Yōkai of the day: Kamaitachi

The kamaitachi is a Yōkai that is, like many, prone to reinterpretation and alterations of its image. The most common perception is of a weasel with sharp razor blades on its paws. It seems to be able to ride on the wind, attacking humans by floating quickly by on gusts of wind. Despite its attacks, the kamataichi rarely, if ever, kills people. The Yōkai tends to work with others of its kind, working in threes. The first will lunge forward knocking over the victim, the second will cut them and the third will bizarrely apply medicine. The confused victim may not even realize it has been assaulted by flying weasels, he or she will just sit up to find painful cuts on their legs.
As they share a kanji character the Yōkai’s name seems to come from the traditional farming tool, the kama, which often employed as a weapon. It has a short wooden handle and a razor sharp sickle-like blade at the top. Used correctly it can be a fearful weapon.

Yōkai of the day: Kappa

Today we meet a superstar of the Yōkai world: the Kappa.
Kappa are a great example of how the bogeyman becomes the familiar mascot and loses most of the power that originally made it so scary. Stories about them are legion, and have been around for a long long time. Along with Oni, Kitsune, and Tengu every child and adult in Japan knows of Kappa. Lafcadio Hearn described them as living in the sea but Kappa are actually associated with the river. The name originally means ‘river child’ and the name is often translated into English as ‘river imp’. Roughly humanoid in shape and about the same size as a child but strong enough to drag a human into the river Kappa are supposedly found in rivers all over Japan, but have a particular association with the region of Tōno. They are often depicted in having a turtle-like shell, scaly skin, eyes like a tiger, shaggy hair and a dish upon their head. This dish is the most common story about that kappa, supposedly this dish when full of water holds all the kappa’s power. If this water is spilled, the kappa loses all its power. The best way to do this accordingly to folklore is to bow whereupon the kappa, Japanese to the bone, will bow in return and spill it’s precious liquid.
There are many stories about kappa, showing them with almost human behavior. They enjoy eating human foods, especially cucumbers, and there are stories of Kappa actually helping humans by building bridges and even setting bones. They are also supposed to have an aversion to ginger and have been chased away by it.
Originally a terrifying river monster that drags children, adults and even horses to their death (yanking their entrails from the anus incidentally), the Kappa over the years has evolved into something far more docile. It has always been a popular image for artists to depict, and some of the earlier ukiyoe prints can depict them in quite ferocious poses. It’s image was used in the 20th century to advertise sake and so instantly became familiar. This also created a buffoonish image of drunken kappa which also led it too being far less frightening. This in turn has led to kappa appearing in children’s cartoons and repeatedly appearing as cartoon like figures all over Japan. The more familiar monsters become the less frightening they are.