I know we have had this prompt. How do name something?
It's time to name a new youkai.
Appears as a night-blooming flower
What fits that description that grows in Japan? Needs to be tall (?Sunflower-like?) I find nothing like that but vines yes. And that will work.
Morningglory, Moonflower
Japanese Bindweed is a similar plant. Minor change the creature doesn't hypnotize like I first thought but binds
We gather all the JP names for these
Bindweed: 昼顔 ヒルガオ Calystegia japonica (Noontime Face)
Morninglory: 朝顔 あさがお (Ipomoea nil) (Morning Face)
Moonflower: 夜顔 よるがお (Ipomoea alba ) Night Face
What luck a pattern [something] Face
Pull up some kanji that is descriptive of the creature. False, lie, deceit, falsehood 偽 (That was easy got it on the first try)
偽顔 にせかお Nise kao False face
Easy to say which is good.
Slap on an ending to show it is "sentient" 女性 Onna sounds good
False Faced Woman
Flower-like, deceitful, vine-like
Oh, DeepL wants to translate にせかお as a smirk. We just learned something new about our creature. (It's a bad translation TBH)
@NaraMoore
I am fascinated by Japanese names. Considering the number of common names I see, I wonder if people do concoct names these days as you've demonstrated, or is it just a western fantasy?
First, the name I concocted is for a Youkaiand it follows the general rules of such names. It is descriptive with hidden puns.
My understanding of people's names is there is a list of kanji that is recommended but not required. Name or more often choose for their auspicious means than to sound pretty.
Authors in JP concote names for characters as well. Some names we take quite seriously are jokes.
Personally, when naming characters I work with an app that tells me the names frequence. I try to stay away from names that are very rare or names that don't appear at all.
While kitsune are usually associated with Shinto and the god Inari, silver and gold foxes (known as ginko and kinko, or gingitsune and kingitsune) are servants of Dakini, a Buddhist goddess.
@aemarielle Non mais je dois être raisonnable sur les dépenses cette année et tu me tentes comme ça ?! 😂 En plus je vois exactement où je pourrais mettre un tirage de Momiji... (mais en tout cas, elles sont toujours aussi magnifiques 🧡 )
We tackle the weird world of #yokai in #SupernaturalSection this week. Learn about Japan's manifestation of high strangeness and the surprising amount of kink. We're talkin' butt pearls and toilet slurping.
Just when you thought #JapaneseFolklore couldn't get any weirder, I present you with ringo no kai. This #yokai is the spirit of apple trees whose fruit has been left too long without being picked. They appear in the evening near apple orchards, taking human form. Bizarrely, they ask residents to feed them poo which, if provided, is eaten with relish. The real low point follows, when ringo no kai presents its own excrement and demands that it be eaten by the residents in... #MythologyMonday
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...return. In some versions of the tale, the poo is eaten and tastes surprisingly delicious. The 'victim' then discovers that it's actually made of the unpicked apples from the tree. The moral of the story, don't delay picking your apples.
🎨1. Matthew Meyer
2. 'Apple' - Kasamatsu Shiro, 1979 #folklore@folklore
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In #JapaneseFolklore tantan kororin are #yokai that are the spirits of persimmon trees. They appear when fruit is left on the tree unpicked. They take the form of giant monks with heads resembling persimmons. They wander through towns letting overripe persimmons fall out of their sleeves. When the fruit runs out, they return to their tree and disappear. While not dangerous, they are definitely creepy, so people tend to try and keep out of their way.
🎨Matthew Meyer #MythologyMonday#folklore
Momotaro (Peach Boy) is a hero of Japanese folklore. He arrived to Earth in a giant peach and was raised by an elderly couple. With the help of a talking dog, pheasant and monkey, he travelled to a distant island to defeat the oni (demons) living there and returned home a hero. #JapaneseFolklore#folklore#folktale#folktales#JapaneseArt@folklore
In #JapaneseFolklore, kappa are a type of #yokai (supernatural creature) that live in lakes and rivers waiting to attack unsuspecting passers-by. They'll either tear out your insides in search of a mystic jewel or drag you to a watery death...or both. To save yourself you can either throw them a cucumber, their favourite food or bow to them. They'll bow back which causes them to lose energy allowing you to escape. I've written more about what causes this here: https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/05/kappa.html #Folklore
This ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1843) is from the series 'Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety of Our Country' and depicts Zen-no-jo of Shinano being shown a vision in a large mirror by two demons and one of the Judges of Hell. #MythologyMonday#ukiyoe#JapaneseArt#JapaneseFolklore
La quatrième aquarelle de la série des yokai raconte l'histoire de Momiji, un oni dissimulant son pouvoir et sa dangerosité derrière l'apparence d'une belle princesse amatrice de danse.
Elle est le sujet d'un court métrage muet datant de 1899, Momijigari lequel montre le combat entre la sorcière et un samouraï, interprétés par des acteurs de kabuki.
Toutes les infos sur cette aquarelle originales sont là ⬇️
Et pour les curieux.ses, je vous montre la mise en couleurs de Momiji à l'aquarelle en vous racontant son histoire en détail ici : https://youtu.be/m_0KxZeoIWU
Cette grande aquarelle fait partie de la collection inspirée par les yokai. J'avais déjà illustré cet esprit il y a environ 5 ans pour un recueil de nouvelles, mais c'était du noir et blanc.
Quel plaisir de la réinventer en couleurs, elle dont le nom signifie Lanterne bleue !
Toutes les infos sur cette créature et son histoire sont là (et aussi sur le blog) ⬇️
In Japan, snakes have long been regarded as magical creatures. Uwabami is a yokai that resembles a normal snake but is known to have a vast appetite and to feed on humans. They also like a drink and can consume vast amounts of sake. #MythologyMonday#yokai#folklore#JapaneseFolklore
🎨 Matthew Meyer
In #JapaneseFolklore there is a terrifying #yokai known as jakotsu baba or the old snake bone woman. She is a shaman with the power to control snakes. In some cases she is said to carry a blue snake in her right hand and a red snake in her left. Apparently the blue snake has an icy breath that freezes everything in its path, while the red snake breathes deadly fire that burns victims, reducing them to ashes. If you get too close to jakotsu baba she'll attack you with her snakes. #MythologyMonday
Un autre petit dessin en improvisation d’où les nombreuses erreurs… mais bon faut assumer 😅
Le Tenome est ce yokai ressemblant à un vieil homme sans yeux mais avec des globes oculaires sur les paumes (oui, comme dans « Le Labyrinthe de Pan », vous pourrez désormais faire les malins avec cette info si vous la connaissiez pas déjà 😌).
Je n’ai pas encore décidé de quel sera le prochain monstre, si vous avez des suggestions ça m’intéresse ! 😁
@joel@aemarielle Après un tel message j’avoue qu’il serait très tentant de dessiner Nathalie du Secrétariat, cette femme méchante qui use de la moindre parcelle de son pouvoir pour malmener le personnel…
Mais on va s’en tenir aux créatures fantastiques pour pas réveiller des traumatismes ! 😁
Merci beaucoup pour le lien, c’est typiquement ce qui m’intéresse !
Et pour le prochain j’hésite entre Mélusine, le Chapalu, le Tarasque, le Dahu ou même la Belle Dame sans merci… 🤔
Cette semaine sur le blog, je prends enfin le temps de présenter la collection d'aquarelles Esprits japonais. Une série de 5 aquarelles sur le thème des yokai, à découvrir en cliquant juste ici :
Kitsunebi (which translates as fox fire) appear as small balls of coloured light floating in long chains about a metre above the ground. They are often a sign that a fox wedding or demon parade are occurring. This strange phenomenon is caused by magical foxes who breathe out balls of fire and use them as lanterns to light their way at night. Humans can only see the lights, but the kitsune (foxes) remain invisible nearby. #JapaneseFolklore#yokai#folklore#JapaneseArt#ukiyoe@folklore
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It is important not to follow these lights as they may be a trick, guiding the unwary towards a group of hungry yokai.
🎨1. Utagawa Hiroshige
2. Matthew Meyer
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In #JapaneseFolklore it's believed that when using timber pillars to construct a building it's important to avoid sakabashira (reverse pillar). This occurs when pillars are placed upside down (opposite to way the tree was facing when living) and can cause all sorts of problems including fires and great misfortune for the building's residents. In some reports, leaf spirits appear from the pillar to take revenge by making noises and scaring inhabitants out of their wits. #yokai#folklore@folklore
@Judeet88@pkw@curiousordinary@folklore
I was only considering the question of shoots from cut trees, and responding in the context of coppicing.
I'd be really surprised if wasn't just as much a practice in the past in Japan as it was in Europe for millennia.
However coppicing can only be inferred on ancient Celtic legends and later Irish folklore rather than specifically described.
In Japanese folklore betobetosan is a harmless yet rather terrifying yokai. If you are walking alone at night in Japan you might hear the 'beto beto' sound of footsteps following you, keeping time with your own. But when you turn around there is nothing there. If this happens there is only one thing to do. Stop and look around then say 'after you betobetosan.' The footsteps will then... #JapaneseFolklore#yokai#folklore#mythology#japan@folklore
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Je bosse en sous-marin ces jours-ci.
J'ai pas beaucoup de nouveautés à montrer, mais je prépare enfin un lancement digne de ce nom pour la collection d'aquarelles Esprits japonais.
Il me manquait une Jorogumo digne de ce nom pour clore ce chapitre des yokai féminins.
Ce sera en janvier par contre, parce que je vais lever le pied pendant la période des fêtes et récupérer des forces.
Kirsaragi Station is supposed to connect to the Hina Station on the Gakunan Rail Line. But was discontinued in 2012. But only if you can actually get there. Katasu Station is before Kiraragi and Yama is after. Never get off at Yama. You're usually safe getting off at Katasu, but don't take the taxi. The driver is an Iso onna (磯女) and she will want to take you to visit her baby. Saying no doesn't work too well. You're better off walking to the Hakoshima Shrine (箱島神社).
