妖怪 – 6 Japanese Monsters or Yokai
Yokai or 妖怪 in Japanese, are an important part of Japanese folklore and culture. 妖怪 is what you call monsters native to Japan. There are other words for monster in Japanese. But, 妖怪 is the most common and what we are going to talk about today. This post is a continuation of a previous post talking about the main 妖怪 you must know about if you are interested in Japan. you can find that below:
妖怪 – Japanese Monsters
After you take a look at this post, go ahead and check out the one above. Here are 6 more popular Japanese Monsters to know about
- ろくろ首
- 一つ目小僧
- 山姥
- 雪女
- 座敷童
- 海坊主
INDEX
ろくろ首
ろくろ首 or ろくろっ首 are 妖怪 which are usually depicted as women in Kimono. They look harmless at first but are able to stretch their neck out and attack like a snake.
一つ目小僧
一つ目小僧 is kind of like a Japanese version of a Cyclops. Basically, because it has just one eye in the middle of it’s forehead. 一つ目小僧 is dressed like a young Buddhist priest in training or 小僧. The word 小僧 also now is used as a pejorative for young boys.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/山姥
山姥 are 妖怪 which live in the deep forest of the mountains in Japan. They like to attack and eat people. The word 山姥 translates to mountain granny, or something like that. The 山姥 is depicted as a woman with long, unkempt hair and dirty or worn clothing. Often as the name suggests, she may be an old woman but sometimes she is depicted as a younger woman also.
雪女
雪女 is a 妖怪 that is a ghost that shows up during a snowy night.
幽霊 – How to say Ghost in Japanese
She is shown as a beautiful woman in all-white clothing and skin. 雪女 translates to snow woman.
座敷童
座敷童 appear as ghost-like children in old houses. They are like the protector spirits or gods of the house. They sometimes do mischief but at the same time is said misfortune such as bankruptcy, or other financial ruin will follow if they leave the house.
海坊主
Finally, we have 海坊主. This 妖怪 is a big, round, black monster. It has two big eyes and shows up in the middle of the water at sea.
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