Modern Yokai How Japan embraced their monsters. What are Yokai? The kanji used for Yokai doesn’t have a simple/exact English translation. Yokai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. They range from dangerous and aggressive to helpful and fortuitous. Some are as strong as gods, others are spirits of nature, and others are just lil’guys…who want to give you tofu on a dark road at night. Forewarning: I am NOT a yokai expert. I have tried to stay as close to the official historical information on these guys as possible, but some less accurate things may pop up. Please don’t come at me. I’m very weak and insecure. ALSO there are some adult themes throughout. Kitsune (lit. fox/ fox spirit) Two major variations. *Zenko Holy foxes are servants of the Shinto deity Inari, shrines decorated with statues and images of foxes. These holy foxes act as messengers of the gods and mediums between the celestial and human worlds, protect humans or places, provide good luck, and ward evil spirits away. We are not talking about those ones. More common are the *Yako wild foxes which delight in mischief, pranks, or evil, wild foxes trick or even possess humans, and make them behave strangely. Kitsune are often associated with fire, “kitsunebi” or Fox-fire, similar in a way to “wil-o-wisps”, created by kitsune breathing fire into lanternlight orbs to light paths for other yokai or to trick humans. Kitsune are extremely intelligent and powerful shape-shifters. They frequently harass humans by transforming into fearsome monsters *giants, trains, oni etc. Sometimes they do this just for pranks, and sometimes for more nefarious purposes. Older kitsune are skilled enough to transform into exact likenesses of individual people, often appearing in the guise of beautiful human women in order to trick young men. Fortunately, there are ways to tell that a person is really a fox in disguise. reflections in a mirror or pool of water may show a tail, young foxes who are less experienced at illusions may have trouble concealing their tails. Shadows also reveal their true nature – a shadow falling on water shows the true shape of the fox. Another trouble foxes have is speaking convincingly like a human. (moshi-moshi etc) But the best defense against foxes is to have a dog. Foxes are said to be terrified of dogs because dogs aren't fooled by illusions. There is a legend started from Chinese mythology that the stronger and smarter and older a kitsune gets, the more tails they have. The most being 9. 9-tailed foxes are said to have lived 1,000 years or more and become “heavenly foxes” the most powerful. Though media often talks of demon nine-tailed foxes too. They appear in Japanese and Korean mythology also. Kitsune in modern media Too many to even mention all of them. Kitsune have featured in episodes of the western dramas The X-files, Supernatural and Teen Wolf. As well as Japanese media, most notably in Naruto, a nine-tailed demon fox was sealed within the main character, and the lines on his face are supposed to resemble a fox. The pokemon “vulpix” and “ninetails” are based on kitsune also. In addition, One Piece writer Eiichiro Oda also introduced a character with the powers of a nine-tailed fox very recently, but I will not elaborate just in case any listeners are not as uptodate as me. In animal crossing “Crazy Redd” the fake art seller and…thief? is a kitsune character, which might explain his animosity with Tom Nook (the tanuki character) as they are both based on animal yokai. Neil Gaiman wrote a short story “The Sandman: The Dream Hunters” featuring a kitsune protagonist. (I think there is a pathfinder Kitsune race, and there are a few homebrew DnD Kitsune races and monsters. Though nothing official. But you could just alter a Tabaxi into a fox.) Tanuki The tanuki and the kitsune (up next) are the most well-known animal yōkai. Called a “raccoon dog” they are a unique species of East Asian canine that resembles a badger or a raccoon. (yes a real animal!) Tanuki are beloved not only for their cuteness, but also for the tales of mischief and trickery associated with them. Tanuki are said to possess powerful magical abilities. They are superb shapeshifters like Kitsune. Tanuki have a jovial nature, and delight in playing tricks on humans, they’re kind of…funny little pranksters, compared to Kitsune being seen a bit more dangerous or to be revered. Tanuki are the fun little rascal of the Yokai world. Similar to the image of raccoons and possums in other places. Tanuki love to shapeshift into objects. They can disguise themselves as trees, stone lanterns, kettles, and even the moon They love to do the moon trick when the moon is out. It makes people think they've gone crazy (because they’re seeing two moons!) They frighten people at night by throwing stones at their houses, drop buckets into wells, clatter pots and pans, they might throw a continuous rain of pebbles onto the roof of a house to annoy the occupants. Drumming on their big bellies is something tanuki are also famous for. In the woods, they use this sound to draw people off the beaten path until they're lost. It seems like Yokai love to get people lost in the woods. The most intelligent and magically adept tanuki have been known to adopt human names and practices, such as gambling, drinking, even administration and religious activities. Many go through their whole lives living among humans without ever being detected. But…the most famous attribute that tanuki possess is their massive, malleable, magical testicles which they can adapt to any need. They can be used as weapons, drums, fans to keep cool, fishing nets, or else they use them to smother an enemy... Often, tanuki incorporate their testicles into their disguises: the tanuki becoming a shopkeeper and its testicles transforming into the shop; or perhaps a palanquin complete with servants to cart the tanuki from place to place. It's said the tanuki can stretch his ball sack to the size of eight tatami mats. *about 12 square metres, or 131 square feet. The generally accepted explanation is a lot less fun for the tanuki. In the old days, metal workers in Kanazawa would wrap gold in the skin of tanuki testicles when making gold leaf. You want to hammer your gold to the thinnest sheet possible. So you need a skin that can stretch a long way without breaking. It was said a tanuki scrotum could reach the size of eight tatami. Nowadays, the most common manifestation of the tanuki is entirely positive. It's that cute statue with a round belly, straw hat, and big eyes. You'll usually see it outside shops and restaurants. This depiction is actually a 20th-century development. The tanuki is now a kind of commercial good-luck figure. It's a little sad. This creature who would fool people into thinking it was an entire train. Tanuki in modern media Studio Ghibli “pom poko” features a group of tanuki who use their shapeshifting powers to defend their habitat against human developers. Animal crossing (tom nook and the boys) A tanuki appears as a newscaster in the Japanese version of the American Disney computer-animated film Zootopia; BNA main character “michiru kagemori” is a humanoid/tanuki hybred, though she insists she’s a “raccoon” not a “tanuki” Most commonly seen outside/inside restaurants in Japan, notably the okonomiyaki restaurant “dotonbori” whose mascot is a tanuki. Kappa (river child) The last deep dive is …probably my favourite…Aquatic Reptilian River/Stream dwelling Yokai. About the size of a human child, they have scaly skin, smell like fish and are mostly shown to be greenish, but could also be blue/redish. They have webbed hands and feet, usually a shell on their backs, a duck-like beak, stretchy waterproof skin (which they remove to sleep) and three anuses (for farting!). There is a dish-like depression in their heads, said to be the source of their power, and if the water in the dish spills out, the kappa are rendered weak/powerless and might even die. Nowadays they are very popular in media, and especially with young children. Often pictured as cute and friendly with soft round bodies and big eyes. This is not the Kappa of history. They love to eat cucumbers and human entrails, yum! Are mischievous, can speak human languages (assumedly Japanese) and enjoy martial arts like Sumo. Often people leave offerings of cucumbers near lakes or rivers known to be home to kappa, or at shrines for these “water gods”. Despite their friendly appearance today, Kappa are also violent. Places home to kappa frequently have warning signs, and I imagine one reason for this yokai is to warn children away from bodies of water where they could easily drown. Their preferred method of attack is to drown their opponent to death under water. They particularly despise cows and horses, and will attack the animals for no reason at all. They have been known to kidnap or rape swimming women, and to devour humans alive. Usually they go for the anus – in particular a mythical ball of flesh located just inside the anus, called the shirikodama. The origin of this ball may be due to people seeing the bodies of drowning victims and the effects of drowning on the body. Since Kappa enjoy human entrails, kidneys etc, it could be that the shirikodama is simply removed as it is blocking the food they want to get to.