamented that she would not be able to fly home to heaven without her robe. She dropped to her knees and cried, her tears falling like beautiful pearls into the sand. The flowers in her hair wilted. She looked up at the clouds above, and heard a flock of geese flying by, which only saddened her more as they reminded her of the celestial karyōbinga birds back home in heaven.

Hakuryō was moved by the beautiful maiden’s sadness. He told her that he would return her robe, but first she must perform a celestial dance for him. She agreed to perform the dance, but told Hakuryō that she needed her hagoromo to perform the dance. Hakuryō refused to return the robe. He thought she would just fly off to heaven without performing for him. The tennyo replied to him that deception was a part of his world, not hers, and that her kind do not lie. Hakuryō felt shame, and returned the dress to her.

The tennyo donned her hagoromo and performed the dance of the Palace of the Moon. She was accompanied by celestial music, flutes, koto, and the wind in the pines. The moon shown through the trees and sweet fragrances filled the air. The waves grew calm and peaceful. Her long sleeves danced upon the wind, and she danced in sheer joy. As she danced, she slowly floated up into the sky. She flew over the beach, higher and higher, above the pines, through the clouds, and beyond the top of Mt. Fuji. She disappeared into the mists of heaven.

http://yokai.com/tennyo/

Greetings, yokai fans!

I’m back from Maine, and it was a great vacation (when I wasn’t getting eaten alive by biting flies that is!). I managed to do quite a bit of painting, and finished this one up over the week. I finished the writeup tonight, after getting home, and am ready to post it to share with all of you. If you remember the ashura entry from the Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits, or are interested in Japanese Buddhism, this should be even more interesting. I hope you enjoy it!

迦楼羅
かるら

TRANSLATION: derived from the Hindu deity Garuda
ALTERNATE NAMES: konjichō (golden winged bird)
HABITAT: Shumisen (aka Mount Meru)
DIET: dragons and poisonous serpents

APPEARANCE: Karura are a race of enormous, fire-breathing demigods. They are humanoid in appearance, with the heads and wings of eagles. They have red skin, and red and gold feathers. Karura are fearsome. They breath fire from their beaks. The flapping of their wings sounds like thunder, and creates gusts of wind so strong they can dry up lakes, knock down houses, and cover entire cities in darkness. Their gigantic wingspans are 330 yojanas wide, and they can leap 3,360,000 li in a single bound. (The lengths of one yojana and one li vary greatly from country to country and era to era—a yojana can measure anywhere between 1.6 km to over 13 km long, and one li can measure anywhere between 400 m and 3.9 km.)

BEHAVIOR: Karura live in Tendō, the realm of heaven. They can be found on Shumisen (known as Mount Meru in English), a sacred mountain with five peaks which exists at the center the universe. They make their homes in trees, and live in cities rules by kings. They are the mortal enemies of the naga—a group of beings which includes dragons and serpents—and feed upon them as their main diet.

INTERACTIONS: Karura are are worshiped in some branches of esoteric Buddhism. Because karura are the enemies of dragons and serpents, they are seen as a counter to things associated with these creatures. They are guardians who keep venomous snakes and dragons away. They protect against poison and disease. They are even helpful against excessive rains and typhoons. Because they are such fierce predators, they are also viewed as destroyers of sin, devouring the spiritual impurities of the faithful just as they devour dragons.

ORIGIN: Karura comes from the Hindu deity Garuda, a giant eagle who served as the mount of Vishnu. Garuda was incorporated into Buddhist folklore, where he became a race of powerful eagle-like devas. They were then later brought along with Buddhism to China, and finally to Japan. The name karura comes from the Japanese pronunciation of Garuda.

Karura are considered to be one of the hachi bushū, the eight legions. These are the eight classes of supernatural beings who were converted to Buddhism by Buddha. The eight races of the hachi bushū are the ten (aka deva in Sanskrit), tatsu (aka naga), yasha (aka yaksa), kendatsuba (aka gandharva), ashura (aka asura), karura (aka garuda), kinnara (aka kimnara), and magoraka (aka mahoraga). All of these creatures are inhabitants of Tendō (the highest state of existence) except for the ashura, who live in Ashuradō (the third highest state of existence).

http://yokai.com/karura/