The Incredible Creatures of Japanese Mythology - Mythological Bestiary - See U in History

japanese folklore is full of kami and yokai of all kinds some of those supernatural creatures are truly terrifying others are benevolent and praiseworthy but there are several that are quite funny today you will meet some of the most fantastic and curious creatures in japanese mythology this video is brought to you by boxu if you are a fan of japanese culture like me now you will be able to get a taste of japan boxu is a snack box that contains the most authentic snacks from the most different regions of japan by subscribing to the service you will receive a themed box containing the most diverse goodies at home every month the snacks and box themes change every month leaving no room for monotony they have a huge variety of snacks and you will have an exotic and tasty experience with the most authentic japanese snacks many of them with more than a century of tradition as a fan of peppers i love the ishigaki jima which is a spicy snack straight from the okinawa islands with your box you will also get a booklet where you can find a lot of information about each of the snacks so you can learn more about them and you may end up discovering that you're now a fan of some typical ingredient of japanese cuisine this month's box is extra special as it celebrates the japanese cherry blossoms bloom season with limited edition items and cherry blossom themed snacks from all over japan anyone who subscribes to boxu during the month of march will receive sakura season as their first box use my code and link to get 10 off your own authentic japanese snack subscription from baksu don't miss out on this delicious snack journey through japan kitsunes is one of the most common asian folklore creatures the japanese version of kitsune is regarded as a benevolent and cunning creature like all foxes they were known as zenko the goddess inari's messengers yako were malicious foxes and could harm human beings according to some legends they assumed the form of a beautiful woman and attempted to wed men from good families or even married for true love being able to maintain human form for indefinite amounts of time if one of these foxes reached the age of 100 it grew a second tail and its magical abilities would reach a new level after 1 000 years of life the fox would become a cubit no kitsune the famous nine-tailed fox reaching an almost god-like status konoha tengo lived in the mountains near shinto temples and usually played tricks on unsuspecting monks or what chastised the misbehavior of anyone who had committed bad acts the tengus were martial arts masters particularly in the use of swords and could defeat the most skilled samurais themselves without using any their powers the ability to fly to blow strong gusts of wind with their wings to teleport to shapeshift into the form of humans or animals and even to enter the dreams immortals to conjure up nightmares or bring forth premonitions were amongst the abilities the tengus possessed the ninjas fueled the legends about the tengus and were often compared to them the ability to disappear in the blink of an eye and accomplish things that would have seemed impossible led many to believe that these shinobi were true tengus the wanyudo are frightening yokai these creatures bear the resemblance of a giant head attached to a burning ox cartwheel according to some legends this head belonged to a sinful monk or a terrible and tyrannical daimyo who became a youkai to pay for his sins in life his purpose is to serve in hell and he derives great pleasure from the suffering of the spirits that go there some legends say that he is also responsible for warding the gates of hell the wanyudo patrols the roads of the mortal world looking for sinners to draw their spirits to hell therefore when its wheel is spotted or heard people usually run away from the roads and hide the sight of this terrible yokai can be enough to destroy a life [Music] the kappa is one of the most famous and fear yokai in japanese culture this amphibious humanoid creature with a turtle shell scaly skin and a hole in its head filled with water is part of many tales and legends it lived in lakes streams and swamps attacking anyone who came near its territory mainly children women and fishermen these beings were strong but lost that power if they ran out of water in the hole over their heads and could die if they ran out of water for too long these beings were often considered evil but in some tales they are just mischievous and tricky cucumber said to be one of their favorite meals therefore festivals were organized with offerings of cucumbers to the kappas to soothe the spirit of these yokais the komainu are the famous lion dogs of japanese folklore commonly found at the entrance to shinto temples the komaenu are fierce and noble bees they act as guard dogs and prevent evil spirits from entering temples or houses they are depicted as stone or wooden statues they always form a pair a male and a female the male always has his mouth open showing his sharp teeth his function is to protect the outside of the building the female on the other hand always has her mouth closed protecting the inside legend says that if the komainu detects the presence of a spirit or of an evil yokai it frees itself from its statue form and fiercely defends its territory we have covered different yokai and their diverse forms but some are truly exotic like karakase obake who is a youkai that emerges from an umbrella that turns 99 years old he then goes on to have a single eye a mouth with a large tongue and a leg in place of a hurdle despite scaring children and ladies they are harmless and disappear soon after being spotted but not without a good laugh the bakhezori is a ghost sandal according to japanese folklore these utensil-shaped yokai can dash around the house and the sound of their footsteps frightens the residents when the owner of a pair of sandals would lose one of them for no reason it is believed that the bakazori can become bored and in search for further excitement leaving its owner barefoot the oni is a demonic creature from japanese folklore he is a yokai similar to the trolls or ogres of western culture a large strong and very scary creature his most common color is red but he can also display other colors the onis spend their days in hell tormenting and torturing the souls of mortals who head there on the mortal plane these creatures enjoy the taste of human flesh for this reason onis were greatly feared for their mere presence was a sign of bad luck one of the oni's favorite weapons is the kanabol a kind of iron tip club the onis are one of the most common yokais in japanese culture they are in literature theater and of course anime and manga in ancient japan when a man disappeared in the snow it was customary to blame yukiona she is a yokai in the form of a very seductive young woman [Music] when a man walks in the snow at night he may encounter yuki onna and if he is attracted by her singing or calling his fate is sealed in some versions they were vampire-like creatures able to suck the life energy from their victims in others they draw the person away from their destiny causing them to get lost in the snow or distract them until they freeze in the coldest winters the terrible yokai would invade the homes of humble people and freeze all the residents yukiona symbolizes the dangers of winter warning the people to always be vigilant against the risks of the harsh winters the kirian is a sacred yokai from japanese folklore it has a horse-like body but covered with scales like a dragon with a pair of deer-like horns his mane horse hair and tail are all aflame but in spite of its impressive appearance it is a benevolent and quiet being this creature's apparitions are extremely rare and usually precede the coming of an enlightened ruler for this reason they are a harbinger of good things to come the kirian is not capable of harming any creature hence some legends tell that the creature glides over the grass so as not to harm the plants the curion can sometimes appear to have a single horn which is why it is also called the asian unicorn these animals are portrayed on statues in front of temples as symbols of protection and good luck [Music] [Music] you

Channel: See U in History / Mythology

Views: 383,465

Keywords: history, mythology, Japanese Mythology, Creatures of Japanese Mythology, Mythological Bestiary, Japanese folklore, yokai, youki, kamis, kirin, oni, kitsuni, kappa, karakasa obake, tengu, ninja, see you in history

Id: Gi9DT9ANXpQ

Length: 10min 0sec (600 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 07 2022