The Book of the Hakutaku: a Bestiary of Japanese Monsters

Gumyocho
over 6 years ago – Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 12:00:25 AM

Greetings yokai fans!

Christmas is just around the corner, so I thought gumyocho would be a nice Christmasy yokai, with its whole spirit of interconnectedness and peace and love and all that. It's story is somewhat similar to the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, in a very roundabout way. At least, the message is. 

Or if that doesn't do it for you, then maybe you can say it looks like a Christmas goose, and cook it and eat it! Either way, it's a nice looking bird, so I hope you enjoy the painting and the post!

 

 

Gumyōchō
共命鳥
ぐみょうちょう 

TRANSLATION: interconnected lives bird 

ALTERNATE NAMES: kyōmeichō 

HABITAT: Gokuraku jōdo, a realm of paradise 

DIET: vegetarian 

APPEARANCE: The gumyōchō is a beautiful two-headed bird that resembles a pheasant. Occasionally it is depicted as having two human heads instead of two bird heads. Their home is Gokuraku jōdo, the realm of utter paradise created by Amida Buddha. 

BEHAVIOR: The gumyōchō is one of six bird species which are said to inhabit nirvana—the others being white swans, peafowl, parrots, mynah birds, and karyōbinga. Like the karyōbinga, the gumyōchō is said to have an exceedingly beautiful voice. It and the other heavenly birds sing the holy scriptures in nirvana, and those who listen to their songs can achieve enlightenment.

ORIGIN: Gumyōchō originate in the cosmology of Pure Land Buddhism. They were brought to Japan in the sixth century along with Buddhism. They are often used as ornamentation on Buddhist temples. Their story is a parable for the interdependence of all humans on one another. 

LEGENDS: Long ago, a gumyōchō lived in the snowy mountains of India. It had two heads and one body. One head was named Karuda, and the other head was named Upakaruda. The bird’s two heads had different personalities and desires. When one head was sleepy, the other one wanted to play. When one head was hungry, the other one wanted to rest. Eventually, the two heads began to resent each other. 

One day while Upakaruda was sleeping, Karuda feasted on delicious fruits and flowers until he was stuffed and could eat no more. When Upakaruda woke up, he wanted to eat too, but he was already full because they shared one stomach. He could not enjoy any of the food. 

Upakaruda decided to punish Karuda. While Karuda slept, Upakaruda found a tree with poisonous fruit. Because they shared one stomach, Upakaruda ate the fruit in order to make Karuda sick. Sure enough, when Karuda woke up, the poison had already taken effect. Karuda writhed and suffered, and then died. Of course, because they shared one body, Upakaruda also became sick, collapsed in agony, and then died. 

Just before dying, Upakaruda realized how foolish he had been. While he resented his other head, he failed to recognize that his own life depended on it. Just the same, by harming his other head, he was also harming himself. When he realized this, he realized one of the core tenets of Buddhism: interconnectedness. The birds became enlightened and were reborn in nirvana.

Furi
over 6 years ago – Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 11:33:45 PM

Greetings yokai lovers!

Today I am bringing you the next painted yokai: the furi!

But before that, I just wanted to remind everyone to get their information into Backerkit. You'll have plenty of time to change your orders, or your address if you might be moving, and other details like that. But since there were quite a few emails that bounced back, I want to make sure that everyone is in the system so you can get your rewards when the time comes!

Also, some people weren't able to pledge with Kickstarter because they didn't have credit cards; if you or someone you know was one of them, you can now use Paypal with Backerkit, so you don't need a credit card any more.

Ok, on to the good stuff: the furi!

Fūri
風狸
ふうり

TRANSLATION: wind tanuki
ALTERNATE NAMES: fūseijū, fūbo, heikō
HABITAT: mountains and cliffs
DIET: omnivorous; feeds primarily on spiders and incense  

APPEARANCE: Fūri are wild beasts from the mountains of China. They are about the size of a tanuki or a river otter. Fūri somwhat resemble monkeys. They have red eyes, short tails, black fur with a leopard-like pattern, and blue-greenish manes which run from nose to tail.  

BEHAVIOR: Fūri are nocturnal, and spend the daylight hours sleeping. At night they leap from tree to tree, or cliff face to cliff face, with soaring jumps. They can moves as quickly as the wind, and resemble flying birds when they leap. They can clear the distance between two mountains in a single leap.  

Fūri’s diet consists of spiders and the fragrant wood from incense trees, however they have also been observed hunting. They use a special kind of grass (the species is unknown) and climb to the top of a tree. They hold the grass out in their hands to try to attract a bird. When a bird comes for the grass, the fūri is able to catch and eat the bird.  

INTERACTIONS: Fūri are extremely fast, but Chinese records say that it possible to capture one with a well-placed net. A captured fūri will act embarrassed, lowering its head and looking up with big, pitiful eyes in an attempt to convince a person to release it. They are very fragile, and die immediately if they are struck. However, if you try to slice them up with a sword or knife, the blade will not cut through their skin. If you try to roast them with fire, their bodies will not burn. They have the amazing ability to revive from death merely if wind blows into their open mouths. However, they cannot revive if their skull has been broken, or if their nose is stuffed with leaves of Japanese rush (Acorus gramineus), a wetland shrub.  

ORIGIN: Fūri appear in various Chinese atlases of herbology and medicine. These were referenced by Japanese authors during the Edo period, causing fūri to be incorporated into Japanese folklore. The original description of the fūri is most likely based on the colugo—a gliding mammal native to southeast Asia. There are no colugo in Japan, which is likely why Japanese folklorists described them as a subspecies of tanuki.

Himamushi nyudo
over 6 years ago – Thu, Dec 07, 2017 at 11:06:50 PM

Hey everybody!

Today I'm sharing another yokai with you. This one is the himamushi nyudo. With this we are ever closer to that 100th yokai and the completion of the book! But we are still a bit of a ways a way. I hope you enjoy it!

火間蟲入道
ひまむしにゅうどう  

TRANSLATION: oven bug monk
HABITAT: houses; specifically under the floorboards
DIET: lamp oil  

APPEARANCE: Himamushi nyūdō is a grotesque yōkai which lives under floorboards and crawls out at night time. It vaguely resembles a Buddhist monk, but it has a long neck, sharp claws, a body covered in thick, dark hair, and a very long tongue which it uses to lap up the oil from lamps.  

INTERACTIONS: Himamushi nyūdō bothers people who are working hard or studying late at night by jumping out of the darkness and scaring them. Although it doesn’t directly attack people, its presence is disturbing enough. It blows out the lights suddenly, and it licks up the precious lamp oil, making it difficult to continue working.

ORIGIN: According to Toriyama Sekien’s description of this yōkai in Konjaku hyakki shūi, himamushi nyūdō is born from those who were lazy in life, carelessly wasting time from birth to death.  

The word “oven bug” in its name is probably a reference to cockroaches. The hima kanji in this yokai’s name can also be read kama—and likely refers to the kamado, a traditional Japanese oven. Cockroaches have quite a few nicknames in Japanese; among them himushi (“fire bug”) and hitorimushi (“lamp bug”), both of which sound similar to himamushi. Cockroaches and other pests would have fed on the fish oil in Edo period oil lamps; just like this yōkai. Cockroaches live in dark, warm spaces, such as underneath a kamado; just like this yōkai. And they crawl out of the floorboards to scare those working late at night; just like this yōkai.  

Himamushi nyūdō’s name contains a number of puns. According to Toriyama Sekien, it was originally called himamushiyo nyūdō (“monks who waste time at night”). Over the years, the pronunciation gradually morphed, and it became associated with hemamusho nyūdō—a popular Edo period word doodle in which a monk is drawn using the characters in its name: ヘマムショ入道. The connection with this cartoon character would probably have amused readers during Sekien’s time.

Kurobozu
over 6 years ago – Thu, Nov 30, 2017 at 09:16:29 PM

Greetings yokai fans!

Today I present you the next yokai for The Book of the Hakutaku: Kurobozu

Also, just a quick reminder to fill out your BackerKit surveys. There's no need to lock everything down now, but getting you into the system is a good idea so you don't forget later on. BackerKit will remain open until at least January/February, so you have plenty of time to change your choices! I will lock down the pledges when the book goes to the printers, but I will give you plenty of notice before then.

黒坊主
くろぼうず
TRANSLATION: black monk
HABITAT: human-inhabited areas
DIET: the breath of sleeping humans  

APPEARANCE: A kuro bōzu is a dark, shadowy yokai which looks somewhat like a bald-headed Buddhist monk—however, its exact appearance is vague and difficult to make out. It’s entire body is black, and it wears black robes. Its face has somewhat bestial features. It has a long tongue, and it reeks of rotting fish. Its hands and feet are said to be indiscernible. It can change its height rapidly, becoming a towering monster in an instant. It is extremely fast, and can run as fast as if it were flying.  

INTERACTIONS: Kuro bōzu haunt areas inhabited by humans. They come out at night, sneaking into houses after everyone is asleep. They creep up to their victims—primarily women—and suck the breath out of their mouths. They also slide their putrid tongues into the mouths, ears, and all over the faces of their victims. Those visited repeatedly by kuro bōzu become very ill.  

ORIGIN: Kuro bōzu didn’t appear in folklore until the Meiji period, so they are relatively new by yōkai standards. Because of the wide variations in reports, it is hard to come up with a clear picture of this yokai’s identity. Some experts believe they are a kind of nopperabō, due to their vague and indiscernible features. Some compare them to yamachichi, who also sneak into houses to steal the breath of sleeping humans. Its size-changing abilities and monk-like appearance suggest that it may be a variety of taka nyūdo. Still others say that it is one of the forms taken by magical kawauso.

LEGENDS: The most well known kuro bōzu report comes from the early Meiji period, from a newspaper article in the Hōchi Shinbun. The encounter took place at a certain carpenter’s house in Kanda, Tokyo. At midnight, a black, shadowy figure shaped like a monk suddenly appeared in the house. The creature entered the bedroom where husband and wife were sleeping. It climbed over the carpenter’s sleeping wife and stuck its tongue in her ears and mouth. Then it licked her all over. The creature smelled like foul garbage. The smell was so noxious that the family became ill.  

Again and again for several nights, the kuro bōzu returned to assault the carpenter’s wife. Finally, she could not put up with it anymore. She left her husband and went to stay with some relatives. According to the carpenter, after his wife left, the black monk stopped coming.

Shukaku
over 6 years ago – Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 10:26:13 PM

Greetings backers!

Today I bring you the next painting for The Book of the Hakutaku.

But before that, just a quick update. You should all have received your Backerkit surveys by now. If not, you can visit https://yokai.backerkit.com/ to re-request your survey link.

Someone asked this on a previous comment, but it's a good point: for those of you getting small or medium art prints, you're asked to specify which yokai you want for your art print. Normally, I use the yokai from the "Small Yokai" album for the small art prints, and yokai from the book albums for the medium sized prints. However, you can choose yokai from any of the albums for both small and medium sized prints. Since some yokai are featured in two albums (for example: there is a tanuki in Small Yokai, as well as in The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), it is helpful for me if you specify which version you want. For example: tanuki (small yokai) or tanuki (night parade).

Anyway, on to the yokai! This is Shukaku, whom we read about last month on A-Yokai-A-Day.

 守鶴
しゅかく

APPEARANCE: Shukaku was a tanuki who lived in disguise as a human priest. He worked at Morinji, a Buddhist temple in Gunma Prefecture for many decades. Shukaku is best known for his miraculous tea kettle, known as the bunbuku chagama, which he left to the Morinji as a gift.

ORIGIN: Shukaku’s story has been told by Morinji for centuries, but different versions and variations have sprung up over the years. Its popularity spread during the Edo period thanks to a booming publishing industry, and it became well known across Japan. Although Shukaku is associated with Morinji, the structure of his story—a magical animal presenting a wonderful gift to humankind—is a recurring motif throughout Japanese folklore.

LEGENDS: Morinji was founded in 1426 by a priest named Dairin Shōtsū. While he was traveling through various countries on pilgrimage, he befriended a priest named Shukaku, and they traveled together. After Morinji was built, Shukaku stayed on to act as a head priest there for many years.

In 1570, an important religious gathering was held at Morinji. Priests from all over the country traveled to Morinji. When it came time to serve tea, the priests realized that they did not have enough kettles to serve such a large gathering. Shukaku—still serving the temple 144 years after his arrival—brought his favorite tea kettle to help serve the priests.

This tea kettle was a miraculous object, for no matter how many times you dunked a ladle in it, it was always brimming with enough hot water to make tea. It also stayed hot for many days after heating it! The kettle was given the name “bunbuku chagama”—chagama being the word for tea kettle, and bunbuku meaning “to spread luck.” The name was a pun as well: the sound of boiling water is bukubuku, which sounds very much like bunbuku. Thanks to Shukaku’s marvelous tea kettle, the gathering was a great success. The bunbuku chagama continued to be used by the temple for many years. Shukaku, as well, continued to work at Morinji for many years after that.

According to Morinji’s records, On February 28, 1587, a monk walked in on Shukaku while he was taking a nap. The monk noticed that Shukaku had a tanuki’s tail! Thus, Shukaku’s great secret was uncovered: he was not a human priest, but a tanuki in disguise. He had been living among humans for thousands of years. Long ago he had traveled through India and China. Eventually he met Dairin Shōtsū, who befriended him and brought him to Morinji, where he used his magic to serve the temple as best as he could. After his secret was uncovered, Shukaku decided it was time to leave Morinji. To apologize for the great shock he had caused Morinji, he gave them a parting gift: he used his magic to present the story of the Battle of Yashima, one of the final clashes of the Genpei War. To show their gratitude for all that he had done, the priests built a shrine to Shukaku, where he is still worshipped as a local deity. And the bunbuku chagama, which Shukaku left behind, is on display in his shrine at Morinji.

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On a different yokai-related subject, I spent Thanksgiving day in Kyoto and I found an interesting sight. At Kiyomizu Temple there was a small shrine dedicated to removing curses. Those of you with the paperback or ebook of The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits may remember that there is a chapter dedicated to curses and black magic in that book. I took a few photos:

Interestingly, that's not the only curse-related area in the shrine. Check out this tree below:

The god of this mini shrine will answer one prayer, no matter what it is. Consequently, many people have used this prayer to curse people. The holes on that tree are the scars left behind by nails and dolls, from people performing the Ushi no Koku Mairi curse!

You can read about that curse, as well as paper curse dolls in The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits!