minzoku NEO-shintô A Book of Little Traditions |
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ToCminzoku shintôminkandenshôThe Others | ||
yôkai 09 / 20 / 2020
yô (attractive, bewitching, calamity)
kai (suspicious, mystery, apparition) ❖ (ghost; apparition; phantom; spectre; specter; demon; monster; goblin) ❖ Something strange, suspicious, or mysterious such as a spirit, ghost, demon, or other 'supernatural' creature ❖ Also called ayashii, ayakashi
aya.shii (attractive, bewitching, calamity)
aya.shii (suspicious, mystery, apparition) ayakashi (ghost that appears at sea during a shipwreck, something strange or suspicious, noh mask for roles involving dead or ghost characters) tsukumogami Old or discarded artifact spirits
hen (change, strange, unusual)
ge | ke (change, delude, enchant, influence, take the form of) ❖ goblin, ghost, apparition, bugbear ❖ Animal shape-shifters with the ability to take on human form ❖ kitsune, tanuki, tengu, ryû
hito.tsu (one)
me (eye) ko- (small, little) zô | sô (monk, priest) ❖ (one-eyed boys) ❖ Roughly the size of ten-year-old children, their most distinctive feature is a single, giant eye peering from the center of the face, along with a long tongue ❖ They are relatively harmless creatures, content to run about frightening human beings or telling loud people to be quiet (they enjoy silence)
inu (dog)
gami | kami (soul, mind, kami) ❖ (Literally: dog kami) ❖ Similar to a familiar spirit, resembling, and usually originating from, a dog ❖ Most commonly carrying out vengeance or acting as guardians on behalf of the inugami-mochi, (inugami owner)
iso (rocky beach, seashore)
onna (woman) iso (beach, rock, shore) onna (woman) ❖ (woman of the rocky shores) ❖ Has a slit mouth ❖ Attacks and eats people
kai (suspicious, mystery, apparition)
jû (animal, beast) ❖ (Literally: strange beast) ❖ A monster
kap (river)
pa (juvenile, child) ❖ (water-dwelling creature, excellent swimmer, cucumber) ❖ A water creature that lures people into rivers and ponds, and then drowns them ❖ Has a fondness for cucumbers
ko- (tree, wood)
dama | tama (spirit, soul) ❖ (tree spirit) ❖ A spirit believed to live in certain trees ❖ Cutting down a tree which houses it is thought to bring misfortune, and such trees are often marked with shimenawa
nurarikurari (an onomatopoeia for lazy, evasive, non-commital, slippery as an eel)
hyon (onomatopoeia for floating upwards) written with kanji for gourd (due to shape of his head) ❖ nurarihyon (slippery gourd) ❖ A portmanteau word ❖ A yôkai that cannot be caught ❖ Originally, a head shaped orb floating in the seto sea, bobbing just out of reach ❖ Said to originate from wakayama Prefecture ❖ Also believed to be descended from the umibôzu of okayama Prefecture ❖ Later an old man with a head shaped like a gourd ❖ Also pronounced nûrihyon
o (honorable)
ba.ke (change, take the form of, influence, enchant) ❖ (Literally: a thing that changes) ❖ yôkai in Japanese folklore that transform or shapeshift ❖ Also called bakemono, obakemono
ba.ke (change, take the form of, influence, enchant)
mono (thing, object) o (honorable) written with kanji or hiragana ba.ke (change, take the form of, influence, enchant) mono (thing, object)
ba.ke (change, take the form of, influence, enchant)
neko (cat) ❖ (ghost-cat able to appear in disguise) ❖ A cat with supernatural abilities ❖ A cat may become a bakeneko if it: lives over 13 years, is kept for a certain number of years, reaches one kan (3.75 kilograms) in weight, or is allowed to keep a long tail ❖ Also called maneki-neko
mane.ki (beckon, invite, summon)
neko (cat) ❖ (Literally: beckoning cat)
neko (cat)
mata (crotch, forked) ❖ Two-tailed monster cat
❖ (serpent, snake)
❖ Protect against illness, disaster, bad fortune and like the dragon can bring rain ❖ Snakes can transform into human forms, usually that of a vengeful, jealous or wronged woman
shiro (white)
hebi (serpent, snake) ❖ A messenger of kami ❖ White snakes are associated with ujagin, benzaiten, suijin, and inari
jo (female, woman)
rô (son) jorô (prostitute, entertainment woman) gumo | kumo (spider) ❖ (literally: prostitute spider) ❖ The last two kanji both mean spider ❖ A spider that can change its appearance into that of a seductive woman
❖ (fox)
❖ Foxes are usually considered bad omens, but white, black or nine-tailed foxes can be good omens from the Kami
aka (red)
gitsune | kitsune (fox) ❖ Red fox ❖ Vulpes vulpes
gin (silver)
gitsune | kitsune (fox) ❖ Silver fox ❖ Vulpes vulpes
hok (north)
kyoku (pole, extreme, extremity) hokkyoku (north pole, arctic) gitsune | kitsune (fox) ❖ Polar fox, arctic fox ❖ Alopex lagopus
jû (ten)
ji (character, letter, word) gitsune | kitsune (fox) ❖ Or jûji gitsune ❖ (Literally ten character fox) ❖ Refers to a cross-shaped pattern on its shoulders
kita (north)
kitsune (fox) ❖ Northern fox ❖ Vulpes vulpes schrencki
kitsune (fox)
mo.chi (hold, keep possession, in charge) ❖ Possession of fox power by a human being
kitsune (fox)
tsuka.i (use, usage) ❖ Use of fox power by a human being
kitsune (fox)
tsu.ki (haunt, possess) ❖ Possession by a fox
kuro (black)
gitsune | kitsune (fox) ❖ Black fox ❖ Vulpes vulpes
kyû (nine)
bi (tail, end) no (possesive particle) kitsune (fox) ❖ Nine-tailed fox ❖ Fox spirit ❖ Kitsune are said to be more powerful the more tails they have
shiro (white)
gitsune | kitsune (fox) ❖ White fox ❖ Vulpes vulpes ❖ White foxes are associated with inari as his messengers
❖ (badger)
❖ Shape-shifters ❖ They are frequently confused with tanuki ❖ They are mostly mischievous and seem to enjoy deceiving people
❖ (raccoon-dog)
❖ Related to Chinese fox lore ❖ Shape-shifters with supernatural powers, specializing in illusory magic ❖ They have mischievous tendencies ❖ Frequently depicted as having a big belly & giant scrotum, and holding a sake bottle ❖ They use belly drumming to lure the unwary astray
ten (heavens, sky, imperial)
gu | ku (dog, puppy) tengu (long-nosed henge) ❖ (Literally: heavenly dogs) ❖ Sometimes worshipped as kami ❖ Take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics ❖ Appears in art in a large number of shapes, but it usually falls somewhere between a large, monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being ❖ Often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose
dai (great, big, large)
ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) ❖ (great tengu) ❖ Also called oo-tengu, hanataka-tengu
ô (great, big, large)
ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) hana (nose, snout) taka (tall, high, quantity, amount) hanataka (high nose, tall nose, pride) ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy)
ko- (small, little)
ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) ❖ (small tengu) ❖ Also called karasu-tengu, koppa-tengu, konoha-tengu
karasu (crow, raven)
ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) ko- (tree, wood) ha (leaf, lobe, needle, blade) koppa (foliage) ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) konoha (foliage) ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy)
kawa (river, stream)
ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) ❖ (river tengu) ❖ A water-dwelling tengu ❖ Creates strange fireballs and is a nuisance to fishermen
shiba (lawn, turf)
ten (heavens, sky, imperial) gu | ku (dog, puppy) ❖ (lawn tengu) ❖ A small child-like being who loves sumo-wrestling and sometimes dwells in the water
tsuchi (earth, ground, soil)
gumo | kumo (spider) ❖ (ground spider) ❖ The last two kanji both mean spider ❖ A spider that can change its appearance into that of a small boy or a beautiful woman
❖ (wolf)
❖ Generally honest and if dealt with properly, benevolent ❖ Also called okuri-inu, okuri-ôkami, yama-inu
oku.ri (see off, send off, escort)
inu (dog) okuri-inu (escorting dog) oku.ri (see off, send off, escort) ôkami (wolf) okuri-ôkami (escorting wolf) yama (mountain) inu (dog) yama-inu (mountain dog)
❖ (orge, demon, ghost / also fierce, relentless, merciless) Buddhist
❖ A mountain-dwelling ogre, usually depicted with red, blue, brown or black skin, two horns on its head, a wide mouth filled with fangs, and wearing nothing but a tigerskin loincloth ❖ Often carries an iron club or a giant sword ❖ (See setsubun)
shiki (know, write, discriminating)
gami (mind, soul, kami) shiki | shoku (employment, work) gami (mind, soul, kami) shiki (style, ceremony, rite, function, method, system, form, expression) gami (mind, soul, kami) ❖ Form of magic or divination (e.g. animating objects to act as the sorcerer's agent) ❖ A kind of spirit summoned to serve an onmyô-ji a practitioner of onmyô-dô ❖ Although invisible, shikigami supposedly could, at the Onmyô-ji's command, take a variety of human or animal forms, possess or bewitch people, and even cause bodily harm or death ❖ Also called shiki-no-kami
shiki (know, write, discriminating)
no (possesive particle) kami (that which inspires feelings of reverence, awe, gratitude, fear/terror)
shô(orangutan) / (iteration mark)
shôjô (orangutan) ❖ A small sea spirit ❖ Monkey like with reddish skin and orange fur ❖ Likes dancing, merrymaking, and especially drinking sake
umi (sea, ocean)
bôzu (Buddhist priest, bonsô) ❖ (sea priest) ❖ A sea spirit ❖ Appears to sailors on calm seas which quickly turn violent ❖ Appears and disappears in the oceans, often at night ❖ Destroys ships or drowns sailors ❖ Also called umihôshi, uminyûdô
umi (sea, ocean)
hôshi (Buddhist priest, bonsô) umihôshi (sea priest) umi (sea, ocean) nyûdô (entering the priesthood, priest, monk) uminyûdô (sea monk)
yû (faint, dark, dim)
rei (soul, spirit) ❖ (ghost) ❖ Spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife ❖ Also called bôrei, shiryô
bô (deceased, the late, dying, perish)
rei (soul, spirit) bôrei (ruined or departed spirit) shi (death, die) ryô (soul, spirit) shiryô (dead spirit) Exorcism The easiest way to exorcise a yûrei is to help it fulfill its purpose
❖ Accomplished by family members enacting revenge upon the yûrei's slayer ❖ Or when the ghost consummates its passion/love with its intended lover ❖ Or when its remains are discovered and given a proper burial with all rites performed ❖ Malicious yûrei are repelled by an ofuda ❖ ofuda must generally be placed on the yûrei's forehead to banish it ❖ ofuda can be attached to a house's entry ways to prevent the yûrei from entering
ai (love, affection)
ryô (spirit, soul) ❖ Ghost bound to this world by love
aku (evil, wickedness)
ryô (spirit, soul) ❖ (bad spirit) ❖ Evil ghost or devil-like spirit
ame (hard candy, toffee)
kai (buying, shopping) amekai (candy buying) yû (secluded, dark, obscured) rei (soul, spirit) yûrei (ghost) ❖ (candy buying ghost) ❖ Ghost of a mother who buys candy for her still living child
ashi (foot, leg)
no (possesive particle) nai (not, verb-negating suffix) ashinonai (footless) yû (secluded, dark, obscured) rei (spirit, soul) yûrei (ghost) ❖ (footless ghost) ❖ The lower extremities of Japanese ghosts frequently fade into nothing
a (flatter, fawn upon, corner, nook, recess / ateji)
shu (discipline, conduct oneself well, study, master / ateji) ra (gauze, thin silk / ateji) ❖ (warrior ghost) ❖ Ghost of a warrior who died in battle ❖ See ashura (Skt: Asura - fighting demon) ❖ Also called shura mono
shura (abbreviated form of ashura)
mono (thing, object) ❖ noh play about a warrior ghost
ei (great, noble, heroic)
rei (soul, spirit) ❖ Spirit of the war dead ❖ Spirit of a hero
funa (boat, ship)
yû (secluded, obscured) rei (spirits, soul) yûrei (ghost) ❖ Ghost of a person who died at sea ❖ Usually tries to sink the ship of those who see them
fu (float)
yû (play, move freely) fuyû (floating, wandering, suspension) rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (wandering spirit) ❖ Ghost not bound to a place or person
ga (starve, hungry, thirst)
ki (ghost, devil) ❖ (hungry ghost) Buddhist ❖ Jealous or greedy people in a previous life ❖ As a result of their gô (karma), they are afflicted with an insatiable hunger for a particular substance or object ❖ (See rokudô / gaki)
go (honorable)
ryô (spirits, soul) ❖ Powerful spirits of the dead that are feared if they have been wronged ❖ Vengeful ghost
go (honorable)
ryô (spirits, soul) shin (kami) ❖ The vengeful spirits of those who have died accidental deaths, or while bearing discontents, regrets or unfulfilled longings
on (grudge, show resentment, be jealous)
ryô (spirits, soul) ❖ Vengeful ghost who come back for a wrong done to them during their lifetime
hito (person)
dama | tama (soul, spirit) ❖ (disembodied soul, supernatural fiery ball) ❖ Mysterious lights accompanying other kairikiranshin
hone (bone)
onna (woman) ❖ (bone woman) ❖ An airyô that has sex with a man and is revealed as a corpse afterwards
iki (life, genuine, birth)
ryô (spirits, soul) ❖ (living spirit) ❖ Living creatures possessed by extraordinary jealousy or rage release their spirit as a living ghost that enacts its will ❖ Frequently, they are not aware that they are doing this
ji | chi (place, earth, ground, land, soil)
baku (bind, tie, restrain) rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (earth-bound spirit) ❖ A ghost bound to a certain place, usually the place of its death
jiki (eat, food)
nin (person) ki (ghost, devil) ❖ (human eating ghost) Buddhist ❖ Greedy, selfish or impious individuals who are cursed after death to seek out and eat human corpses ❖ Also called rasetsuten
ra (gauze)
setsu (temple) ten (heavens, sky) ❖ rasetsu-ten (Skt. Raksasa) ❖ (See jûni-ten rasetsu-ten)
ko (child)
soda.te (rear, raise, bring up, grow up) kosoda.te (child rearing) yû (secluded, dark, obscured) rei (spirit, soul) yûrei (ghost) ❖ (child rearing ghost) ❖ Ghost of a mother who returns from the grave to raise her living child
mono (thing, object)
no (possessive particle) ke (suspicious, mystery, apparition) ❖ (vengeful ghost or spectre) ❖ As in Studio Ghibli's mononoke-hime
mono (thing, object)
no (possessive particle) ke (suspicious, mystery, apparition) hime (princess) ❖ (vengeful spectre princess)
mô (the late, deceased, dying, perish)
jya | ja (person, someone) ❖ (deceased person) ❖ The dead
mô (the late, deceased, dying, perish)
jya (person, someone) fune (ship, boat, watercraft, vessel) ❖ (ship of the dead) ❖ Appears to those who go fishing the night of the bon matsuri
shin (heart, mind, spirit)
rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (heart spirit) ❖ Preferred term by Japanese spiritualists for spirits
shin | kami (that which inspires feelings of reverence, awe, gratitude, fear/terror)
rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (shrine spirits / divine spirits) ❖ Spirits of shintô shrines
shi (death, die)
ryô (spirit, soul) ❖ (spirit of a dead person, ghost, departed soul) ❖ Somewhat scarier term for ghost
shô (vitality, energy, vigor, strength)
ryô (spirit, soul) ❖ (spirit of the deceased) -- Buddhist term
shô (vitality, energy, vigor, strength)
ryô (spirit, soul) shôryô (spirit of the deceased) fune (ship, boat, watercraft, vessel) ❖ Straw boat for one's ancestral spirits to sail in
shô (vitality, energy, vigor, strength)
ryô (spirit, soul) shôryô (spirit of the deceased) uma (horse) ❖ (spirit horse) ❖ Two dolls of cucumber and eggplant ❖ Made during the bon matsuri ❖ Left near the door of a home, or near the entrance of a cemetery ❖ The cow brings the spirits back to our world, but slowly ❖ The swift horse will take the spirits back to make sure they don't linger
so (ancestor, forefather, progenitor)
rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (ancestral spirit) ❖ Collective of ancestral spirits which have lost their individualities ❖ Ancestor deified as a kami / spirit of a kami
sô (uproar, disturbance, disruptive, make noise)
rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (noisy ghost) ❖ Poltergeist
ubu- (bear, give birth, yield, childbirth)
me (woman, female) ❖ A mother ghost who died in childbirth, or died leaving young children behind
uka (to float, to be suspended, to rise to surface)
ukabarenai (turning in one's grave; cannot rest in peace) adj. rei (spirit, soul) ❖ (the restless dead) ❖ Ghosts of those whose body was not properly cared for
yû (faint, dark, dim)
ki (devil, ghost) ❖ (ghost, revenant, spirit of the dead, departed soul) ❖ Literally: dim demon ❖ An evil ghost
za (squat, seat, cushion, gathering, sit)
shiki (spread, pave, sit, promulgate) zashiki (tatami mat room, formal Japanese room) warashi | warabe (juvenile, child) ❖ Ghost of a child, often mischievous rather than dangerous ❖ Also called zashiki-bokko
za (squat, seat, cushion, gathering, sit)
shiki (spread, pave, sit, promulgate) zashiki (tatami mat room, formal Japanese room) bo | dô (juvenile) ko (child) bokko (young boy or girl)
yama (mountain)
uba (old woman) ❖ Mountain witch
yuki (snow)
onna (female, woman) ❖ kami of snow, princess of the moon, or a woman who died in the snow ❖ Also called yuki-jorô, yuki-onago, yuki-nyôbô, yuki-hime, yuki-anesan, yuki-musume, yuki-omba, yukinba, yukifuri-baba
yuki (snow)
jo (female, woman) rô (son, counter for sons) yuki-jorô (snow prostitute / entertainment woman) yuki (snow) ona (female, woman) go | ko (child) yuki-onago (snow woman / girl) yuki (snow) nyô (female, woman) bô (chamber, room) nyôbô (wife / court lady) yuki-nyôbô (snow wife / court lady) yuki (snow) hime (princess / young lady of noble birth) yuki-hime (snow princess / young lady of noble birth) yuki (snow) ane (elder sister) san (honorific) yuki-anesan (snow elder sister) yuki (snow) musume (daughter / young girl / maiden) yuki-musume (snow daughter / young girl / maiden) yuki (snow) om | chichi (milk, breasts) ba | haha (mama, mother) omba (old woman, grandma, wet nurse) yuki-omba (snow old woman, grandma, wet nurse) yukin (snow-) ba (old woman, grandma, wet nurse) yukinba (snow old woman, grandma, wet nurse) yuki (snow) fu.ri (alighting, descending) baba (old woman, grandma, wet nurse) yukifuri-baba (snow fall old woman, grandma, wet nurse) Japanese Ghosts & Demons: Art of the Supernatural edited by Stephen Addiss
Yôkai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide Hiroko Yoda & Matt Alt Yûrei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide Hiroko Yoda & Matt Alt yokai.com Matthew Meyer |
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