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Last Notes npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Snow at Miyajima' - Kawase Hasui, 1928. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Black Cat' - Hasegawa Sadanobu IV, late 1900s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Full print. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary One of the spookiest things in #JapaneseFolklore is the hyakki yagyo, or night parade of one hundred demons. On inauspicious nights, all the #yokai, ghosts and other supernatural creatures parade through the streets of Japan, singing and dancing wildly. For anyone foolish... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Black Cat Looking Straight Ahead' - Toshiyuki Enoki. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Oya Taro Mitsukuni' from the series 'One Hundred Ghost Stories from China and Japan' - Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1865. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Female Ghost with Sword' from 'The Complete Works of Chikamatsu' - Uemura Shoen, 1923. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary This print by Toyohara Chikanobu (1886) shows Lady Iga who was in service to Emperor GoDaigo. His palace in the mountains was haunted by a vengeful ghost. She confronted the spirit, and due to her bravery it disappeared and did not return. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Making Food' - Yamamoto Shoun. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Iga no Tsubone and the Ghost of Fujiwara Nakanari' from the series 'One Hundred Ghost Stories from China and Japan' - Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1865. From the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore Oitekebori is a strange apparition that takes the form of a human ghost. One evening, two fishermen were fishing in a canal in Tokyo and they were catching more fish than usual. As they were preparing to go home they heard an eerie voice coming from the canal... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In Japan, August is ghost season so I plan to share lots of ghostly Japanese art. This print by Katsushika Hokusai (1831) is titled 'The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji' and is from the series 'One Hundred Ghost Stories.' npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore Namazu is a giant catfish who lives under the islands of Japan and causes violent earthquakes. Once people prayed to the gods to stop the earthquakes and they searched everywhere for the cause, finally realising it was Namazu. Eventually the gods found... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Oiwa is a Japanese ghost, the vengeful spirit of a young woman betrayed by her husband. He disfigured her face in an attempt to get rid of her so he could marry a younger woman. She cursed the pair on her death and returned to haunt all who had betrayed her. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Owl on a Branch's - Katsushika Hokusai. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore there is a strong link between kitsune (foxes), agriculture and the worship of Inari. Inari is a kami (deity) of rice, farming, the harvest, and fertility, among other things. The worship of Inari became connected with foxes around... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Moon over Sekiguchi' - Takahashi Hiroaki, ca. 1930s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Night of Stars and Comets - Namiki Hajime,2005. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Egret' - Takahashi Biho, early 1900s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Owl' - Aoyama Masaharu, 1950. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Zhu Wu, One of the 108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin' - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1827. From the British Museum collection, 'Zhu Wu in a richly decorated robe, invokes magic powers to banish a small demon.' npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary My Lord Bag of Rice is a Japanese folktale about a brave man who met a beautiful woman on his travels who was actually a Dragon Princess in disguise. She was seeking his help to defeat a giant #yokai centipede who had terrorised her family. He accompanied her to the Dragon... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Path in the Forest' - Kitaoka Fumio, 2001. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary There is a strange Japanese tale from Shikoku Island about a fisherman named Yazaimon and a giant octopus. One day a giant octopus was having a sleep on a rock just off the coast of Kagawa. Yazaimon saw it there and thought how delicious it would be, so he climbed up... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'The Moon and Torii Gate' from the series 'Night Scenes' - Koho, ca. 1910-1930s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Tea House in the Night' - Takahashi Hiroaki, ca. 1936. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Summer in Itako' - Kawase Hasui, ca. 1945-46. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Diving Mallard (blue version)' - Ohara Koson, ca. 1910s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Owl and Cherry Blossoms' - Takahashi Biho, early 1900s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'In the Storm' - Kitagawa Utamaro, originally from Edo era, this is a re-carved edition from early 1900s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary If you are in a Japanese garden, you may want to keep an eye out for a #yokai known as namekujira, which translates as slug-whale. These giant slugs can be as big as humans, if not bigger. They crawl around gardens leaving extensive trails of thick, silvery slime. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary They can eat out a garden in minutes but can apparently be killed with salt just like regular slugs. The namekujira was first described during the Edo period in a book of pun-based whale yokai. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In China there is a folktale about a husband who learns of his wife’s infidelity from a magpie. He gave his wife a mirror which could turn into a magpie to tell the man what she had been up to. Consequently mirrors often had the design of a magpie on their back. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In Japanese mythology, one of the most famous tales is about the sun goddess Amaterasu. As a result of her brother Susanoo's dreadful behaviour towards her, she retreated into a cave causing the world to plunge into darkness. After much consideration the other gods came up... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Crow and Cherry Blossoms' - Imao Keinen, ca. 1930s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore there is a #yokai known as kotobuki, a chimera made up of parts of all 12 zodiac animals. It is believed that just having an image of this auspicious magical beast will protect you from sickness and disease and can even bring good fortune. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Spring At Kurama Temple' - Asano Takeji, 1953. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Cat and Frog' - unknown artist, ca. early 20th century. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Hachibei Myojin, a small tanuki shrine in Kyoto. You can read more about it in my article about tanuki here: open.substack.com/pub/curiouso... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary A collection of ukiyo-e prints from the series 'The War of Cats and Mice' by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1859. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In Japanese mythology the impetuous god Susanoo was banished from the heavens for his bad behaviour. He later became a hero when he saved his future wife Kushinadahime from an eight-headed dragon. Full story in thread below. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore kanashibari is the term used for sleep paralysis, which can feel like the real and dream worlds are mixing. In past times, this phenomenon was attributed to supernatural forces, and in some cases spirit possession by #yokai, particularly kitsune or tanuki. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Looking Out' - Takahashi Hiroaki, ca. 1930s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore there is a #yokai known as Azuki Arai. This ghostly phenomenon occurs near water, when the sound of azuki beans can be heard rattling and making a 'shoki shoki' sound. The spirit responsible often sings a song along the lines of 'should I wash my beans or... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore there is a tale about a couple who owned a cat. One day when the woman was putting on her make-up the cat came up to her and spoke, saying how pretty she was. She ran and told her husband what had happened and insisted that the cat must be some kind... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In Japan, Benzaiten is a goddess of many things including love and she is popular with those seeking romance. On Enoshima people visit the Ryuren Bell of Love, an area facing the sea where couples leave padlocks with their names on them and ring a bell together in... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In Japanese mythology, the god Susanoo married Kushinadahime, but they had a rather unusual courtship. It all started after Susanoo was expelled from the heavens after his terrible behaviour towards his sister Amaterasu. As he wandered on the earthly plain he came across a couple... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Bridge over Waterfall' - Takahashi Shotei, 1924. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore tomorokoshi no obake are deformities in ears of corn that transform them into #yokai. Temperature fluctuations can cause abnormalities in the corn, often resembling eyes, mouths or fur. These were once attributed to spirits that, while harmless, were... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Moon Over Lake Hakone' - Takahashi Hiroaki, ca. 1936. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In some Japanese folktales the villain is a type of #yokai known as yama uba, which can be translated as mountain hag or witch. In one tale the yama uba pretends to be the grandmother of two young children in order to lure them to her home. Once there she... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary I gave up waiting at home for the internet to be restored and visited my local library instead. My latest article all about the Japanese goddess Benzaiten has FINALLY been uploaded. It's longer than what I'll normally share but I hope people enjoy it anyway. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Swamp Bottom is a location in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. Chihiro leaves the bathouse and travels there with No-Face, Boh and Yubaba's bird. They board the sea railway and get off at the sixth stop to visit Zeniba. Their journey is my favourite movie scene of all time. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary Today the Hatsuuma festival is celebrated at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. It marks the anniversary of the establishment of the shrine and occurs each year on the first day of the horse according to the traditional calendar. People's visits to the shrine... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore when people vanished without a trace the disappearances were often blamed on evil #yokai. Sometimes victims were never seen again but in some cases missing people returned to the world days, months or years later, sometimes with no memory of their time... npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Sui-sho' - Kikugawa Eizan. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary In #JapaneseFolklore there is a famous folktale called 'Bunbuku Chagama' which is about a tanuki who shapeshifts into a tea kettle. It then periodically sprouts legs, a tail and a head and proceeds to dance around before returning to its regular kettle form. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Blue Bird on a Plum Tree' - Ohara Koson, ca. 1930s. npub1643jr92gmts9sa9xd9acltf2cpk2q75w2g2c7zlmh4rwazy0hadsp3wfgn curious ordinary 'Rain at Enryakuji Temple' - Asano Takeji, 1953.