Friendly Yokai from Japanese Folklore
In Japanese folklore, yōkai (妖怪) refers to ghosts, monsters, and legendary spirits. Strange behaviors are attributed to these mythical creatures to explain otherwise mysterious phenomena. Yōkai means “attractive, bewitching” and kai (怪) “mystery, wonder”.
Yōkai were often depicted as strange incarnations of ordinary individuals or creatures, some resembling humans, for example with altered features such as a long neck or three eyes. Others looked like animals, plants, insects, or household items.
Unlike the ghosts or spirits of the West, many of these yōkai spirits don’t bother anyone they just want to be left alone and go about their day. Others even try to actively help and protect the humans they encounter. Some yōkai are evil or wickedly mischievous and most of the yōkai have supernatural abilities beyond human comprehension and today we are introducing you to some of the most popular yōkai in Japan!
Kappa, the water demon
Kappa holding a cucumber, his favorite food.
The Kappa is one of the most famous yōkai in Japanese culture, making many appearances in pop culture and even as mascots for sports teams or companies. They are also called “ river children “. They are excellent swimmers and live in lakes or rivers. However, once they are on dry land, they tend to be quite clumsy and even in danger, as they have a water well on their head that dies if the water is emptied.
Kappa can be very mischievous. If a kappa is shown proper respect, for example by receiving offerings such as cucumbers, his favorite food. Properly worshiped, kappa often help the human population with watering their crops and befriending lonely children.
