Yōkai of the day: Kaze no Kami

 

Kaze no kami are invisible malignant yōkai who control the wind and spreads disease by sneaking into towns and homes and breathing humid clouds of toxic yellow breath. Although they are invisible kaze no kami are traditionally depicted as ape-like creatures wearing only ragged loincloths.

In these worrying days of covid-19 the kaze no kami is a very topical yōkai.  We can’t see the coronavirus either, but we know it’s there. Millions of tiny deadly little microbes floating about waiting to settle on a host, sneak in to a home and spread the poison. Another strange parallel with this yōkai and the virus is that it’s origin is thought to be linked to China*. It has been speculated that the the toxic yellow breath of the kaze no kami was inspired by the yellow dust that falls on Japan in early spring. This cloud of dust is caused by the erosion of the of Northern China’s Huangtu plain and the resulting silt is stirred up into the atmosphere. Before the source was known this cloud, which can causes respiratory issues and sickness, was blamed on malicious spirits.

*This post is in no way intended as a criticism of China or the Chinese people.