List of supernatural beings and description. Legends of supernatural beings

He drew comics, created illustrations for science fiction books, but for me the most interesting are his works included in the book "Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters", which was published in 1972. The book tells about youkai, supernatural beings described in Japanese legends. If you are at least a little familiar with popular Japanese culture, from anime like Naruto to modern Japanese horror like "The Ring", then you will definitely see how rich cultural heritage Japan. Unfortunately, I only found 16 illustrations of Gojin Ishihara, but that's a wealth too.

Here is a kappa, a kind of aquatic. Kappa is famous throughout Japan, although its appearance differs in different parts of the country. Kappa is most often thought of as a cross between a turtle and a frog. There is a saucer on top of the mouthguard. It should always be filled with water, if there is no water in the saucer, the kappa will lose all its strength and will soon die. Kappa loves rivers and swamps, he loves to be naughty, but often does not harm a person. Kappa loves cucumbers and sumo most of all))

Jorogumo - "Binding Bride", "Spider-Harlot". Also known as Tsuchigumo. This is a youkai that can transform into a beautiful seductive woman who invites men to marry her, or a woman who rocks a child. Jorogumo lures men, begins to play the lute, so beautifully that the victim does not even notice how he is already entangled in cobwebs and eaten. According to legends, the spider becomes jorogumo when it is 400 years old.

This is Kubire-oni, which can be translated as the strangler demon. "They" represent a whole class that is close to Western demons. "They" are usually huge, hideous ogres with large claws and horns. "They" are similar to humans, but may have many eyes and fingers. Skin color is most often blue or red. It is usually depicted in loincloths and with huge iron hammers called kanabo.

This youkai is called rokurokubi, its distinctive feature is the ability to stretch the neck to an unimaginable length. During the day they cannot be distinguished from people, but at night their true essence is revealed. Rokurokubi has the ability to change his face, imitating terrible demons in order to frighten people more. It is interesting that rocurocubi, which can easily exist in human society, sometimes live ordinary life with mortal spouses. However, they cannot get rid of their nature and continue to scare people at night, sometimes without even knowing about it in the morning. Legends say that people become rocurocubi after death if they violate the commandments of the Buddha.

Onmoraki is a demon bird that is born from the spirits of recently deceased people. The myth says that onmoraki are ghosts of people who have not received a proper burial and are eager for revenge.

Nekomata is a youkai representing a werewolf cat. According to Japanese beliefs, a more powerful form of bakeneko (demonic cat), or simply an old bakeneko. The literal translation means something like a forked cat, which is associated with the belief that this youkai has two tails. Cats in Japan are traditionally associated with death, demonic cats represent death accompanied by a curse. The older the cat and the worse it is treated, the stronger the youkai will be. Nekomata has the ability to necromancy. Hunting for their offenders, nekomata lures them with visions of deceased relatives.

Tengu, along with kappa, is one of the most famous Japanese youkai. He is depicted in the guise of a man of enormous stature with a red face, a long nose, sometimes with wings. Possesses tremendous strength and is a master of melee weapons. Their charms confuse people, they are the inhabitants of the mountains and the protectors of holy places and temples. Tengu can become mentors of worthy people, but more often they bully and frighten people. There is karasu-tengu - tengu "raven" (junior tengu), who looks like a man with the head of a raven, he personifies tengu, dangerous to people, and yamabushi tengu - tengu a hermit monk who looks like a wandering old man who personifies the protector of people.

Tenjō-sagari is a demon that dwells on the ceiling. Has everyone watched The Curse? Familiar motives, right?))

Enma Dai-O, or the chief of hell, comes from Buddhism. God Yama, judging people after death.

Kyubi no kitsune is a nine-tailed fox. Kitsune are wise youkai known for their cunning. They are able to take on human form and have great magical powers. The more tails a kitsune has, the older and more powerful this magical animal. Maximum amount tails - nine. Legends say that a fox that has lived for 100 years has a new tail. The fur of the nine-tailed fox is believed to turn white or gold, and it acquires the ability to see and hear everything that happens in the world.

This is Baku - a devourer of dreams and nightmares. Baku is not only a traditional youkai, but also a tapir in Japanese, which affects the appearance of the ancient spirit. However, ancient texts describe baku as a chimera with the trunk of an elephant, the eyes of a rhinoceros, the tail of a bull and the paws of a tiger.

Yūrei (yurei) - restless spirit. If a person died as a result of a violent death, or possessed by strong desires (revenge, hatred, grief) or if the funeral rites were not performed or performed with errors, then his soul (reikon) turns into a ghost. A long white kimono used for burial, long black matted hair, a company of a pair of will-o'-wisps - this is the look of a classic Japanese ghost. They live in the places where they were killed, or where their restless bodies lie. You can calm down by performing funeral rites on the found body, kill their killer, or eliminate the cause of dying emotions.

Yamasei or mountain spirit. I don't know anything about him, but he reminds me of a goblin, a kind of dirty little spirit.

Rashomon no oni is a cannibal who lives near the Rashomon Gate. According to legend in the tenth century of the Heien period, this terrifying demon lived at the Rashomon gate in Kyoto, killing people who wanted to pass through. After fighting the famous samurai Watanabe no Tsuna, the demon lost his hand, which he then cunningly took from the samurai, who was holding it as a trophy in a chest. However, the demon never returned to the Rashomon gate.

Waira is a mountain demon that resembles a chimera. No further information could be found.

Nure-onna or snake woman. Has a female head and a serpentine body. Her descriptions differ little in various sources... There is information that she reaches three hundred meters in length, that she has snake eyes, dyne claws, fangs and beautiful hair. She usually lives on the shore, where she washes her long hair. Some legends say that this youkai only wants privacy and becomes angry if it is violated. Others argue that the snake woman feeds on people. She seems to be holding a child in her arms, whom people offer to carry instead of her. If they refuse to carry the cradle, it becomes incredibly heavy and prevents them from escaping. The snake woman sucks out all their blood with her long tongue.

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Alkonost- a wonderful bird, an inhabitant of Iria - a Slavic paradise. Her face is feminine, her body is that of a bird, and her voice is sweet, like love itself. He who heard Alkonost's singing with delight can forget everything in the world, but there is no evil from her, unlike Sirin. Alkonost lays eggs "at the edge of the sea", but does not incubate them, but plunges them into the depths of the sea. At this time, the weather is calm for 7 days.

Anchutka- a creature associated with water, a swamp, while it quickly moves and flies. In southern Russia, anchutka was described as a water monster living in rivers and ponds: children were constantly frightened with it. Anchutka was also sometimes called "bespaliy" and "panty", which made him related to the well-known trait. Like any evil spirits, it instantly responds to the mention of its name.

Aspid- a winged snake that has a bird's nose and two trunks. Where she gets into the habit of flying, those places will devastate. The asp lives in the mountains and never sits on the ground: only on a stone. It is impossible to kill him, you can only burn him.

Baba Yaga- an old forest woman-sorceress. She lives in the forest in a "hut on chicken legs", devours people; the fence around the hut is made of human bones, on the fence of the skull, instead of the bolt - a human leg, instead of locks - hands, instead of a lock - a mouth with sharp teeth. Baba Yaga tries to fry the kidnapped children in the oven. Baba Yaga has one leg - bone. She flies in a mortar, covering the trail with a broom. The connection with wild animals and the forest allows her to be derived from the ancient image of the mistress of animals and the world of the dead.

Trouble- a demonic creature that wanders around the world in search of people doomed to constant misfortune and failure. “Trouble sleeps, but it walks around people,” people said in the past. "Trouble walks not in the forest, but in people", "Trouble has come - open the gates!"

Vedogon- an invisible spirit accompanying people to death. During sleep, he leaves a person and protects his property from thieves, and life - from enemies or other, unkind, vedogons. These spirits fight terribly among themselves, and if the vedogon is killed in a fight, then the person is his master, and soon also dies.

Witches (sorceresses)- enchantresses, "connivances", women who entered into an alliance with the devil (or another evil spirits) for the sake of gaining supernatural abilities. They could predict the future, make poisons and love potions. Sorceresses are endowed with werewolf abilities, fly through the air, animate any object, make invisible. To communicate with evil spirits, witches flocked to the Sabbath riding on a broomstick, a goat or a pig, into which they could turn a person.

Viy- known to us only from the story of Gogol, the messenger of nightmares, visions and ghosts. He is a mighty old man with huge eyebrows and unusually long eyelashes that go down to the ground. His eyebrows and eyelids were so thick that they completely obscured his vision. And therefore, in order for Wii to look at the world, several strong men are needed who could raise his eyebrows and eyelids with an iron pitchfork. By the way, the word "vii" means exactly eyelids. In the past, viya, was presented as a terrible fighter who kills people with his gaze and turns cities and villages to ashes.

Pitchfork (samovilya)- women's perfume, charming girls with loose hair and wings, dressed in magical dresses: whoever took their dress from them, they obeyed. The pitchfork could fly like birds, lived in the mountains, owned wells and lakes, and knew how to "lock" the waters. Their legs are goat, horse or donkey, they cover them with white clothes. The pitchfork is friendly to people, especially to men, helping the offended and orphans. Samovils know how to heal, they can predict death, but they themselves are not immortal. If she is pissed off, she can be severely punished.

Vodka- an unclean force that "leads", makes you wander. Believing that for the most part a person does not lose his way himself, but is "led" by an unclean force, people imagined vodka in different ways: both invisible and indefinite in appearance, and in the guise of animals and people. "Driving" by an unclean force, especially an invisible or unclear appearance, is a kind of obscuration; a person cannot explain how he got to this or that place, cannot break the invisible circles and go out on a straight road. The reasons for the appearance of vodka next to a person were usually considered an unkind word, a curse, spoken after.

Volkodlak- a werewolf man with the supernatural ability to transform into a wolf. Its signature is the "wolf's hair" noticeable from birth on the body. Volkodlak became a ghoul, so after death they clamped his mouth with a coin. In Russian literature A.S. Pushkin was the first to use the name for them - "ghoul".

Vostruha- the spirit that lives in the dwelling, the oldest predecessor of the brownie. He lives behind the stove and watches over the thieves. Vostrukhin of acute hearing nothing will hide, where he lives, nothing can happen, nothing will be lost in the house. Even the beauty and purity of young girls, as an honor and property of the house, are protected by enthusiasm!

Ghouls (ghouls and ghouls)- evil dead, akin to vampires, in which an unclean spirit takes over 40 days after death. The ancient Slavs "laid treasures", that is, they sacrificed to the ghouls even before they began to worship the thunderbolt Perun. After death, a person who is born of evil spirits or corrupted by it becomes a ghoul (the future ghoul can be recognized by the double rows of teeth); the deceased, over whose coffin the devil jumped; "Mortgaged" dead person (suicide); witch; wolf lak.

Gamayun- a prophetic bird, a messenger of the Slavic gods, their herald, singing divine hymns to people and proclaiming the future to those who know how to hear the secret. When Gamayun flies, a deadly storm comes from sunrise. He knows everything in the world: about the origin of earth and sky, gods and heroes, people and monsters, birds and animals.

Grandfathers (dzyady)- the spirits of ancestors. Among the Eastern and Western Slavs, a special ceremony of venerating grandfathers was performed in the spring on the seventh day after Easter (semukha, spring rainbow or Easter of the deceased) or in autumn (grandfathers, or big autumn in Belarus, Kostroma grandfather's week, during which the deceased parents rested). Food was sacrificed to the dead. The souls of the dead were invited to a meal in the house: "Grandpa, go before dinner!" The first spoon or the first glass was dedicated to the grandfathers: it could be poured under the table or placed outside the window through which the “smaller” grandfathers flew in, while the “big” ones entered through the door.

Sinister- an evil spirit, a tiny creature that, stealthily settling in country house behind the stove, brings all kinds of misfortune to this house. No matter how great the wealth of the owner, it will quickly disappear, and terrible poverty will come to the place of contentment. The proverb has survived: "The evil ones asked to visit for three days, and even in three years you will not survive!" Sinister has a not quite definite appearance - it says, but is invisible. He can turn into a dwarf, a small child, or an old beggar. Likes to suddenly jump on the back, the shoulders of a person, "ride" on it. Sinister can be several, sometimes up to twelve. However, having shown some ingenuity, they can be overfished, locked, enclosed in some kind of container, which, by the way, sorcerers use, "taming" them in this way.

Zmiulan- a powerful patron of black clouds, the enemy of the Tsar of Fire and Queen Molonitsa (Perun, Mokoshi), associated with the images of the Fiery Serpent and the Serpent Gorynych. Is the embodiment of cunning and evil.

Karna and Jelly- the incarnations of the executioner and grief associated with funeral detachments.

Cow Death- an evil creature that brings death to the entire peasant herd. It appears in the form of an ugly, vicious old woman, who, in addition to all her ugliness, has hands with a rake. She never comes to the village herself, but is certainly brought in or brought in by a passer-by. To protect themselves from harm, village women perform the ancient mysterious rite of plowing the village at night. If, while plowing, any animal or, God forbid, a man came across, they would attack him with the whole crowd, drive him and try to kill or drive him away. The belief was that the Cow Death itself took the form of that oncoming creature.

Swan maidens- creatures of special beauty, seduction and things of power. They perform difficult, supernatural tasks and force nature itself into submission.

Famously... It is also sometimes called Dashing One-eyed, for it blindly rushes at anyone, without disassembling either the rich or the poor, or the right, or the guilty. Dashing - the embodiment of promiscuity, injustice of fate, fate. Sometimes he will famously bypass a great sinner and fall on a good, hardworking person: his country house will burn down, and the car will break down, and his relatives will get sick, and he himself will not know where to go from the disease, but everything is dashing on his neck - and his legs dangling!

Mara- the embodiment of death, pestilence. Later, she partially lost her connection with death, but retained her character harmful to humans, the ability to shape-shifting.

Marossa- evil spirits subordinate to Santa Claus. No wonder their names are consonant! In summer they sleep and fall to the ground in winter with the first snowflakes. The Marossians run through the fields through the forests and blow into their fists, catching up with the cold and fierce wind with their icy breath. Their heels make the frozen ground and the trunks of frozen trees crackle, which is why people say, "the frost is cracking."

Frost (Morozko)- an old man with a long gray beard, running through the fields and causing terrible frosts with a thud.

Altercation- an unkind spirit, like sinister. The nature of the quarrel is evident from his name, he strives to quarrel everyone, to bring discord into any family or company. At one time, the quarrel was revered as a god and sacrifices were made to him. And his altar was never empty, for everyone tried to appease this grumpy god: who wants to have sudden quarrels destroy all undertakings and plans ?! At the same time, there was always a lack of priests in the sanctuary of quarrel: they incessantly quarreled among themselves and fought. If there was only one priest at the altar, then he constantly pinched his hand in order to anger himself as much as possible and then quarrel with himself.

Polevik (living grandfather)- the spirit that guards the grain fields. His favorite time is noon. This is a small old man with a body black as the earth, with multi-colored eyes, hair and a beard of ears and grass. He lives in the field only in spring and summer, during germination, growth and ripening of crops. From the beginning of the harvest, a difficult time comes for him: he has to run from a sharp sickle and hide in under-pressed strips. In the last sheaf is his last refuge. With him you can especially often meet at the border (border of fields). For example, it is impossible to sleep in such places: children of field workers, mezhevichki and meadows, run here and catch birds for their parents for lunch. If they find a sleeping person, they will fall on him and strangle him. So that the spirits of the field could winter without need and care, the peasant, following the old custom, leaves several plucked apples in the fields, and in the current several handfuls of threshed grain, and for this he expects a good harvest next year.

Midday (rye)- field spirits. She was represented as a girl in a white dress, with long hair or a shaggy old woman who appears in the field and pursues those who work in the field. Midday can break its neck, kidnap a child left in the field.

Rarog- a luminous fiery spirit associated with the worship of fire, the hearth. It was represented in the form of a bird of prey with sparkling, flaming feathers, flames bursting from its beak, or in the form of a fiery whirlwind.

Sirin- dark bird, dark power, messenger of the lord underworld... From head to waist she is a woman, and then a bird. Whoever listens to her voice, forgets about everything in the world and dies, and there is no strength to force not to listen to her voice.

Goosebumps- ghostly creatures, spirits of timidity, cowardice, cowardice. It is they who lead a person into that nightmare state when he has "goosebumps" (from the word "mura", that is, "mora"), because they are the faithful servants and maids of Morena, the ancient Slavic goddess of death.

Chur... This name is still on everyone's lips. Chur, was revered as the patron and guardian of the boundaries of the underground possessions. At the boundaries of their plots, farmers poured hillocks and installed on them a wooden image of a chur, which had the shape of a round, a short stump as thick as an arm. Symbols were carved on it, denoting the owners of a particular piece of land. Such stumps have retained their ancient name in all the well-known words that have survived to our time: block, block, block. No one dared to touch the lump on the boundary hillock, for fear of angering the spirit that jealously guarded the boundaries of the possessions of different owners, held back daring and willful violators, stopped someone else's plow, blunt the ax. Also, mind you, he guarded the person and all his goods from devils, therefore, in case of danger, it is still advised to remember this spirit and say: “Chur, me!”, That is, ask: “Chur, take care of me!”

SUPERNATURAL BEINGS AND PHENOMENA

The Dragon. - Kappa. - Promise kappa. - Tengu. - The Adventures of Kiuchi Heizaemon. - Tobikawa is pretending to be tengu. - Mountain woman and mountain man. - Yukki-Onna, Snow Lady. - Snow Bride. - The ghostly guest of Kudzaemon. - Baku. - White sake shojo. - Mysterious light. - Fire ball. - Ghost wrestlers. - Earless Hoichi. - Eater of corpses. - Ghost mother. - Futon Tottori. - Test of love. - How the old man got rid of the wart.

The dragon is without doubt the most famous of the mythical animals, closely associated with Japanese mythology, albeit of Chinese origin. This creature lives mainly in the ocean, in rivers or lakes, but can fly and has power over clouds and storms. The dragons of Japan and China are very similar, except that the Japanese dragon has three claws and the Chinese dragon has five. The Chinese emperor Yao, who ruled in the twenty-second century BC, was said to be the son of a dragon, and many rulers were called metaphorically "dragon-faced." The dragon has a camel's head, deer antlers, hare eyes, carp scales, tiger paws and claws resembling those of an eagle. In addition, he has a mustache, a bright gemstone under his chin, and a crest at the top of his head, allowing him to ascend to heaven whenever he wants to. This is a general description, and it does not apply to those dragons whose heads can be so fantastic that they defy description. The breath of the dragon turns into clouds, from which there is either rain or fire. Dragons can expand and contract their bodies, they can change and become invisible. In both Chinese and Japanese mythology, the dragon is associated with the element of water, as we already see in the stories of Urashima Taro, Empress Jingu and in the adventures of Hoori no Mikoto.

The dragon is one of the zodiac signs, and in the ancient Chinese concept of the world, the inhabited land is surrounded by four seas ruled by four dragons. The Sky Dragon rules the palaces of the gods, the Air Dragon rules the rain, the Earth Dragon rules the order and rivers, the Treasure Dragon guards precious metals and stones.

The White Dragon living in Yamashiro Pond, every fifty years, turns into an O-Goncho bird with a voice reminiscent of the howl of a wolf. Whenever this bird appears, it brings a terrible hunger. Once, when Fu Xi was standing near the Yellow River, the Yellow Dragon gave him a list with mystical writings. This, according to legend, is the origin of the Chinese writing system.

Kappa - Japanese water. According to popular beliefs, he is short, goggle-eyed, covered with scales, and has membranes between his fingers. On the head of a kappa, resembling the head of a monkey, there is a small tuft of hair, in the middle of which is a hole filled with water. And if water spills out while the kappa is on land, it will lose its strength. The most important pleasure for a kappa is to challenge a person to fight one on one, and the unfortunate one who received such a challenge cannot refuse. Although the kappa is vicious and cocky, he can sometimes be overly polite. The passer-by, who has received the peremptory challenge, bows deeply to the kappa. The gallant kappa bows back, and when he bows his head, a forceful fluid flows out of the fossa in his head, and he becomes weak - all his belligerence immediately disappears. Defeating a kappa is just as bad as being defeated by it, because after enjoying the victor's glory for a while, one begins to wither. I Kappa has the tendency of a vampire, he gets close to people in the water while swimming in a lake or river and sucks their blood. In some parts of Japan, kappa is said to require two sacrifices a year. When people come out of the water, their skin turns pale and they die from terrible diseases.

Kappa are aquatic species that live in rivers and lakes.

In Izumo province, the villagers call Kappa Kawako, Son of the River. Near Matsue there is a small village called Kawachi-mura, and on the banks of the Kawachi River there is a small temple known as Kawako-no-miya, that is, the Kawako temple, or kappa. They say that there is a document signed by this waterman. There is also a legend about this document.

Kappa Promise

In ancient times, the kappa lived in the Kawati River and amused himself by grabbing and killing villagers, and did not hesitate to livestock. Once a horse entered the river, and the kappa, trying to catch it, twisted his neck, but despite severe pain, did not release the victim. The frightened horse jumped ashore and ran into the neighboring fields, with the kappa sitting astride the distraught animal. The owner of the horse, along with other villagers, grabbed and tied the Son of the River tightly.

Let's kill this terrible creature, - said the peasants, - because it must have committed many terrible crimes, and we will do well to get rid of this vile monster.

No, - answered the owner of the horse, - we will not destroy him. We will make him swear never to kill our villagers and our livestock again.

The corresponding document was prepared, the kappa was asked to look through it and, when he did so, to sign.

I can’t write, ”the repentant kappa replied,“ but I’ll dip my hand into the ink and attach it to the document.

When the kappa made his ink mark, he was released and released into the river, since that time he has firmly kept his word.

We have already mentioned tengu in the story of Yoshitsune and his loyal servant Benkei. In this legend, Yoshitsune, one of the greatest warriors of old Japan, learned the art of swordsmanship from the lord of the tengu. Tengu are minor deities who are great in the art of wielding weapons. The hieroglyphs that write the word "tengu" mean "heavenly dog", but this creature does not resemble a dog in any way, but is partly a man, partly a bird, with an animal's head, large ears and a nose so long that it can carry people on it and fly with this suspended load for thousands of miles tirelessly, and, in addition, the tengu's teeth are strong and sharp and capable of cutting a sword and spear.

Toshihide. Tengu dance. From the series "Eighteen theatrical scenes" (1898).

It is said that tengu inhabit some forests and mountain gorges. In general, tengu are gentle creatures because they have a lively sense of humor and love to joke. However, sometimes tengu mysteriously kidnap people, and when they are returned home, they are in a mad state and cannot come to their senses for a long time.

The Adventures of Kiuchi Heizaemon

One day, a servant named Kiuchi Heizaemon disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Kiuchi's friends, upon learning of this, looked for him everywhere. By chance they found the missing man's shoes, a scabbard and a sword, but the scabbard was bent like a teapot handle. After the first unfortunate find, the friends found Kiuchi's belt, cut into three pieces. At midnight, they heard a strange cry - a voice called for help. Suzuki Shitiro, one of the seekers, accidentally looked up and saw a strange creature with wings standing on the roof of the temple. When his comrades joined him and saw an eerie figure, one said:

I think it's an umbrella flapping in the wind.

Let's make sure, "replied Suzuki Citiro and raising his voice, asked," Are you the missing Kiuchi?

Yes, - was the answer, - I beg you to take me out of here as soon as possible.

Tengu.

When Kiuchi was removed from the roof of the temple, he passed out and fainted for three days. Finally, when he regained consciousness, he told the following story:

That evening, when I disappeared, I heard someone call my name several times. I went out and saw a monk in a black robe shouting "Heizaemon!" Not far from the monk stood a man of enormous stature, his face was red, and his disheveled hair hung down to the ground. "Get on that roof over there," he shouted angrily. I refused to obey this villain and drew my sword, but after a moment he bent the blade and broke the scabbard. Then he roughly tore off my belt and cut it into three pieces. After that, they carried me to the roof and severely beat me there. But this is not the end of my suffering, because then I was forced to sit on a round tray. A moment later I was flying through the air, the tray carrying me at a terrible speed over the country. When I realized that I had been traveling by air for ten days, I prayed to Buddha and woke up in that place that seemed at first to be the top of a mountain, and then the roof of a temple, from where you, friends, took me off.

Tobikawa pretends to be tengu

Tobikawa, a former wrestler who lived in Matsue, spent his time hunting and killing foxes. He did not believe the superstitions concerning this animal, and everyone around him believed that great physical strength protects him from fox sorcery. However, some in Matsue predicted his premature death due to the audacity of his actions and disbelief in supernatural powers. Tobikawa was a great joker and once dared to change into tengu, donned feathers, a long nose and claws. Disguised, he climbed a tree that stood in the sacred grove. The peasants noticed him and, believing that they had met a tengu, began to worship him and bring various offerings under the tree. Alas! The gloomy prediction came true, because the joker Tobikawa, trying to depict acrobatic leaps and tengu antics, fell from a tree and crashed.

Tengu.

Mountain woman and mountain man

The mountain woman's body is covered with long white hair. She looks like a giant cannibal. She behaves like a cannibal, is able to fly like a moth, and easily crosses impenetrable forests.

The mountain man is said to resemble a huge monkey covered with dark fur. He is very strong, but does not steal food from villages. He is always ready to help the lumberjacks and will gladly carry firewood in exchange for rice cakes. You cannot capture or kill him, any such attempt brings misfortune, and sometimes death to those who attacked him.

Yuki-Onna, Snow Lady

“A gloomy winter gloom enveloped the earth,

However, from these gloomy skies

Quivering white flowers fly

Like a rain of snow-white petals!

Perhaps there, behind the clouds, imperceptibly

Has a beautiful spring come already? "

Kujohara no Fukayabi

Snowfall in Japan is especially beautiful and has always been a favorite topic of Japanese poets and artists. Imagine snowflakes falling on the ornamented rooftops of Buddhist temples, on fabulous Japanese bridges like those painted on Chinese porcelain plates, and on graceful stone lanterns that adorn Japanese gardens. This is an unforgettable sight. It is all the more amazing that Yuki-Onna, the Snow Lady, is by no means kind and beautiful. All the poetry of snow disappears in the presence of this evil spirit.

Snowy twilight. Ando Hiroshige. From the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road" (late 1850s).

Yuki-Onna personifies Death and has some of the characteristics of a vampire: her mouth is the mouth of Death, and her ice-cold lips suck life from unfortunate victims.

But Japan is full of sharp and surprising contrasts, and everything graceful and beautiful is combined here with the ugly and ugly.

Snow Bride

One cold winter evening, two woodcutters - Mosaku and his apprentice apprentice Minokichi - went to the forest near their village. On the way home, they were caught in a blizzard. With difficulty they reached the river and wanted to cross to the other side, but the carrier left somewhere, leaving his boat on the other side. The travelers could not cross the river by swimming, and they decided to spend the night in a small hut of the carrier.

They went to bed, and old Mosaku fell asleep almost immediately under this modest but hospitable shelter. Minokichi, on the other hand, lay awake for a long time, listening to the howl of the wind and the howl of the blizzard outside the door.

Finally Minokichi fell asleep, but very soon his sleep was interrupted by cold snow falling right on his face. Opening his eyes, he saw that the door was wide open, and in the middle of the room was a beautiful woman in dazzling white clothes. She stood motionless for a few moments, then bent over the sleeping Mosaku; her breath was like white mist.

For a couple of minutes, the woman stood, bending over the old teacher, and then turned to Minokichi and approached his box. Her breath was like a gust of icy wind, and Minokichi screamed.

I wanted to do to you what I did to this old man, ”the woman said. - But I won't: you are so young and handsome ...

Know that if you tell anyone a word about what you saw here, immediate death awaits you.

With these words, the woman disappeared into darkness.

Mosaku, Mosaku, wake up! Minokichi shouted to his beloved teacher. “Something terrible has happened!

But the old man did not answer. And when Minokichi touched his hand in the darkness, it was as cold as a block of ice. Mosaku was dead.

On the way home the following winter, Minokichi met beautiful girl named Yuki. She said she was going to Edo to look for work: she wanted to hire someone as a maid. Minokichi was fascinated by her beauty and dared to ask if she was engaged. Upon learning that Yuki was free, he took her with him and soon married her.

Yuki gave her husband ten children who, for their beauty, aroused the envy of many. Minokichi's mother admired Yuki and even praised her daughter-in-law in the last minutes before her death. Her admiration was shared by many of the villagers.

One night, Yuuki was sewing, the light of a paper lantern fell on her face, and Minokichi, looking at her, recalled that strange night in the carrier's hut.

Yuki, ”he said,“ you now remind me of the beautiful Snow Woman I saw once when I was eighteen. She killed my teacher with her icy breath. I'm sure it was some strange spirit, and today I look at you and see her!

Hearing this, Yuki dropped her sewing. A terrible smile distorted her face, she went up to her husband and hissed:

It was me, Yuki-Onna. It was I who came to you then! I killed your teacher! Oh, you dastardly deceiver, you broke your vow to keep a secret! And if not for our children sleeping over there, I would kill you right now! I leave them to you. Remember, if they ever complain, I will hear, I will know about it. And then I will come to you at night, when the snow is falling, and I will kill you!

Saying this, Yuki-Onna, the Snow Lady, transformed into a cloud of white mist and flew out into the smoke hole with an eerie screech, never to return.

Phantom Guest of Kudzaemon

There was a poor peasant named Kudzaemon. One evening, as always, he closed the shutters on the windows of his modest home and went to bed. Shortly before midnight, he was suddenly awakened by a loud knock on the door. Kuzaemon went to the door and shouted:

Who's there? What you need?

The strange nocturnal visitor did not identify himself, but began to beg the peasant for food and lodging for the night. The cautious Kudzaemon refused to let the stranger into the house. Having made sure that the door and windows were securely locked, he was about to fall asleep again, when suddenly he saw a woman standing next to her with her hair down in a flowing white dress.

Where did you leave your geta? - the peasant exclaimed in fright.

I don't need a geta, - answered the stranger. - I have no legs. I am the spirit that knocked at your door. I flew over the snow-covered trees, making my way to the neighboring village. But the wind is too strong today, it tired me, and I decided to rest here a little.

Hearing this, the peasant shook with fear.

Do you have butsudan? the woman asked.

After receiving an affirmative answer, she asked Kudzaemon to open the butsudan and light the lantern. He fulfilled her request, and the woman began to pray in front of the tablets with the names of deceased ancestors, not forgetting to mention the name of Kudzaemon, who still could not calm down. After finishing the prayer, the guest told the peasant that her name was Oyasu and that she had previously lived with her parents and her husband named Isaburo. When Oyasu died, her husband left her elderly parents to their fate. And now Oyasu wants to find Isaburo and convince him to return to look after them.

So Oyasu died in the snow, and this is her spirit, Kudzaemon muttered to himself. But even realizing who was in front of him, he could not overcome fear. Trembling, Kudzaemon walked to the altar, repeating over and over:

Namu amida butsu! ("I call upon you, Almighty Buddha!") Finally, tired of his worries, the peasant lay down and dozed off.

At some point, he woke up to hear the white creature mumble goodbye and disappear without waiting for an answer.

The next day, Kudzaemon went to a nearby village and began asking where Isaburo lived. It turned out that he was living with his father-in-law again. Isaburo told Kudzaemon that his wife's spirit in the form of Yuki-Onna had come to him many times. After carefully considering everything that had happened, Kudzaemon came to the conclusion that the Snow Lady appeared to Isaburo immediately after her mysterious visit to him, Kudzaemon. Then Isaburo promised to fulfill her request and return to her parents. Neither he nor Kudzaemon had ever seen Yuki-Onna again, the one who wanders in the sky amid a snowstorm.

In Japan, superstitious people believe that evil spirits cause bad dreams, and a supernatural being named Baku is known as the Dream Eater. Baku, like many other mythological creatures, is a curious mixture of various animals. It has the face of a lion, the body of a horse, the tail of a cow, the scruff of a rhinoceros, and the legs of a tiger. Some bad dreams are mentioned in old Japanese books, such as two twin snakes, a fox with a human voice, blood-stained clothes, a talking pot of rice, etc. When a Japanese peasant wakes up from a nightmare, he asks:

Oh Baku! Exterminate my bad dream.

At one time, images of Baku were hung in Japanese houses, and his name was written on pillows. They believed that if Baku was forced to eat a bad dream, then it had the power to turn the dream into a good one.

White sake shojo

Shoujo is a sea monster with bright red hair, who loves to drink the sacred white sake in huge quantities. From the legend below, you can get an idea of ​​this creature and the nature of its favorite drink.

The day after the miraculous appearance of Mount Fuji, a poor man named Yurine, who lived near this mountain, fell seriously ill, and, feeling that his days were numbered, he wanted to drink a cup of sake before he died. But there was no rice wine in the small hut, and his son Kouri, wanting to fulfill his father's last wishes, walked along the shore with a pumpkin in his hands. Before he had time to go far, he heard someone calling him by name. Looking around, he saw two strange creatures with long red hair and cherry blossom skin, with a belt of green algae around their waist. As he approached, Kouri saw that these creatures were drinking white sake from large flat cups, constantly filling them from a huge stone jug.

My father is dying, ”the boy said. “He really wants a cup of sake before he dies. But alas! We are poor and I do not know how to fulfill his last wish.

I will fill your pumpkin with this white sake, ”said one of the creatures, and with the filled pumpkin, Kouri hurried to his father.

The old man drank the sake very willingly.

Bring me some more, ”he said,“ because this is not just wine. I can feel the new life flowing through my old veins, the wine has given me strength.

Kouri returned to the seashore, and the red-haired creatures again willingly shared sake with him, they provided him with a drink for five days, and by the end of the fifth day, Yurine recovered.

Yurine had a neighbor named Mamikiko; When he heard that Yurine had recently acquired an abundant supply of sake, he envied him because he loved drinking a bowl of rice wine more than anything else. One day he called Koyuri, asked him everything and with the words: "Let me taste the sake," he roughly snatched the pumpkin from the boy's hands and began to drink. As he drank, his face became more and more contorted.

This is not sake! he yelled in rage. - It's dirty water. - Having said this, he began to beat the boy, saying: - Take me to these people you told me about. I'll take some good sake from them, and you remember how I punished you, and don't make fun of me anymore.

Koyuri and Mamikiko walked along the seashore and soon came to the place where the red-haired creatures were drinking sake. When Koyuri saw them, he burst into tears.

Why are you crying? one creature asked. “It’s unlikely that your good father has already drunk all the sake.

No, - answered the boy, - but I had a misfortune. This man, named Mamikiko, whom I brought here, tasted some of the sake you gave me, immediately spat it out and poured out the rest, saying that I made fun of him and gave him dirty water. Please give me some more sake for my father.

The redhead filled the pumpkin and laughed at Mamikiko's troubles.

I'd like a cup of sake too, ”Mamikiko said. - Give me a little.

Having received permission, the greedy Mamikiko filled the largest bowl, inhaling the sake of sake with a smile. But as soon as he tasted the drink, he felt bad and angrily told the red-haired creatures about it.

The redhead replied:

You obviously don't know that I am a girl and live near the Dragon Palace. When I heard about the miraculous appearance of Mount Fuji, I came to look at it and make sure that it is a good sign and that it promises prosperity and prosperity to Japan. Admiring the beauty of this beautiful mountain, I saw Koyuri and gave him happiness, saving the life of his honest father with the help of the sacred white sake, which gives youth to people, and shojo - immortality. Koyuri's father is a kind person, and sake has taken on his beneficial power over him, but you are greedy and self-loving, for such people it is poison.

I? - moaned Mamikiko. “Good shojo, have mercy on me and keep me alive.

Shojo gave him a powder and said:

Swallow this powder along with sake and repent of your sins.

Mamikiko did so, and the sake tasted amazing for him. He wasted no time and quickly became friends with Yurine, and a few years later these two settled on the southern slope of Mount Fuji, prepared white shojo sake and lived for three hundred years.

Mysterious Light

There are many ghosts in Japan that emit magical light. These are fiery ghosts, and the light of demons, and fox light, and flickering pillars, and badger flashes, dragon lanterns and a Buddha lamp. In addition, some birds are said to emit supernatural light, such as the blue heron emitting light through its skin, beak and eyes. There are also fiery wheels, sea glow, cemetery lights.

Fire ball

From the beginning of March to the end of June, in the province of Settsu, you can see a fireball at the top of a tree, and in this ball a human face.

In ancient times, a priest named Nikobo lived in the Settsu province, known for his ability to exorcise evil spirits. When the local ruler's wife fell ill, Nikobo was asked to come and see what he could do to heal her. Nicobo willingly responded, he spent many days at the bedside of the sufferer. The priest diligently cast out demons, and in due time the wife of the ruler recovered. But the noble and kind-hearted Nikobo was not thanked for what he did, on the contrary, the ruler envied him, accused Nikobo of a dirty crime and sentenced him to death. Nikobo's soul burst out in anger and took the form of a mysterious fireball that hung over the assassin's house. A strange ball with a face expressing righteous anger had such an effect on the ruler that he fell ill with a fever and died. Every year at the specified time, the ghost of Nikobo appears in the place of suffering and retribution.

Ghost wrestlers

In the province of Omi, there is a lake at the foot of the Qatada hills. On cloudy nights of early autumn, a fireball appears at the edge of the lake and, now expanding, now contracting, floats towards the hills. When he rises to the height of a man's height, two beaming faces appear, then the torsos of two naked wrestlers are seen, locked in a fierce struggle. A fireball with two mighty fighters floats between the hills of Qatada. He is harmless as long as no one interferes with his movement, but reacts to every attempt to stop him. There is a legend that says that a certain wrestler, who knew no defeat, waited at midnight for the approach of a fireball. When the ball approached, the wrestler tried to prevent him by force, but the fireball continued on its way, throwing the fool a considerable distance.

Earless Hoichi

In the stories about Yoshitsune and his loyal servant Benkei, we have already mentioned the Battle of Dannoura - this was the last conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans.

In this great battle on the water, the Taira clan died, including the young emperor Antoku.

The spirits of the Taira clan are said to have been haunted by the spirits of the Taira clan for seven hundred years after this great battle. Mysterious lights shone on the waves, and the air was full of the smell of military action.

Taira clan armor with blue fabric inserts (XII century).

To calm the unfortunate spirits, in the town of Akamagaseki, a Buddhist temple Amidadzi was built and a cemetery near it, in which there were several memorial stones with the names of the deceased emperor and his great vassals carved on them. This temple and cemetery to some extent calmed the spirits, but still, from time to time, strange events took place in the area, and this legend tells about them.

One night Hoichi was left alone in the temple, and since it was a very warm night, he sat outside on the veranda and played the biwa. Suddenly he heard someone come up to the small garden behind the temple. And a muffled voice called:

Then he called again:

Hoichi, already frightened enough, replied that he was blind and would be glad to know who had come.

My lord, ”the stranger began,“ with his noble men is now staying at Akamagaseki, he has come to learn about the Battle of Dannora. He heard about your wonderful retelling of the story of this battle, and he ordered me to escort you to him so that you could show him your skills. Take biwa and follow me. My lord and his august company are awaiting your presence.

Hoichi, believing the stranger was some kind of respectable samurai, immediately obeyed. He put on sandals and took a biwa. The stranger guided him with his iron hand, and they moved very quickly. Hoichi heard the clink of armor, but then the fear completely disappeared, and he was glad to have the honor of showing his art to such a respectable audience.

Approaching the gate, the stranger shouted:

Immediately the bolts slid open, the gate opened, and they entered. Then there was the sound of many hurrying feet, and Hoichi heard the sound of a stage opening.

He was helped to overcome several high steps and, when he reached the top, ordered to take off his sandals. Then the woman accompanied him, holding his hand, until he felt that he was in a large room, where, he decided, many people were gathered. He heard the muffled hum of voices and soft sound rustling of silk garments. When Hoichi sat down on the couch, the woman who had previously accompanied him told him to tell the story of the great battle of Dannoor.

Hoichi began to sing to the accompaniment of his biwa. His art was so great that the strings of the instrument imitated the sounds of oars, the movements of the ship, the cries of people, the sound of waves and the whistle of arrows. A quiet rustle of applause greeted Hoichi's wonderful performance. Encouraged by the praise, he continued the game with even greater skill. When he went in his song to describe the death of women and children, about Niidono's immersion in the sea with the little emperor in his arms, everyone burst into sobs and shrieked.

When the performance was over, the woman who was leading Hoichi told him that the master was very pleased with his skill and wished Hoichi to do it for the next six nights.

Once again, the woman led Hoichi through the apartment, and when they reached the steps, the same servant escorted him back to the veranda behind the temple where he lived.

The next night, Hoichi was again sent to please the ears of the guests, and he was again received with great success. But this time the absence of the monk was discovered, and after his return his friend, the rector of the temple, began to question the musician about this. Hoichi dodged questions and told him that he had been away for a short time on personal matters.

The abbot was not satisfied with this answer. He excused Hoichi for being secretive and expressed concern that something was wrong and that the blind monk might be bewitched by evil spirits. He asked the servant boys to keep an eye on Hoichi and follow him if he left the temple at night.

When Hoichi left his home again, the servant boys quickly lit their lanterns and followed him. But despite the fact that they ran very quickly, looked everywhere and questioned everyone in a row, they could not find Hoichi and find out anything about his whereabouts. However, when the servant boys were returning to the temple, they heard the sounds of a biwa in the cemetery near the temple, and as they approached this eerie place, they found Hoichi there. He sat on the grave of the young emperor Antokutenno and played loudly his biwa and sang just as loudly about the Battle of Dannoor. Around him, wherever possible, strange lights burned, and their cluster resembled a huge lamp made of many candles.

Hoichi! Hoichi! shouted the servants. - Stop playing immediately! You have been bewitched, Hoichi!

But the blind Hoichi continued to sing and play, seemingly absorbed in some strange and terrible vision.

Then the servants began to shake him and shout right into his ears:

Hoichi, come with us now!

The blind singer pushed them aside and said that the esteemed congregation would not tolerate such behavior from him.

The servants began to drag him away by force. When they reached the temple, they took off their wet clothes and placed food and drinks in front of it.

By this time, the abbot was already angry enough and demanded an immediate explanation for such an unprecedented behavior. Hoichi, after much hesitation, told his friend everything that had happened to him.

My poor friend! You should have told me about this before. You haven't actually visited big house noble lord, but was in a nearby cemetery and sat on the grave of Antoku-tenno. The Taira clan has called upon you to show your mastery. Hoichi, you are in great danger, because by submitting to these spirits, you accordingly fall under their power and sooner or later they will kill you. To my great regret, tonight I have a service far from here, but before I leave, I will make sure that your body is covered with sacred texts.

It was not yet night, and Hoichi's body was already covered with ink-drawn texts of the sacred Buddhist sutra known as Hannya-Shin-kyo. Inscriptions were made on the chest, head, back, face, neck, legs, arms, and even on the feet.

Then the abbot said:

Hoichi, you will be called again tonight. But you sit still, be calm and meditate all the time. If you do this, no harm will happen to you and they will not harm you in any way.

That night Hoichi sat alone on the veranda, barely moving, trying to breathe very quietly.

And then footsteps were heard again.

But the blind musician did not answer. He sat very still, filled with fear.

His name was repeated again and again, but he did not answer.

That won't work, ”the stranger grumbled. - I have to find this man.

The stranger walked to the veranda and stood next to Hoichi, who was trembling with fear, afraid of being discovered.

Aha! the stranger said. - Here lies his biwa, but in the place of the one who should play it, I see only ears! Now I understand why he is not responding. He has no mouth, only these two ears! I will take these ears to my master!

In the next second, Hoichi's ears were torn off, but despite the hellish pain, the monk sat motionless. Then the stranger left, and when his footsteps were no longer audible, the only sound Hoichi heard was the sound of blood pouring onto the veranda. It was in this state that the abbot found him after his return.

Poor Hoichi! - exclaimed a friend. - It's all my fault. I have entrusted my assistant to write sacred texts on every piece of your body. He didn't do it just on your ears. I had to see to it that he carried out my order properly. But now it is clear that these evil spirits will never bother you again.

From that day on, the blind Hoichi became known as Miminashi-Hoichi (Earless Hoichi).

Corpse eater

One day a monk named Muso Kokushi got lost while wandering around the province of Mino. Desperate to find at least some human dwelling, he was about to spend the night under open air when I suddenly found a hut - anjitsu.

The old monk greeted him, and Muso asked to shelter him for the night.

No, - answered the owner of the hut angrily, - I never give shelter to anyone. You will find a village in that valley - look for a night's rest there.

Guided by these rude words, Muso left and reached the indicated village, where he was warmly greeted at the headman's house. Entering the main room, the monk saw the assembled people. He was led into a separate room, and he was already falling asleep when he heard crying, and soon a young man appeared before him, holding a lantern in his hand.

Good monk, ”he said,“ I must tell you that my father recently died. We didn’t want to tell you about this when you came as you were tired and needed a rest. The people you saw in the main room came to pay their respects to the deceased. Now we must all leave, as is the custom in our village if someone dies, because strange and terrible things happen to corpses when they are left behind. But perhaps, as a monk, you will not be afraid to stay with the body of my poor father.

Muso replied that he was not afraid at all and said young man that he would perform the service and look after the deceased while everyone was away. Then the young man, along with the rest of the mourners, left the house, and Muso was left awake alone.

After Muso performed the funeral rite, he sat meditating for several hours at a time. When it was already deep night, he suddenly felt the presence of some strange outlines, so terrible that the monk could neither move nor utter a word. The shadow moved forward, lifted the corpse and quickly swallowed it. Not content with this terrible meal, this mysterious shadow also swallowed the offerings and then disappeared.

The next morning, when the villagers returned, they did not express the slightest surprise when they heard that the corpse had disappeared. Muso told them about his nighttime adventure and asked if the monk who lived on the hill sometimes served funeral services.

I was at his hut last night, and although he refused me an overnight stay, he showed me where to find shelter.

The villagers were amazed at these words and assured Muso that there had never been a monk or a hut on that hill. They were convinced of their words and assured Muso that he had been deceived by evil spirits. Muso did not answer this and soon left, determined to solve this mystery as much as possible.

Muso easily found the hut again. The old monk came out to him, bowed and asked for forgiveness for his earlier rudeness.

I am ashamed, ”he added,“ not only because I didn’t shelter you, but also because you saw my real appearance. You saw how I ate the corpse and the burial offerings. Alas! Kind man, I am a dzikininki (cannibal). And if you treat me with patience, I will tell you about my misfortune. Many years ago I was a priest in this district and performed a huge number of funeral rites and services, but I was a bad priest because I did not have a real religious feeling when I performed these services, but thought only about good clothes, food, jewelry that I extorted from the relatives of the deceased. Because of this, after death, I turned into a dzikininki and since then I have been eating the corpses of everyone who dies in this area. I beg you to show compassion for my current situation and read a few prayers for me, so that I quickly find peace and quiet and my great sin would be over.

As soon as these words sounded, the hermit and his abode disappeared, and Muso saw himself kneeling in front of a moss-covered gravestone, which, most likely, was above the grave of the unfortunate priest.

Ghost mother

A pale-faced woman walked sadly along Nakabaramachi Street and went into a shop to buy some mizu-ame. Each time she came late in the evening, always haggard and silent. One night, the shopkeeper, interested in her behavior, followed her, but when he saw the woman walk into the cemetery, in confusion and fear, he turned back.

Once a mysterious woman came to the shop again, but this time she did not buy a mizu-ame, but beckoned the owner to follow her. The pale woman walked along the street, and the amber syrup seller and his friends followed her. When they reached the cemetery, the woman disappeared into the grave, and those who remained outside heard the crying of a child. When the grave was opened, they saw that the woman they were following was dead, and next to her was a living child, laughing at the light of the lantern and pulling her hands to the cup with mizu-ame. The woman was buried prematurely and her child was born in the grave. Each time the silent mother disappeared into the night, leaving the cemetery to return with food for her child.

Futon Tottori

There was a small and modest inn in Tottori town. It was a new hotel, and since the owner was poor, he had to furnish it with old things from the nearby shops. Its first guest was a merchant, who was treated with the greatest respect and served many, many sake. When the merchant drank the refreshing rice wine, he lay down to rest and soon fell asleep. He didn’t doze for long when he heard the plaintive voices of children next to him:

Over and over, the children repeated these sad words. The merchant, thinking that the children had accidentally got into his room, gently chided them and was about to fall asleep, but after a moment's silence, the voices of the children were again heard:

Older brother is probably cold?

No, you must be cold?

The guest got up, lit the night lamp (andon) and began to look around the room. But there was no one in the room; all cupboards were empty and all shoji were closed. The merchant lay down again, puzzled and surprised. And again he heard the crying of children very close to his pillow:

Older brother is probably cold?

No, you must be cold?

The crying was repeated and repeated, and the guest, chilled with fear, found that it was coming from his futon.

He quickly ran down the steps and told the innkeeper what had happened. He got angry.

You drank too much sake, ”he said.“ Warm sake gave you devilish dreams.

But the guest paid the bill and went to look for a night shelter somewhere else.

The next night, another guest slept in this enchanted room, and he also heard mysterious voices, quickly settled with the owner and left the hotel. And then the owner himself went to this room. He heard the plaintive crying of children coming from the blanket, and only now was he forced to believe the stories of two previous visitors to his hotel.

The next day the innkeeper went to the shop where he had purchased the blanket and began to inquire about it. After he had already walked around several shops, he finally heard the story of this mysterious blanket. Once upon a time, a poor man lived in Tottori with his wife and two children, boys six and eight years old. Their parents soon died, and the children were forced to sell their already meager possessions until they had only a thin and dilapidated blanket left to shelter from the cold at night. Soon they had no money left to pay their rent or buy themselves any food.

When the cold weather came, and the snow covered the poor dwelling so much, the children had no choice but to wrap themselves in a thin blanket and comfort each other:

Older brother is probably cold?

No, you must be cold?

And, repeating these words over and over again, they pressed against each other, fearing the darkness and the damp piercing wind.

While their poor little bodies were bundled up, trying to warm each other, the heartless innkeeper entered and, realizing that there was no one else to pay him the rent, drove the unfortunate children, dressed only in thin kimonos, out of the doorway. They tried to reach the Kannon Temple, but the snow was falling so hard that they stayed and hid behind their old house. A blanket of snow enveloped them, and they fell asleep on the compassionate bosom of the gods and were buried in the cemetery at the Temple of the Thousand-Handed Kannon.

When the owner of the inn heard this sad story, he gave the old blanket to the priest of the temple dedicated to the goddess Kannon, ordered prayers for the repose of the souls of the children, and since then the blanket no longer emitted mournful voices.

Return

A peasant lived in the village of Mochida-no-ura. He was very poor, but nevertheless his wife bore him six children. Immediately after the child was born, the ruthless father threw him into the river and said that the child was born dead, and in such a terrible way he killed six of his children.

Over time, the peasant became more and more prosperous, and when the seventh child was born, he was very happy and dearly loved him.

One night the peasant took the child in his arms and went into the garden, saying:

What a lovely summer night!

The child, still only five months old, suddenly spoke like an adult:

The moon looks exactly the same as when you last threw me into the river!

After the baby spoke these words, he became again the same as before; but the peasant immediately realized the horror of his crime and from then on became a priest.

Checking the senses

Once upon a time there was a lovely girl who, contrary to Japanese traditions and customs, was allowed to choose her own husband. Many sought her hand, brought her gifts, wrote poems and spoke words of love. She was friendly to fans and spoke like this:

I will marry someone who is brave enough to go through the test I will assign for him, and whatever that test may be, I count on the samurai's oath that he will not divulge this secret.

The fans readily agreed to this condition, but one by one they left her with traces of horror on their faces. And even when they stopped courting, none of them said a word about this terrible secret.

Finally, a poor samurai, whose sword was his only possession, came to the girl and declared that he was ready for any trials, even very cruel ones, in order to get her as a wife.

After they had dinner together, the girl left the room and returned well after midnight, dressed in white robes. Together they left the house, walked through many streets, accompanied by barking dogs, went outside the city and walked until they reached a large cemetery. Then the girl went ahead, and the samurai followed her, putting his hand on the sword.

When the samurai's eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he could see how the girl was digging the ground with a shovel. She dug quickly, and soon the lid of the coffin appeared. V next moment she snatched out the corpse of a child, tore off her hand, broke it and began to bite off a piece from it, and gave the other part to the samurai with the words:

If you love me, then eat what I eat!

Without a moment's hesitation, the samurai sat down next to the grave and began to eat a piece of his hand.

Wonderful! he shouted. - I beg you, give me more!

In this part of the legend, fear safely disappears when it becomes clear that neither the girl nor the samurai actually ate any corpse - the hand was made of delicious caramel!

The girl jumped to her feet with shouts of joy and shouted:

Finally I found a brave man! I will marry you, because you are the husband that I have been looking for for so long and until tonight I could not find!

How an old man got rid of a wart

Once upon a time there was an old man who had a huge wart on his right cheek. This ugliness irritated him greatly, and he spent a lot of money trying to get rid of it. He took various medications, used lotions, but the wart not only did not disappear, but became more and more.

Once, when an old man with a bundle of brushwood was returning home, a storm overtook him and he was forced to hide in a hollow of a tree. When the storm died down and the old man was about to continue his journey, next to the hollow, he heard the noise of some kind of fun. Looking out of the hollow, the old man was amazed to see several demons dancing, singing and drinking. This dance seemed so bizarre to him that the old man, forgetting about caution, laughed and climbed out of the hollow to get a better look. Observing, he noticed that one of the demons was dancing to the side of the others, moreover, it was clear that the main demon did not like this awkward dance. After a while, the demon said:

Enough! Is there really no one who could dance better than this poor fellow?

When the old man heard these words, it seemed to him that youth had returned to him again - and he was once an excellent dancer. He offered to show his art and began to dance in front of demons. These strange spectators thanked him for the dance, offered him a cup of sake and asked him to please them and dance a few more dances.

The old man was flattered to receive such praise, and when the chief demon asked him to dance for them the next night, the old man readily agreed.

Fine, the head demon said, but you have to leave us some security. I see a wart on your right cheek. She will be an excellent collateral. Let me take it from you.

Without any pain, he removed the wart, and after that the demons disappeared.

The old man, while walking home, kept touching his right cheek and could not believe that after many years he was finally lucky and he managed to get rid of this ugly and annoying wart. When the old man got to his humble home, his old wife was as happy about what had happened as he was.