Today, I decided to do a little research into Japanese myths and folklore. In college, I learned a bit about Shinto, and as I discovered from wikipedia, there is a spirit for everything. Spirits inhabit any and all pieces of furniture, which is interesting since everything came from something natural at some point. What I find really funny are some of the really odd creatures and their descriptions. Some examples are:
Akaname- a spirit that licks an untidy bathroom
Jinmenju- a tree with fruit with human faces
Kamaitachi- a slashing sickle-weasel
Kosode-no-te- a short sleeved kimono with its own hands
Obariyon-a spook that rides piggy back on a human and becomes unbareably heavy
Tofu-kozo- the spirit of a child carrying tofu
Others are rather frightening sounding, such as a women with two mouths and a horsehead hanging from a tree. (~shiver~ ew). The Japanese have some very interesting and rather terrifying creatures within their mythology. I love how they have spirits for odd sensations and things to explain earthquakes and tsunamis (a giant catfish). Overall, very complex thus far. I hope I can use this knowledge for something.
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