Tag: legends

October Mythology Special: Kuchisake-Onna, or What Happens When Ghost Stories Get Too Real

October 31, 2018

You’re walking down a dark street at night. Mist is starting to cover the ground making the road ahead of you hard to see. Suddenly you see the shadow of a woman step out of the mist and walk towards you. She looks like a fairly normal Japanese woman and is wearing a surgical mask … More October Mythology Special: Kuchisake-Onna, or What Happens When Ghost Stories Get Too Real

October Mythology Special: Gashadokuro, the Hungriest of Ghosts

October 29, 2018

Japan is known for its hungry ghosts, yurei who come back to haunt those who have wronged them or come back to fulfill some unfulfilled purpose before they can move on. In the last post, we had the Manekute no Yurie or the beckoning hand that appears sticking out of empty rooms, and will only … More October Mythology Special: Gashadokuro, the Hungriest of Ghosts

October Mythology Special: The Disembodied Hands of Legend

October 26, 2018

I’m sure you’ve noticed just how much I’ve been talking about XXXHolic, and it’s not just because it’s that time of year when I want to read slightly spooky or mystical stories. The content of XXXHolic hits on a lot of humanity’s biggest fears and insecurities, including the ones from legends and folklore. In chapter … More October Mythology Special: The Disembodied Hands of Legend

October Mythology Special: Jorogumo/Tsuchigumo and Indigenous History

October 23, 2018

Japan Powered recounts one story about a curious thing that happened to a logger out in the forest: “One day a logger was going about his work. Since logging is an exhausting business, seeing as how this was Edo period Japan and the chainsaw hadn’t been invented yet, the man decides to take a short … More October Mythology Special: Jorogumo/Tsuchigumo and Indigenous History

October Mythology Special: The Legends Surrounding Sun Showers

October 15, 2018

A.B. Mitford’s Tales of Old Japan has in it an enchanting story of a very particular wedding, a fox’s wedding. He tells of two young, white foxes here: “Now it happened that in a famous old family of foxes there was a beautiful young lady-fox, with such lovely fur that the fame of her jewel-like … More October Mythology Special: The Legends Surrounding Sun Showers

October Mythology Special: The Multifaceted Nature of Oni

October 13, 2018

In Noriko Reider’s Japanese Demon Lore, she recounts one curious tale of an Oni: “Shuten Dōji, the chief of an oniband, lives on Mt.Ōe. During the reign of Emperor Ichijō, Shuten Dōjiand his oni band abduct people, particularly maidens, enslaving them and eventually feasting on their flesh and drinking their blood. The concerned emperor orders … More October Mythology Special: The Multifaceted Nature of Oni

October Mythology Special: Zashiki Warashi

October 5, 2018

“About 600 years ago, a warrior was fleeing forces from the south when he discovered and befriended two six-year-old brothers. The oldest brother came down with a deadly illness, and succumbed after swearing to protect his home – the land of Ryokufuso Inn. When the owners and visitors of Ryokufuso Inn began noticing strange occurrences … More October Mythology Special: Zashiki Warashi