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75-453: The film focuses largely on creatures from Japanese mythology known as yōkai (妖怪, variously translated as "apparition", "goblin", "ghoul", "spirit", or "monster"), which came to prominence during the Edo period with the works of Toriyama Sekien . It also draws inspiration from Aramata Hiroshi's Teito Monogatari , with the novel's antagonist Katō Yasunori appearing as the main antagonist in

150-401: A kikai . Donning new attire, Tadashi and company go into battle. They are greatly outnumbered until they receive unlikely aid from thousands of yōkai who believe they are coming to a party; their festival brawl with the kikai allows Tadashi and Kawahime to enter the fortress safely, followed by a yōkai -obsessed reporter named Sata whom Kawahime saved in the past. Tadashi is forced to slay

225-534: A big guess. Also, in Wakayama Prefecture , stories where a nurarihyon appear were published to explain them, but those stories originate from a story titled "Nurarihyon" in the collection of writings, "Obake Bunko 2, Nurarihyon" (Library of Monsters 2: Nurarihyon) by Norio Yamada , and it is thought that this is also made-up. Toward the end of the Shōwa period, on the basis of Fujisawa's interpretation given by

300-417: A cave. It would take the combined efforts of many other kami, and the erotic dance of a particular goddess named Ame no Uzume, to lure Amaterasu from the cave again. Ame no Uzume exposed herself while dancing and created such commotion that Amaterasu peeked out from her cave. The myth of Amaterasu's entering and emerging from a cave is depicted in one of the most iconic images of Japanese mythology which

375-421: A historical manner. In this article, underlined h , y , and w denote silent letters; they are omitted from modern spelling. Other syllables are modernized as follows (see also Japanese romanization systems ). Note that some blend of these conventions is also often used. Nurarihyon Nurarihyon ( 滑瓢 or ぬらりひょん ) is a Japanese yōkai . Generally, like the hyōtannamazu , they are considered

450-426: A human emotion. Unfazed, Katō takes the two out as Azukiarai awkwardly arrives. Katō calls Agi to join him. However, her love for him is a hindrance to the process, so Katō kills her instead before entering the oven to become one with Yomotsumono. However, due to Sata's actions, one of Azukiarai's adzuki beans ends up in the mix with Katō, causing a chain reaction of positive emotion that destroys Yomotsumono. After

525-434: A kami according to this system. Myths often tell stories of particular, local deities and kami; for example, the kami of a mountain or a nearby lake. Most kami take their origins from Shinto beliefs, but the influence of Buddhism also affected the pantheon. Contact with other cultures usually had some influence on Japanese myth. In the fourteenth century, Christianity found its way to Japan through St. Francis Xavier and there

600-646: A kami who looks almost human in depictions is the ruler of the Seas Ryujin . On the other hand, kami like Ninigi and Amaterasu are often depicted as human in their forms. Shinto originated in Japan, and the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki tell the tales of the Shinto pantheon's origins. Shinto is still practiced today in Japan. In Shinto belief, kami has multiple meanings and could also be translated as "spirit" and all objects in nature have

675-465: A lumberjack who worked in that forest was not lucky enough to escape the mythological creature. The Jorōgumo spider is commonly told in Japanese folklore. The word itself translate to the meaning,"whore spider". Every story commonly states, that the creature captures it's prey by first seeming like a beautiful women than after seduction is complete turning into the much more bitter better half. This creature

750-625: A monster that cannot be caught. One can find that it often appears in the yōkai emaki of the Edo Period, but any further details about it are unknown. In folktale legends, they are a member of the Hyakki Yagyō (in the Akita Prefecture ), and there is a type of umibōzu in the Okayama prefecture that can be found under that name, but it is not clear whether they came before or after the "nurarihyon" in

825-420: A nap. He rested near, the waterfall and there is when Jorōgumo, caught her first prey. Taking on the persona of a beautiful woman, the man simply thought she was merely a woman. After she saw he was asleep, she quickly turned to her true form, top half a beautiful woman and the bottom half is a spider. The man awoke in a web, and was lucky enough to escape said web, to tell the tale to local citizens. Unfortunately,

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900-404: A nefarious spirit named Yasunori Katō appears. Katō - a demon whose mystical powers are born of his rage at the annihilation of Japan's local tribes - desires vengeance against the modern Japanese for their actions against the yōkai . To carry out his revenge, Katō allies himself with a yōkai named Agi, summoning a fiery spirit called Yomotsumono: a creature composed of the resentment carried by

975-426: A nurarihyon hanging down from a kago . Like the emakimono, this one has no explanatory text, so not many details are known, but the act of disembarking from a vehicle was called "nurarin," so it is thought that nurarihyon was a name given to a depiction of this. Furthermore, it is also theorized that this depicts the libertines who go to the red light district. Natsuhiko Kyōgoku and Katsumi Tada posit that "nurari"

1050-457: A purification ceremony. As Izanagi cleansed himself, the water and robes that fell from his body created many more gods. Purification rituals still function as important traditions in Japan today, from shoe etiquette in households to sumo wrestling purification ceremonies. Amaterasu, the Sun goddess and divine ancestor of the first Emperor Jimmu, was born from Izanagi's eye. The Moon god and Susanoo

1125-417: A ruined visitor god. The name Nurarihyon is a portmanteau of the words "Nurari" (Japanese: ぬらり or 滑) meaning "to slip away" and "hyon" (Japanese: ひょん or 瓢), an onomatopoeia used to describe something floating upwards. In the name, the sound "hyon" is represented by the character for " gourd ". The Nurarihyon is unrelated to another, similarly named ocean Yōkai from Okayama Prefecture . The Nurarihyon

1200-537: A trio of gods who produced the next seven generations of gods . Izanagi and Izanami were eventually born, siblings, and using a naginata decorated with jewels, named Ame-no-nuhoko ("Heavenly Jeweled Spear") that was gifted to them. Izanagi created the first islands of the Japanese Archipelago by dipping the Naginata into the primordial waters. Historians have interpreted the myth of Izanagi's creation of

1275-443: A union ceremony is born with no limbs or bones, and the parents discard the child by sending him to sea in a boat. When Izanagi and Izanami ask the older gods why their child was born without bones or limbs, they are told it was because they did not conduct the ceremony properly and that the male must always speak before the female. Once they follow the directions of the older gods correctly, they produce many children, many of whom are

1350-450: Is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago . Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with Chinese and various Indian myths (such as Buddhist and Hindu mythology ) are also key influences in Japanese religious belief. Japanese myths are tied to

1425-459: Is an onomatopoeic word meaning the state of slipperiness, and "hyon" similarly means a strange or unexpected circumstances, which is why "nurarihyon" was the name given to a yōkai that was slippery (nurarikurari) because it cannot be caught. In the Gazu Hyakkai Yagyō , its name is written as "nūrihyon" but considering all the literature and emakimono before it, it is generally thought that this

1500-709: Is believed to be over 400 years old. There is said to be a male version of this horrific creature, commonly called the Tschuigumo. Many deities appear in Japanese mythology, and many of them have multiple aliases. Furthermore, some of their names are comparatively long. This article, therefore, lists only the most prominent names and gives them in one of their abbreviated forms, other abbreviated forms are also in use. (For instance, Ninigi , or Ame-Nigishikuni-Nigishiamatsuhiko-Hikono-no- Ninigi -no-Mikoto in full, may also be abbreviated as Hikoho-no-Ninigi or Hono-Ninigi .) In some parts of this article, proper names are written in

1575-449: Is its inclusion of graphic details, with disgusting and horrific images that are considered to be taboo in modern Japanese society, which has many cultural practices associated with purification and cleanliness. After Izanami's death, the myth of Izanagi's efforts to rescue her from Yomi , an underworld described in Japanese mythology, explains the origins of the cycle of birth and death. After killing their child Kagutsuchi , Izanagi

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1650-520: Is performing its function just fine in its present form so there is no problem, and that by understanding yōkai as a part of a living culture, he does not mind that they change to fit with the times. Natsuhiko Kyōgoku participated in the animated television series, the 4th "Gegege no Kitarō" as a guest writer for the 101st episode, but here, the nurarihyon would be in its original form, as an octopus. They are also depicted as in Hell Teacher Nūbē as

1725-516: Is shown to the right. The sun goddess Amaterasu's importance in Japanese mythology is two-fold. She is the sun, and one of Izanagi's most beloved of children, as well as the ancestor of the Japanese imperial line, according to legend. Her status as a sun goddess had political ramifications for the imperial family, and the Yamato state most likely benefited from the myth when dealing with Korean influences because Korea also had myths of sun god ancestors for

1800-546: Is simply a mistake. From its appearance, it is also theorized that this yōkai was born because an old person was mistaken for a yōkai. Okayama Prefecture According to Hirakawa Rinboku, in the legends of Okayama Prefecture , the nurarihyon is considered similar to umibōzu , and they are a round yōkai about as big as a human head that would float in the Seto Inland Sea , and when someone tries to catch it, it would sink and float back up over and over to taunt people. It

1875-422: Is thought that they would go "nurari" (an onomatopoeia) and slip from the hands, and float back up with a "hyon" (an onomatopoeia), which is why they were given this name. Presently, it is thought that these are portuguese man o' war , spotted jelly , and other large squid and octopuses that have been seen as yōkai, so it is thought that this is a different thing from the aforementioned nurarihyon that takes on

1950-403: Is unclear what kind of yōkai they were intending to depict. The Kōshoku Haidokusan (好色敗毒散), a ukiyo-zōshi published in the Edo Period gives the example, "its form was nurarihyon, like a catfish without eyes or mouth, the very spirit of lies," so it is known that it is word used with a meaning similar to noppera-bō but as an adjective. The Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien depicts

2025-501: Is usually depicted as an old man with a gourd -shaped head and wearing a kesa . In some depictions he also carries a single sword rather than the standard two to demonstrate his wealth. There is speculation that in Toriyama Sekien’s portrayal of Nurarihyon, he serves as a political cartoon to represent the aristocracy. Others suggest that he is retired from a samurai family due to the sword and his clothing style. The Nurarihyon

2100-758: The Shintōshū describes the origins of Japanese deities from a Buddhist perspective. One notable feature of Japanese mythology is its explanation of the origin of the Imperial Family , which has been used historically to deify to the imperial line. Japanese is not transliterated consistently across all sources (see spelling of proper nouns ). Japanese myths are passed down through oral tradition , through literary sources (including traditional art), and through archaeological sources. For much of Japan's history, communities were mostly isolated, which allowed for local legends and myths to grow around unique features of

2175-427: The kikai that the sunekosuri became, restoring it to its original form yet leaving it gravely injured. In a rage, Tadashi battles Agi before she is called back by Katō to begin the final phase by joining with Yomotsumono. Despite Tadashi's attempts, Katō outmatches him. Kawahime attempts to protect the boy, stating that while she hates humans due to them abandoning her, she has no desire for revenge as she considers it

2250-522: The topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion , and the Shinto pantheon holds uncountable kami (" god(s) " or "spirits"). Two important sources for Japanese myths, as they are recognized today, are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki . The Kojiki , or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history. Additionally,

2325-399: The yokai take their leave, Tadashi and Sata find themselves on the street and the boy tells his first white lie to the reporter about Kawahime's feelings towards him. Years later, Tadashi is a grown man who has lost the ability to see yokai , even the sunekosuri . The film ends with the sunekosuri being confronted by an Azuki-pupiled Katō. Japanese mythology Japanese mythology

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2400-457: The "nurarihyon" would enter people's homes in the evening when the people there are busy and then drink tea and smoke like it's their own home. It is explained that when they are seen, they would be thought of "as the owner of the house," so they wouldn't be chased away, or even noticed. They are also noted to be a "supreme commander of yōkai." However, folk legends that mention these characteristics cannot be found in any examples or references, so

2475-507: The Japanese Archipelago separate the prehistoric history into three eras based on attributes of the discoveries associated with each era. The Jōmun period marks the first cases of pottery found on the archipelago, followed by the Yayoi period and the Kofun period. The Yayoi district of the Japanese capital Tokyo, is the namesake of the Yayoi period because archaeologists discovered pottery associated with

2550-600: The Korean imperial family. The tale of first Emperor Jimmu is considered the origin of the Imperial family. Emperor Jimmu is considered to be the human descendant of Amaterasu the Sun goddess. His ascension to the throne marked the "Transition from Age of the Gods to Human Age". After taking control of Yamato province , he established the imperial throne and acceded in the year of kanoto tori (conventionally dated to 660 B.C.). At

2625-417: The Yamato kingdom — the same Yamato state that was responsible for the two most prominent literary sources of Japanese myth, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Japan's archipelago creation narrative can be divided into the birth of the deities ( Kamiumi ) and the birth of the land ( Kuniumi ). The birth of the deities begins with the appearance of the first generation of gods who appeared out of primordial oil,

2700-464: The adventures and lives of folk heroes. There are many Japanese heroes that are associated with specific locations in Japan, and others that are more well known across the archipelago. Some heroes are thought to have been real people, such as the Forty-seven rōnin , but their legacy has been transformed into great folktales that depict the historical figures as more gifted, powerful, or knowledgeable than

2775-419: The average person. The heroic adventures of these heroes range from acts of kindness and devotion, such as the myth of Shita-kiri Suzume , to battling frightful enemies, as in the tale of Momotaro . Themes that appear in the folklore concerning heroes are moral lessons, or stories that function as parables. The tale of Shita-kiri Suzume, for example, warns of the dangers of greed, avarice, and jealousy through

2850-422: The bumbling Azukiarai , unaware that he only remained behind due to his foot getting numb. When Katō's industrial fortress takes flight towards Tokyo, Tadashi and company pursue it. They arrive shortly after the fortress ingests Tokyo's Shinjuku Capital Building , finding Ippondatara who reforges the sword. Ippondatara refuses to talk about how he escaped, ashamed that the sunekosuri took his place in becoming

2925-403: The caption, the thought that they "come into one's home" or that they are a "supreme commander of yōkai" took a life of its own after Mizuki Shigeru and Arifumi Satō spread them through their own illustrated yōkai reference books, and in the animated television series, the 3rd "GeGeGe no Kitarō" (starting in 1985), a nurarihyon was the antagonist and arch-enemy of the main character Kitarō, and

3000-436: The clash between Japan's traditional landscape and its modern culture. This is largely due to the film's use of kikai (機械, lit. "machine monsters"), created by Katō fusing the yōkai with machines, and the absence of invading Western or otherwise foreign forces. Mizuki, whose work is considered an important part of yōkai discourse and culture due to his contributions in pop culture and academic study, acted as an advisor for

3075-412: The compiler, suggesting that the compiler believed that Izanami was Izanagi's sister. While scholars disagree about the nature of Izanami and Izanagi's relationships, the gods Amaterasu and Susanoo , children of Izanagi, were sibling gods who created children together in a contest preceding Susanoo's desecration of Amaterasu's home which leads to her hiding in a cave. A unique aspect of Japanese mythology

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3150-687: The current constitution of Japan. Japanese gods and goddesses, called kami, are uniquely numerous (there are at least eight million) and varied in power and stature. They are usually descendants from the original trio of gods that were born from nothing in the primordial oil that was the world before the kami began to shape it. There are easily as many kami in Japanese myth as there are distinct natural features, and most kami are associated with natural phenomena. Kami can take many shapes and forms, some look almost human in depictions found by archaeologists; meanwhile, other kami look like hybrids of humans and creatures, or may not look human at all. One example of

3225-477: The end of the seventh century, the Imperial court finally moved from where Emperor Jimmu was said to have founded it in Yamato. The importance of this myth in particular is that it establishes the origins, and the power, of the Japanese imperial family as divine. Although some scholars believe that the myths found in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki are meant to give authority to the imperial family, others suggest that

3300-474: The example of an old couple's experiences with a fairy who disguised herself as a sparrow to test the old man. The influence of Bushido is noticeable in the behavior of heroes, and heroes often were also warriors. Momotaro, born from a peach for a childless couple to raise, is a mythic hero who embodied courage and dutifulness as he went on a journey to defeat oni who were kidnapping, raping, and pillaging his home island. The tale of Momotaro also shares in

3375-520: The film and even made an appearance as the Great Elder Yōkai. The cameo is not only a nod to Mizuki's status as a yōkai expert, but his closing words also resonate closely with the theme of his manga of the same name. Similarly, his role as a peace-keeper is one referenced throughout his work, and is born of his own experiences from real war. The Great Yokai War was theatrically released in Japan on August 6, 2005, and grossed ¥2 billion. In 2006,

3450-419: The film and the novelization of the 2005 film. All three are retellings of the famous Japanese tale of Momotarō , which features the title character driving a group of demons away from Kikaigashima with the help of native animals. While these previous adaptations have been read mostly as nationalist narratives, with the native yōkai driving out invading forces, The Great Yōkai War has been read instead for

3525-500: The film was released internationally by Tokyo Shock . A sequel , was released in Japan on August 13, 2021. A young boy named Tadashi Ino moves to a small town after his parents' divorce . At a local festival, he is chosen to be that year's Kirin Rider, referring to the legendary Chinese chimera, the Qilin : a protector of all things good. He soon discovers that his new title is quite literal, as

3600-421: The film. The film is considered a loose remake of the 1968 Daiei film Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare , but also draws influence from Shigeru Mizuki 's GeGeGe no Kitarō manga series of the same name. Additionally, Daiei Film 's iconic tokusatsu characters Gamera and Daimajin that have influenced productions of the company's yokai films including Yokai Monsters , were also briefly mentioned both in

3675-406: The first Japanese Island Onogoro as an early example of phallocentrism in Japanese mythology. The earliest creation myths of Japanese mythology generally involve topics such as death, decay, loss, infanticide, and contamination. The creation myths place great importance on purification, ceremonial order, and the masculine. For example, the first child born to Izanagi and Izanami after they attempt

3750-502: The geographic location where the people who told the stories lived. The Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, completed in A.D. 712 and A.D. 720 respectively, had the two most referenced and oldest sources of Japanese mythology and pre-history. Written in the Eighth century , under the Yamato state , the two collections relate the cosmogony and mythic origins of the Japanese archipelago, its people, and

3825-407: The historical and mythical origins of Japan's people, culture, and the imperial family. Motoori Norinaga , an Edo-period Japanese scholar, interpreted Kojiki and his commentary, annotations, and use of alternate sources to supplement his interpretations are studied by scholars today because of their influence on the current understanding of Japanese myths. Archaeologists studying the history of

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3900-405: The history of the Japanese archipelago and its mythological origins were recorded in spite of Emperor Temmu's death before its completion. As a result of Hideya no Are's account, the Kojiki was finally completed, transcribed in kanji characters, during Empress Genshō 's time as sovereign. The Yamato state also produced fudoki and Man'yōshū , two more of the oldest surviving texts that relate

3975-465: The imperial family. It is based on the records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki that the imperial family claims direct descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu and her grandson Ninigi . Emperor Temmu enlisted the help of Hiyeda no Are who committed to memory the history of Japan as it was recorded in two collections that are thought by historians to have existed before the Kojiki and Nihongi . Under Empress Gemmei 's rule, Hideya no Are's memory of

4050-415: The islands of the Japanese Archipelago. Among their children are the Ōyashima , or the eight great islands of Japan — Awaji , Iyo , Oki , Tsukushi , Iki , Tsushima , Sado , and Yamato . The last child that Izanami produces is a fire god, Kagutsuchi (incarnation of fire), whose flames kill her; and Izanagi murders the child in grief-driven anger. The child's corpse creates even more gods. Izanami

4125-474: The multitudinous things mankind has discarded. Katō feeds yokai into Yomotsumono's flames, fusing them with the numerous discarded tools and items to form kikai . These kikai - under Katō's control - capture other yōkai to build their numbers while killing humans. One such yokai , a sunekosuri escapes and befriends Tadashi who attempts to obtain the Daitenguken from the mountain as a right of passage for

4200-404: The myths in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki are unique accounts meant to give authority to the mythic histories in themselves. The Nihon Shoki and Kojiki have varying accounts of the mythic history of Japan, and there are differences in the details of the origins of the imperial family between the two texts. The imperial dynasty still has a role as a public symbol of the state and people, according to

4275-412: The nurarihyon comes to visit as the chief monster. Those two yōkai researchers posit that this caption resulted in the proliferation of this thought in later years, and that this was actually a made-up idea that came from an interpretation of Toriyama Sekien's picture. Murakami and Tada posit that in fact, Fujisawa's assertion that the "nurarihyon comes to visit as the chief monster" is nothing more than

4350-532: The other. Meanwhile, the sun goddess and the storm god Susanoo's conflicts were intense and bloody. Various accounts of Susanoo's temper tantrum in Amaterasu's home depict a variety of disgusting and brutal behaviors (everything from smearing his feces across her home's walls to skinning her favorite horse alive and throwing it at her maid and killing the maid) but it is usually, in depictions of this particular myth, Susanoo's behavior that scares Amaterasu into hiding in

4425-519: The pair were siblings. Hattori Asake, another scholar, argued that Oka was correct because he drew evidence from another myth about humans who had incestuous relations because of a great flood wiping out the rest of the human population. Essentially, Hattori said the myth Oka used as evidence was too different to be the origin of the Izanagi and Izanami myth. In the Man'yōshū, Izanami is also referred to as imo by

4500-526: The pictures. It has been thought that they are a "supreme commander of yōkai," but this has been determined to be simply a misinformed or common saying, as detailed in a later section. In the Edo Period Japanese dictionary, the Rigen Shūran , there is only the explanation "monster painting by Kohōgen Motonobu ." According to the Edo Period writing Kiyū Shōran (嬉遊笑覧), it can be seen that one of

4575-488: The role of Kirin Rider. Scared by the tales told of the mountain, Tadashi falters upon his arrival at the mountain and tries to flee. However, tricked by the sea spirit Shōjō , who picked Tadashi out, he manages to overcome a test to prove his worth. Accompanied by Shōjō, Kawahime, and Kawatarō , Tadashi makes his way to the Daitengu who gives him the sword before being taken away by the kikai . In spite of Tadashi's attempts,

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4650-512: The shape of an old person. Akita Prefecture In Yuki no Idewaji (雪の出羽路) (1814) in the Sugae Masumi Yūranki ("Sightseeing Records of Sugae Masumi") by the Edo Period traveler Sugae Masumi , there is the following passage: If you pass by the Sae no Kamizaka at evening among other times in a leisurely stroll with a light drizzle and thick clouds, there would be a man who meets with a woman,

4725-561: The shikome who stop to eat them, granting him time to escape. The peaches he uses to scare the shikome off are then blessed, and peaches appear in many other Japanese myths, especially the tale of Momotarō the peach boy. The origins of the Sun and the Moon are accounted for in Japanese mythology through the myth of Izanagi's return from Yomi. After spending so much time in Yomi, Izanagi cleansed himself with

4800-498: The storm god were born at the same time as Amaterasu, when Izanagi washed his face. Myths related the Sun, the Moon, and the Storm kami are full of strife and conflict. The Sun goddess and her sibling the moon god's interpersonal conflicts explain, in Japanese myth, why the Sun and the Moon do not stay in the sky at the same time — their distaste for one another keeps them both turning away from

4875-419: The sword is broken as Agi takes the sunekosuri as her captive before the boy is knocked unconscious. When Tadashi comes to his senses, he finds himself among yōkai as they discuss how to fix the sword; they ultimately decide to request the aid of the blacksmith Ippondatara. Upon learning that Ippondatara was also captured, General Nurarihyon and his group leave. Kawataro restrains an ittan-momen , praising

4950-522: The themes of violence, sexual violence, and deities or demons devouring humans. Stories of sexual violence are common in the Buddhist text Nihon ryōiki , while stories of people being devoured by mountain deities are found as if they are historical accounts in the fudoki. In Japanese folklore, heroes like Momotaro rescue women from violent kami and oni . Although the exploits of heroes are well known, Japanese mythology also featured heroines. Ototachibana,

5025-422: The time period there. Contact with Korean civilization in the latter part of the Yayoi period influenced the culture of the Japanese Archipelago greatly, as evidenced by the discovery of artifacts that archaeologists associate with various cultural streams from Korea, and northeast Asia. Finally, Kofun period artifacts, ranging from A.D. 250 to A.D. 600, are the archaeological sources of what historians know about

5100-518: The wife of Yamato Takeru, threw herself into the sea to save her husband's ship and quell the wrath of the storm that threatened them. Yamato Takeru, once safe, built a tomb for her and his mourning utterance for his wife caused Eastern Honshu to be called Adzuma. Jorōgumo spider: The Jorōgumo spider is commonly known as a member of the Yōkai myths. The myth begins in a waterfall near the city of Izu. A man had been working long hours, and decided to take

5175-485: The woman would meet with the man, and nurarihyon, otoroshi , nozuchi , among others would go on a hyakki yagyō , so some call it the bakemonozaka (monster hill). In the same book is written that the "Sae no Kamizaka" (道祖ノ神坂) is in the town of Sakuraguchi, Inaniwa, Ogachi District Dewa Province (now the town of Inaniwa, Yuzawa , Akita Prefecture ). Starting in the Shōwa, and Heisei eras, yōkai-related literature, children's books, and illustrated references note that

5250-485: The yōkai researchers, Kenji Murakami and Katsumi Tada posit that the thought of them coming into houses comes from the following passage in the Yōkai Gadan Zenshū Nihonhen Jō (妖怪画談全集 日本篇 上, "Discussion on Yōkai Pictures, Japan Volume, First Half") by Morihiko Fujisawa , where the following is written below Toriyama Sekien's illustration of the nurarihyon in that book: While night is still approaching,

5325-647: The yōkai that it notes is depicted in the Bakemono E (化物絵) drawn by Kōhōgen Motonobu is one by the name of "nurarihyon," and it is also depicted in the Hyakkai Zukan (1737, Sawaki Suushi) and the Hyakki Yagyō Emaki (1832, Oda Gōchō, in the Matsui Library), among many other emakimono. It is a bald old man with an elongated head, and depicted wearing either a kimono or a kasaya . Without any explanatory text, it

5400-413: Was a self-proclaimed "supreme commander," which altogether can be seen as things that made their perception as being "supreme commanders" even more famous. The literary scholar Kunihiro Shimura states that all these above characteristics have made the legend stray far from its original meaning and made it artificially distorted. On the other hand, Natsuhiko Kyōgoku states that in his opinion, this yōkai

5475-488: Was also contact with westerners. However, during the Tokugawa shogunate Christians were executed in Japan. Twenty Christians were crucified before that while Toyotomi Hideyoshi was consolidating his power after the assassination of Oda Nobunaga . Christianity was banned in Japan until well into the nineteenth century. As in other cultures, Japanese mythology accounts for not only the actions of supernatural beings but also

5550-610: Was still grief-stricken, so he undertook the task of finding a way to bring Izanami back from the dead. After finally locating her, he disobeyed her order to not look at her while she went to ask permission to leave Yomi. He used his hair to create a flame, and when he gazed at Izanami's rotting, maggot-filled flesh he fled in fear and disgust. Izanami felt betrayed and tried to capture him, but he escaped by creating obstacles for Izanami's horde of shikome including using peaches to threaten them. The myth of Izanagi's journey into Yomi features many themes of food, he creates grapes to distract

5625-537: Was then buried on Mount Hiba , at the border of the old provinces of Izumo and Hoki , near modern-day Yasugi of Shimane Prefecture . Scholars of Japanese mythology have noted the incestuous themes of the creation myth as represented in the Kojiki, and the first scholar to write about Izanagi and Izanami as siblings was Oka Masao . Izanami is referred to in the Kojiki as Izanagi's imo (meaning both wife or little sister in Japanese) and other scholars dispute that

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