5/16/2011

Ghosts and Monsters in Japanese Folk Tales

<Skill Levels: All>

日本の昔話には、色々なお化けや妖怪が登場します。
にほんのむかしばなしには、いろいろなおばけやようかいがとうじょうします。
Nihon no mukashi banashi niwa, iroiro na obake ya youkai ga toujou shimasu.
Various preternatural creatures and monsters appear in Japanese folk tales.

Youkai are monsters and preternatural creatures seen in Japanese folklore. 
Obake is a general friendly term for monsters and preternatural creatures. 


うみぼうず, umibouzu: A youkai in the sea. It tries to sink ships.

かさおばけ, kasa obake: An umbrella shaped youkai with one eye, a long tongue and one leg wearing a geta (traditional sandal).

ざしきわらし, zashiki warashi: A child youkai who lives in an old house. It brings the residence great fortune only when it inhabits a house.

すなかけばばあ, sunakake babaa: An old lady youkai who throw sands at people who are walking by. 

ぬえ, nue: a legendary youkai with the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger and  the tail of a snake. 

ぬらりひょん, nurari hyon: A human shaped youkai who makes himself at home and eats food at a stranger's house. He is often depicted as an old man with a gourd-shaped head. 

のっぺらぼう, nopperabou: A faceless youkai.  

ひとつめこぞう, hitotsume kozou: A one-eye youkai who looks like a person otherwise.


びんぼうがみ, bimbougami: A youkai who inhabits a human or a house and bring people misery and poverty. It takes a form of a human.

ゆきおんな, yukionna: A female youkai in white kimono (clothes) who freezes people.

ろくろくくび, roku-roku-kubi: A female youkai who can stretch her neck at night. She licks lantern oil at night.

Other:
怪物, かいぶつ, kaibutsu: monsters 
幽霊, ゆうれい; yuurei: a ghost 
火の玉, ひのたま, hinotama: a fireball
お化け屋敷 , おばけやしき, obake yashiki: haunted house
怪談, かいだん, kaidan: a ghost story