What do they want to do? “Yōkai” (strange apparitions) displaying mysterious behaviour

Wednesday 31/07/2024 | 11:47 AM

Throughout the world, I think there are mysterious creatures unlike humans that most people have never seen before which are preserved in legends as “yōkai”.

Japan is a country with quite a lot of yōkai. Although it is not known whether they exist or not, there are as many legends of yōkai as there are gods in Japan, which is believed to be filled with gods.

Many yōkai are scary, but this time I would like to talk about the mysterious and odd behavior of yōkai.

You won’t be able to help but point out how bizarre their actions are!

Makura-gaeshi (Lit: The pillow turner-over)

A yōkai that sneaks up on you while you are sleeping: The “pillow turner-over”. When you hear this, it sounds a bit scary, doesn’t it?

But this yokai does not want to eat you. What it wants to do is, as its name suggests, is to turn over your pillow. A yōkai that is satisfied just by turning over your pillow is hard to see while you sleep. Although you may notice this little change when you wake up.

This yōkai is much more reserved than a child who likes to play pranks. Don’t you think it is rather cute?

Haradashi

They appear in the middle of the night, happily drink alcohol when offered, and perform strange dances. Their comical performance makes everyone smile. That’s all there is to them!

It is said that good things happen to those who see their dance, and it is a surprisingly good yōkai that does no actual harm and just wants to see everyone smile.

He looks like a monster, but inside he is a good-natured drunk man. He is a cute guy that I would like to meet.

Okuri-inu (lit: escorting dog)

This dog-shaped yōkai follows you when you walk along a mountain path in the middle of the night. It waits for you to fall over, and if you do, it will immediately devour you. Scary isn’t it?

But this yokai strictly follows the rules you set for yourself. If you fall down and you make it look like you’re just taking a rest, it won’t attack you.

What a serious yōkai!

Shiri-me (lit: Bottom-eye)

When he encounters someone, he strips naked only to show his eye from his bottom. Is he just a pervert or perhaps a flasher? Incidentally, they have no eyes, nose, or mouth on the part that corresponds to the human face.

Since it’s hard for them to walk looking like that, it’s hard for me to understand why they would wear clothes in the first place.

Numerous yōkai have been described as terrifying and bringing misfortune to people, but isn’t the idea that the world of yōkai is not full of bad apparitions interesting in a Japanese kind of way?

Please pay attention to yōkai as a part of Japanese culture.

ABE KENGO