In the entry about 獏 (the friendly tapir-like yokai who eats bad dreams) we learn that it’s important to dream good dreams on the second day of the year, so that the whole year goes well. To make sure of that, you place a 宝船 drawing under your pillow. These can be purchased at temples, but you can also draw one yourself. It doesn’t look very easy to draw though:
At the end of the page there’s also an entry about another New Year’s tradition, 王子狐の行列. Apparently foxes used to gather under a big tree and, once the year changed, go to pay their respects to Inari.
This is reenacted every year in Oji in Tokyo. People dress up in kimono, put on fox makeup, and form a parade towards the Inari Shrine for the first shrine visit of the year.
While the 百鬼夜行 is a very festive place to stop, I think I will continue reading until at least the end of the section (or possibly further?).
I’ll also continue posting here whenever I find something of interest (probably too often).
Anyone else still reading, now or later, please also share your thoughts on these wonderfully weird yokai!
Actually this is more horrifying than it sounds initially… Apparently it doesn’t just flip the pillow (which would be very welcome) but moves it from the head to the feet. While this also doesn’t sound anything more than slightly inconvenient, there was a belief that the soul travels to faraway places during dreaming, and it somehow needed the pillow to return (don’t ask me about the mechanics of it). So having the pillow moved basically meant you’d die in your sleep.
Reading about 子なき爺 ( a small old man posing and crying as a baby, who grows heavy and crushes you with his weight if you pick him up), TIL that there is such a thing as a World Yokai Association (世界妖怪協会)! The first chairman was (or course) Mizuki Shigeru of ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 fame. The Association has recognized three places as “yokai heritage”: 鳥取県境港市,
徳島県三好市山城町and 岩手県遠野市! Places to visit for sure!
たんたんころりん is the spirit of a persimmon tree with fruit remaining unpicked and neglected. According to a legend, a servant woman worked at a house with persimmon trees full of fruit. She really wanted to eat some, so then a giant? (大入道) with a red face appeared and asked her to prick his bum with a skewer, then lick it It tasted sweet and delicious, like a persimmon. In other stories, it was his poop that was served - don’t worry, that also tasted delicious and just like a persimmon.
Today I read about an Ainu yokai, オッケルイペ! It’s a funny one too. When you sit alone in the house (by the hearth) you may hear the sound of farts, and an unbearable smell starts to fill the room The only way to get rid of the オッケルイペ is to fart yourself, or to at least imitate the sound - it doesn’t want to smell anyone else’s farts, so it leaves at once!
And speaking of farts, apparently kappa farts are deadly. Beware.
It tasted sweet and delicious, like a persimmon. In other stories, it was his poop that was served - don’t worry, that also tasted delicious and just like a persimmon.
The only way to get rid of the オッケルイペ is to fart yourself, or to at least imitate the sound - it doesn’t want to smell anyone else’s farts, so it leaves at once!
