STORIES
Yokai Stories
A new yokai story, almost every day.
Yorimasa and the Nue: Reading the Tale from the Archer's Side and the Creature'sIn The Tale of the Heike, Minamoto no Yorimasa shoots down the nue that haunted the imperial palace night after night. A gentle look at why an archer was chosen, the prayer before the shot, and the Noh play "Nue," which retells it all from the creature's side.
Two Kinds of Ushi-oni — The Shore Monster of Legend and the Festival Giant of UwajimaSay "ushi-oni" and some people picture the giant festival figure of Uwajima in Ehime. But the ushi-oni of legend, which attacks people by the sea, and the festival ushi-oni, which drives evil away, share a name and play opposite roles.
Raiko on His Sickbed and a Thousand Threads — The Tale of the Earth SpiderMinamoto no Raiko's battle with the tsuchigumo is an unusual monster-slaying tale: a sick hero fighting a mysterious monk who throws threads. From the sword renamed "Spider Cutter" to a haunted-house picture scroll and the famous threads of the Noh stage.
Disguised as Mountain Monks, Bearing Strange Sake — Raiko and the Oni of Mount OeShuten-doji of Mount Oe is the star of Japan's most famous oni-slaying tale. Raiko and his four retainers are said to have beaten the oni chief not by brute force but with a monk's disguise and a magical sake. A gentle walk through the story, the oni's lament, and the question of where Mount Oe really is.
The Day of the Many-Eyed Basket — Hitotsume-kozo and Koto-yokaOn Koto-yoka, the eighth days of the second and twelfth months, one-eyed yokai were said to come calling, and people in the Kanto region and elsewhere raised many-eyed bamboo baskets on poles to scare them off. A gentle look at this old custom, and at a one-eyed boy who keeps a notebook.
No One Has Ever Seen Sunakake Baba: The Sand That Falls in the Shrine ForestTold of in Nara, the sunakake baba showers sand on people passing through lonely shrine forests, yet no one is said to have ever seen her. A gentle look at why an unseen yokai is called an old woman, the shrine forest itself, and other yokai known only by sound.
Heavier in Your Arms: Konaki Jiji and the Baby's Cry in the Mountains of AwaTold of in the mountains of Tokushima, the konaki jiji looks like an old man, cries like a baby, and grows heavier once you pick it up. A gentle look at that strange mismatch, other "heavy in your arms" tales, and the hills of Awa where the legend lives.
The Two Faces of the Yamauba: The Hag Who Gives Chase, the Spirit Who Roams the Mountains, and Kintaro's MotherIn folktales the yamauba chases young monks and ox drivers. Yet in the Noh play "Yamamba" she quietly helps woodcutters, and in ukiyo-e prints she is Kintaro's loving mother. A gentle look at why one yokai wears such different faces.
The Nekomata in Essays in Idleness: What the Monk Really Met on the Night RoadThe nekomata, a cat whose tail splits in two, already appears in Essays in Idleness, written at the end of the Kamakura period. A gentle look at the monk who met a "nekomata" on a dark road, the mountain and house nekomata, and the lore of the forked tail.
Nopperabo and Hearn's "Mujina" — How a Ghost Story Scares You TwiceIn "Mujina" from Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan, a man is frightened by a faceless figure, runs for help, and is frightened all over again. A gentle look at how this two-step ghost story works, and why its real culprit appears only in the title.