Yōkai of the day: Emma-ō

Something of a celebrity this time. He is not a yōkai but instead a Buddhist deity of sorts. Emma-ō is the boss of the first stages of the afterlife and everything beyond. He is the second major figure we all meet after Datsue-ba and he is rarely pleased to see us.

Emma-ō has a big list with every person who every existed written on it along with all their sins. Did you once lie to your mother, eat the last candy bar, steal some money from the donations box? Emma-ō knows you did. He is the judge and he decides where you go. This being Buddhism though, it doesn’t matter where you go you will eventually return to earth in new bodies and the cosmic circle turns anew.

Emma-ō is rather an interesting character as he is not evil exactly but he is frequently portrayed as a red-faced angry person and certainly not someone you want to meet. He comes to Japan via China, where he is known as Yama, and is often depicted in traditional Judicial Chinese clothing and often in a bad mood. Often shown either screaming at the unfortunates in front of him or merely glowering at them with malevolent interest Emma-ō is a man with a job to do and clearly takes pride in his work. Other stories say he is responsible for sending pestilence and disasters to the land of the living but I don’t really see how that would fall under his jurisdiction. He is responsible for judging the dead once they arrive, surely he wouldn’t be responsible for hurrying them along.  I prefer the image of him behind the desk, not whipping up plagues to bother humanity.

Yōkai of the day: Enera

Many Yōkai are insubstantial creatures that can intrude into the tangible world but only rarely glimpsed or felt. Sometimes witnessing one can be a blessing, sometimes merely alarming but other times encountering the Yōkai can be a lethal encounter.  They are creatures that do not inhabit the world we live in and may not or must not be seen. Enera are among those that can be witnessed but do not harm. No one is really certain what their true nature is, as encounters are so rare and so brief. Some say they are the souls of the dead who manage to intrude back into the land of the living through the smoke of fires. Others say that they are benign beings but of little actual power. Children often say that they can see human shapes in smoke clouds so other stories say that only the pure of heart can see a human form amidst the smoke.