Yōkai

Weasels are mammals of the genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae. The genus Mustela includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bodies and short legs. The family Mustelidae, or mustelids (which also includes badgers, otters, and wolverines), is often referred to as the "weasel family". In Great Britain, the term "weasel" usually refers to the smallest species, the least weasel (M. nivalis), the smallest carnivoran species.

thumb|The moon on Musashi Plain (fox) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

thumb|A print by Kawanabe Kyōsai

thumb|330px|An oni menaces the monk Kūkai, who wards it off by chanting the [[Buddhist tantras. Painting by Hokusai (1760–1849).]]

Tengu ( ; , , ) are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods or spirits). The Tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and a monkey deity, and they were traditionally depicted with human, monkey, and avian characteristics. Sarutahiko Ōkami is considered to be the original model of Konoha-Tengu (a supernatural creature with a red face and long nose), which today is widely considered the Tengus defining characteristic in the popular imagination. He is the Shinto monkey deity who is

thumb|Yuki-onna (ゆき女) from the Hyakkai-Zukan by [[Sawaki Suushi]] is a yūrei or yōkai in Japanese folklore that is often depicted in Japanese literature, films, or animation.

Japanese mythical creature

right|thumb|280px|A in a scene from Ehon Sayoshigure by Hayami Shungyōsai, 1801 is a malevolent figure in Japanese urban legends and folklore. Described as the malicious spirit, or onryō, of a woman, she partially covers her face with a mask or other item and carries a pair of scissors, a knife, or some other sharp object. She is most often described as a tall woman of about 175–180 cm; however, some people believe she is up to 8 feet tall, having long, straight black hair, white hands, pale skin, and otherwise being considered beautiful (except for her scar).

thumb|alt=Illustration of Wikipe-tan as a catgirl. She is a young girl with blue hair, cat ears and a tail, wearing a maid dress, and is laying down on all fours with one hand forward posing as a cat.|A shōjo| illustration of Wikipe-tan as a catgirl maid, with cat ears and a tail.

thumb|Rokurokubi from the Hokusai Manga by [[Katsushika Hokusai]] thumb|Nukekubi, from Bakemono no e scroll, [[Brigham Young University.]] Rokurokubi (ろくろ首, 轆轤首) is a type of Japanese yōkai (apparition). They look almost completely like humans with some differences. There is a type whose neck stretches and another whose head detaches and flies around freely (nukekubi). The Rokurokubi appear in classical kaidan (spirit tales) and in yōkai works.

right|thumb|220px|The of the Sasakibara Family () from the Buson Yōkai Emaki by [[Yosa Buson. It depicts a cat in Nagoya that would wear a napkin on its head and dance. Unlike which have two tails, the bakeneko has only one tail.]] The '''''' (, "changed cat") is a type of Japanese , or supernatural entity; more specifically, it is a , or supernatural cat. It is often confused with the , another cat-like . The distinction between them is often ambiguous, but the largest difference is that the has two tails, while the has only one.

right|thumb|300px|The amabie. Woodblock printing in Japan|Woodblock print, late Edo period, dated [[Kōka 3 (1846).]] is a legendary Japanese mermaid or merman with a bird beak-like mouth and three legs or tail-fins, who allegedly emerges from the sea, prophesies either an abundant harvest or an epidemic, and instructed people to make copies of its likeness to defend against illness.

spirit in Japanese folklore that inhabit trees

thumb|"Yamauba" (山うば) from the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi thumb|Yamamuba (山むば) from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, [[Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.|alt=]] thumb|"Yamauba" (山姥) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien]] thumb|right|A depiction of Yama-uba by Totoya Hokkei (1780–1850), yamamba, and yamanba are variations on the name of a yōkai found in Japanese folklore. Mostly said to resemble women, yamauba may be depicted as predatory monsters or benevolent beings.

thumb|"Tanuki" from Gazu Hyakki Yagyo by [[Sekien Toriyama]]

thumb|220px|"Kyoto Nue Taibi (The End)" (京都 鵺 大尾) (among The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō one that is by [[Utagawa Kuniyoshi, in Kaei 5 (1852), October)]] The Nue (鵺, 鵼, 恠鳥, or 奴延鳥) is a legendary yōkai or mononoke from Japanese mythology.

thumb|"" from the Hyakkai Zukan by [[Sawaki Suushi]]

Japanese urban legend

In Japanese folklore, the , literally translating to "child of hammer", is a snake-like being. The name tsuchinoko is prevalent in Western Japan, including Kansai and Shikoku; the creature is known as in Northeastern Japan.

thumb|"Inugami" from the Hyakkai Zukan by [[Sawaki Suushi]] upright|thumb|"Inugami" from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Sekien Toriyama. The one on the bottom-left that looks like a child is a "shirachigo" (白児, "white infant") that was either the inugami's pupil or the yōkai child of a disabled person.]] thumb|Inugami (犬神) from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, [[Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. |alt=]]

thumb|alt="Akaname of the Deep Dark Valley" from the pictured paper used as dice game board, Utagawa Yoshikazu|Sokokuradani no Akaname ("Akaname of the Deep Dark Valley"), a frame of something beating it to a picture print used as dice board. Hyakushu kaibutsu yōkai sugoroku (1858) by . thumb|upright|"Akaname", Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien]]

thumb|Ushi-oni, from Bakemono no e scroll, [[Brigham Young University]] right|thumb|"Ushi-oni" (うし鬼) from the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi right|thumb|upright|"Ushi-oni" (牛鬼) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Sekien Toriyama]] The , or gyūki, is a yōkai from the folklore of western Japan. The folklore describes more than one kind of ushi-oni, but the depiction of a bovine-headed monster occurs in most. Ushi-oni generally appear on beaches and attack people who walk there.

, sometimes also called , are spirit-like beings told about mostly in the Iwate Prefecture. They are said to be yokai that live in parlors or storage rooms, and that they perform pranks. It is believed that people who saw one would receive good fortune. There are also legends of how they would bring fortune to families. They are also known from Kunio Yanagita's Tōno Monogatari, Ishigami Mondō, and stories about them appear in the 17th and 18th chapters of the Tōno Monogatari and the 87th chapter titled "Zashiki-warashi" of the Tōno Monogatari Shūi. In the 17th chapter, it is written "families

thumb|Tsuchigumo, from Bakemono no e scroll, [[Brigham Young University]] is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, primarily during the Asuka, Nara, and early Heian periods, and also the name for a race of spider-like in Japanese folklore. Alternative names for the historical groups include , and for the mythological Tsuchigumo, and . In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the name was phonetically spelled with the four kanji (for the four morae tsu-chi-gu-mo). References to "tsuchigumo" appear in the chronicles associated with Emperor Jimmu, Emperor Keiko, and Empress Jingū

alt=|thumb|Ubume うぶめ from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, [[Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.]] are Japanese yōkai of pregnant women. They can also be written as ''''. Throughout folk stories and literature the identity and appearance of ubume varies. However, she is most commonly depicted as the spirit of a woman who has died during childbirth. Passersby will see her as a normal-looking woman carrying a baby. She will typically try to give the passerby her child then disappear. When

In Japanese folklore and mythology, is the mythical king and god of the tengu, legendary creatures thought to inhabit the mountains and forests of Japan. Sōjōbō is a specific type of tengu called daitengu and has the appearance of a yamabushi, a Japanese mountain hermit. Daitengu have a primarily human form with some bird-like features such as wings and claws. The other distinctive physical characteristics of Sōjōbō include his long, white hair and unnaturally long nose.

thumb|right|A depiction of the abura-sumashi. is a rare creature from the folklore of Amakusa in Kumamoto Prefecture that lives in the mountain passes of Kumamoto.

and are a class of yōkai, preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean a thing that changes, referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting.

thumb|300px|A dancing drummer wearing a Namahage costume, performed Namahage-Daiko in Akita Station. The are demonlike beings portrayed by men wearing hefty oni (ogre) masks and traditional straw capes (mino) during a New Year's ritual, in local northern Japanese folklore of the Oga Peninsula area of Akita Prefecture.

right|230px|thumb|.

right|thumb|upright=0.90|Jorōgumo from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien.]]

right|thumb|160px|A depiction of amanojaku by Jippensha Ikku The or ("heavenly evil spirit") is a demon-like creature in Japanese folklore, considered a type of wicked ogre-god (akukijin), small ogre (ko-oni), or yōkai. The name is also written using the kanji ("River Earl") or ("Sea Spirit").

thumb|Illustrated beast labeled "" in the Bakemono no e picture scroll (c. 1660)|alt=

thumb|"Kamaitachi" () from the "Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien]] thumb|"Kamaitachi" () from the Kyōka Hyaku Monogatari by [[Masasumi Ryūkansaijin]]

thumb|400px|Umibōzu, from the (pub. 1801) thumb|upright|The , a kibyōshi by . Here appears an umibōzu with scales and a fin.

right|thumb|Utagawa Kuniyoshi's , also known as [[Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre]] are mythical creatures in modern Japanese mythology. It is said to pick up people they wish to eat.

idiom of Japanese folklore: a mass parade of supernatural creatures

right|thumb|180px|"Akashita" (赤舌) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien]] is a Japanese yōkai that appears in yōkai emaki in the Edo Period, among other places. They are depicted as a beast with clawed hands and a very hairy face covered with dark clouds, but its full body appearance is unknown. In its opened mouth is a big tongue. Sekien did not attach an explanatory note about this yōkai, but its origins are identifiable as Akaguchi which appears in older Edo period yōkai scrolls such as Bakemono no e. This yōkai is known interchangeably as Akaguchi and Akashita.

right|thumb|200px|"Amikiri" (網切) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien.]] is a Japanese depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien.

right|thumb|200px|"Ameonna" (雨女) from the Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by [[Toriyama Sekien]] right|thumb|200px|"Hyakumonogatari Ameonna" (百物語 雨女) by Utagawa Yoshiiku Ameonna (, "rain woman") is a Japanese yōkai thought to call forth rain, illustrated in Toriyama Sekien's Konjaku Hyakki Shūi as a woman standing in the rain and licking her hand.

thumb|The isonade as depicted in Takehara Shunsen's Ehon Hyaku Monogatari is an enormous, shark-like sea monster said to live off the coast of Matsuura and other places in Western Japan.

thumb|upright|The Raijū as depicted in Ban Kōkē's Kanda-Jihitsu. thumb|A Raijū depicted under the title "Kaminari" in Takehara Shunsen's [[Ehon Hyaku Monogatari.]]

thumb|160px|right|The azukiarai as depicted in Takehara Shunsen's Ehon Hyaku Monogatari. , or , is a ghostly phenomenon in Japanese folklore, in which a mysterious noise that sounds like azuki beans being washed or ground is heard. It usually occurs near a river or other body of water. Sometimes the creature or spirit responsible amuses itself by singing "azuki togou ka, hito totte kuou ka? shoki shoki." ("Will I grind my azuki beans, or will I get a person to eat? shoki shoki."), and anyone who approaches will inevitably fall into the water.

Japanese book published in 1776

mythical creature

right|thumb|upright=.85|"Nure-onna" (ぬれ女) from the Hyakkai-Zukan by Sawaki Suushi. right|thumb|upright|"Nure-onna" (濡女) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien]]

The is a mythical Japanese (ghost, phantom, or strange apparition) from western Japan. It is described as being a skeleton whale that is accompanied by unknown fish and weird birds. It takes its revenge against people who hunt whales or eat whale meat, and does so by cursing them with plagues and fire. It is also known as .

are vengeful spirits (onryō), dead spirits (shiryō), live spirits (ikiryō), or spirits in Japanese classical literature and folk religion that were said to do things like possess individuals and make them suffer, cause disease, or even cause death. It is also a word sometimes used to refer to yōkai or henge ("changed beings").

thumb|200px|right|Abura-akago from the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by [[Toriyama Sekien.]]

thumb|Japanese mermaid (ningyo). Coiffed with nihongami hairstyle of the Edo Period. , is a creature with both human and fish-like features, described in various pieces of Japanese literature.

right|thumb|Shirime as drawn by Yosa no Buson. is a yōkai with an eye in the place of his anus.

thumb|155px|right|Toriyama Sekien's Aoandō.

Edo-period Japanese picture scroll

thumb|Depiction of a mujina (from the Wakan Sansai Zue, [[Edo period)]] is an old Japanese term primarily referring to the Japanese badger, but traditionally to the Japanese raccoon dog (tanuki), causing confusion. Adding to the confusion, it may also refer to the introduced masked palm civet, and in some regions badger-like animals or Japanese raccoon dog are also called mami.

thumb|250px|An image of futakuchi-onna from the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari is a type of yōkai or Japanese monster. She is characterized by her two mouths – a normal one located on her face and a second one on the back of the head beneath the hair. There, the woman's skull splits apart, forming lips, teeth and a tongue, creating an entirely functional second mouth.

right|thumb|200px|"Amefurikozō" from the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by [[Sekien Toriyama]] right|thumb|200px|The amefurikozō that appeared in "Gozonji no Bakemono" illustrated by Utagawa Toyokuni is a type of Japanese yōkai. There is a depiction of this yōkai in Sekien Toriyama's collection of yōkai drawing the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, and they can also be seen in the kibyōshi among other publications of the same era.

supernatural monsters from Japanese folklore

thumb|240px|right|Aosaginohi from Toriyama Sekien's [[Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki (1779) ]] right|thumb|240px|Goi no hikari from Tōsanjin's Ehon Hyaku Monogatari|Ehon hyaku monogatari ([[1841) illustrated by ]]

180px|thumb|alt=A large blue monster with a wide grin and balding grey hair peers over a gate.|An depicted in a deck of cards.

thumb|The card "" from Obake karuta|yōkai karuta thumb|A hitotsume-kozō from the kibyōshi "Bakemono Chakutōchō" by Masayoshi Kitao. Hitotsume-kozō (一つ目小僧) are a Yōkai (supernatural apparition) of Japan that take on the appearance of a bald-headed child with one eye in the center of its forehead similar to a cyclops.