Yokai Type

妖 怪 と 幽 霊 の イ ラ ス ト の

コ レ ク シ ョ ン

A Collection of Illustrations of Japanese Monsters and Ghosts Illustrated by Patricia Valenzuela

パ ト リ シ ア バ レ ン ズ エ ラ に よ

に よ る イ ラ ス ト

一

Foreword 序文

Japan is quite an interesting place. Notice that for anything uniquely Japanese, there must be a mix of creativity and mystery coupled with order that is so distinct in their way of thinking. I believe this principle applies to most of their cultural paradigms, this delightful mix of mystique and order, fun and functional; and I’ve learned to love every bit of it. It’s hard not to love Japanese culture and its many offerings such as anime, manga, sushi, calligraphy and j-pop, among others. But the real challenge to exploring any new facet of culture is familiarizing oneself with its language and cultural history.

This is the purpose ofYokaiType.The lines and symbols that make up the Japanese language (Kanji, hiragana and katakana) is quite a foreign concept to those outside of Eastern Asia.This book is an attempt to fuse two aspects of Japan’s culture, particularly mythical creatures, and basic Japanese writing, into one using a Filipino art style called “Letras y Figuras”. While it might not be the typical workbook that trains technical writing, this allows those whom are new to the culture to make sense of these lines and shapes that make up the letters of hiragana and katakana. This book also explores the tales of old Japan, rooted in mystery, cultural beliefs and religion.

I hope that you will enjoy the illustrations as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing them to life. Let these yokai and yurei guide you into the mystical world of Japan.

Patricia Valenzela Illustrator

Image from http://deitiesdaily.tumblr.com/

二

How to use this book

この本を使用する方法

A - original hiragana character B - literal translation of the Japanese words above it/ in letter “C” C - literal Japanese translation of the mythical creature D - name of the mythical creature E - description and origin of the creature F - pronounciation of the hiragana/katakana letter G - letras y Figuras/Illustrated letter H - katakana equivalent of the character with derived elements from the mythical creature

Take note: Due to limited yokai and yurei, some characters in hiragana/katakana cannot be followed. For example, no such recorded creature beggining with the character “ち” or “chi” can be found. Therefore, the creature for “chi” will be the closest sounding “Chōchin-obake” which contains a “chi” in the name. Also, some designs will not be illustrated in the “Letras y Figuras” style due to the complexity of the creature’s original design. Instead, the Japanese character will be written over the illustration.

A B C D E

F

G H

三

About Yokai Type 妖怪タイプについて

There are many factors that were considered regarding this project. To merge such varying elements into a single design was quite difficult for the artist. First, research about its original design, origins, name and cultural nuances had to be done regarding each and every mythical creature. Next, various studies of its form had to be executed to really fit both the stroke order of each hiragana and katakana character and the narrative of the original creature’s look. Both had to fit into a certain criteria that once it is viewed, you see both the letter, the creature and even the visual hierarchy of its elements that guide you through the stroke order.

Therefore it is the artist’s pleasure to give the readers a little taste of how it is to understand the Japanese language and be exposed to their culture at the same time.

Hopefully this will allow readers to learn and love Japanese traditional culture and its many, many offerings.

Arigatou Gozaimashita!

あ

Ameonna 雨女

rain woman A female spirit illustrated in Toriyama Sekien’s Konjaku Hyakki Shūi as a woman standing in the rain and licking her hand. She is described as a goddess from China’s Mount Wushan, who is a cloud in the morning and rain in the evening. She may be considered a rain-bringer for crops.

“AH” Soft A sound, as the “a” in “father”

い

Inugami 犬神

dog god Inugami can be conjured from a complex and cruel ceremony: A common pet dog must be buried up to his neck, only the head remains free. Then a bowl with food or water must be placed close but in unreachable distance before the snout of the dog. Several days after that, when the dog is about to perish and tortured by hallucinations, his head must be severed and buried beneath a noisy street. After a certain time, head and body must be placed in a well prepared shrine.

“EE” Long E sound, as the “ee” in “meet.”

う

Umibōzu 海坊主

sea bonze The Umibōzu is said to live in the ocean and capsize the ship of anyone who dares speak to it. This spirit’s name, which combines the character for sea with the character of Buddhist monk. It is possibly related to the fact that the Umibōzu is said to have a large, round head, resembling the shaven heads of Buddhist monks. Alternatively they are demons that appear to shipwreck victims and fishermen.

“OO” Double O sound, as the “oo” in “boot.”

え

Enenra 煙々 羅

lightweight fabric It resides in bonfires and, when it emerges, it takes the form of a human. It is said that an enenra can only be seen by the pure of heart. The character 羅 in the Enenra’s name is meant to draw a comparison between the Enenra and the lofty characteristics of lightweight cloth.

“EH” Short E or long A sound, as the “e” in “met.” It sometimes sounds like a “y” is in front of it-- “ye.”

お

Okamuro

岡牟呂

large baldness A common urban legend, the creature’s name is based off of its big bald head. It literally means large baldness. The creature is known as a giant face that peeks through sliding doors to shock people, but the Okamuro is not considered harmful to humans.

“OH” Long O sound, as the “o” in “boat.”

か

Kappa 河童

river child Kappa are aquatic reptilian humanoids who inhabit the rivers and streams found all over Japan. Clumsy on land, they are at home in the water, where they thrive during the warm months. Adult kappa often live solitary lives, although it is common for them to befriend other yokai and even humans.

“KAH” As in “Ca” in “cause”

き

Kitsune 狐

fire fox Kitsune are fox spirits and are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 100 years.

“KEY” As in “Ki” in “kiwi”

く

Kuchisake-onna

口裂け女

slit-mouthed woman She is a woman who was mutilated by her husband, and returns as a malicious spirit.

When rumors of alleged sightings began spreading in 1979 around the Nagasaki Prefecture, it spread throughout Japan and caused panic in many towns.

“KOO” As in “cookie”

け

Keukegen 毛羽毛現

fluffy hair appearance It resembles a small dog covered entirely in long hair. Its name is a pun - when written with different kanji (希有怪訝), keukegen means “An unusual thing which is rarely seen”.

“KEH” As in “Ketchup”

こ

Koropokkuru

コロポックル little dwarf

A race of small people in folklore of the Ainu people of the northern Japanese islands.

The name is traditionally analysed as a tripartite compound of kor or koro (butterbur plant), pok (under, below), and kur or kuru (person) and interpreted to mean “People below the leaves of the butterbur plant” in the Ainu language.

“KOH” “Co” in “coat”

さ

Sazae-Oni 栄螺鬼

shellfish ogre woman They are creatures resembling large crustaceans. They are a type of obake, forming when turban snails, especially Turbo cornutus, reach 30 years of age. Other legends of these creatures depict them wandering into coastal or seaside inns whilst in human guise, whereupon they devour the innkeeper in the night and then escape before morning.

“SAH” As in “saturn”

し

Shiro-Uneri

白溶裔

white undulation Born out of a dish towel or kitchen rag which has seen too many years of use past its prime, the shiro-uneri looks like a ferocious, yet tiny cloth dragon. Shiro-uneri flies through the air, chasing cleaning staff and servants, and attacking them by wrapping its slimy, mildewy body around their necks and heads, causing them to pass out from the stench.

“SHI” As in “she”

す

Suzaku 南方朱雀

vermillion bird The Vermilion bird is an elegant and noble bird in both appearance and behavior, it is very selective in what it eats and where it perches, with its feathers in many different hues of vermilion.

“SOO” As in “sue”

せ

Seiryu 东方青龙

azure dragon One of the four guardian spirits of cities and is said to protect the city of Kyoto on the east. The Azure Dragon is represented in the Kiyomizu Temple in eastern Kyoto. Before the entrance of the temple there is a statue of the dragon which is said to drink from the waterfall within the temple complex at nighttime. Therefore each year a ceremony is held to worship the dragon of the east.

“SEH” in “set”

そ

Sogenbi

叢原火 or 宗源火 religion source fire

It was an onibi in Kyoto in Sekien Toriyama’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō. It was stated to be a monk who once stole from the Jizōdō in Mibu-dera who received Buddhist punishment and became an onibi, and the anguishing face of the priest would float inside the fire.

The name also appeared in the Shinotogibōko, a collection of ghost stories from the Edo period.

“SOH” As in “So”

た

Tankokorin 炭個々鈴

persimmon head An unharvested persimmon which becomes a monster, shaped as a human head.

Appears in the Sendai area of Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture. The unpicked persimmons close to the tree’s center become this Yokai. In the tree top, they are only about 10cm large, however, once they fall from the tree they become large quickly.

“TAH” in “tall”

ち

Chōchinobake 提灯お化け

paper lantern ghost The Chōchin-obake in particular was created from a chōchin lantern, composed of bamboo and paper or silk. They are portrayed with “One eye, and a long tongue protruding from an open mouth” “CHI” as in “chip”

つ

Tsurara-onna 及川 氷麗

icicle woman Tsurara-onna is a type of yokai that has many stories, but most in particular involve the creature to be wed to a lonely man. It is said that the stories end with either Tsuraraonna melting in a hot bath or murdering her husband with deathly icicles.

“TSU” Sounds like “tzu” from “Shih Tzu”

て

Tenjōname 天井白痢

ceiling licker A tall, bony creature with frilly hair and an extraordinarily long tongue.When there is nobody around in an old house, temple, or shrine,’ Mizuki writes this monster ‘comes out and licks with its long tongue’ and if they found stains on the ceiling, people in the old days thought it was the work of the Tenjōname.

“TEH” As in “te” in “tell”

と

Tofu-kozō 豆腐小僧 tofu boy They generally are depicted wearing bamboo and kasa on their heads, and possessing a round tray with a momiji-dōfu on it. Momiji-dtōfu is tōfu with a momiji or autumn leaf shape pressed into it. In the original kusazōshi. They did not possess any special powers, and they often appear as servants that bring tōfu and sake here and there in the town, and it is also changed in senryū such poems like tōfu-kozō are servant monsters.

“TOH” in “toe”

な

Namazu 鯰

giant catfish He lives in the mud under the islands of Japan, and is guarded by the god Kashima who restrains the catfish with a stone. When Kashima lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes.

“NAH” “No” in “not”

に

Ningyo 人魚

human fish Anciently, it was described with a monkey’s mouth with small teeth like a fish’s, shining golden scales, and a quiet voice like a skylark or a flute. Its flesh is pleasant-tasting, and anyone who eats it will attain remarkable longevity. However, catching a ningyo was believed to bring storms and misfortune, so fishermen who caught these creatures were said to throw them back into the sea. A ningyo washed onto the beach was an omen of war or calamity.

“NEE” As in “knee”

ぬ

Nue 鵺

chimera It has the face of a monkey, the torso of a tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog), limbs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake. According to which writing it is, sometimes nothing is stated about its torso, or is sometimes depicted to have the torso of a tiger.

“NOO” As in “new”

ね

Nebutori 寝肥

sleeping fat lady Nebutori is a yokai disease. It only infects women, and makes them fat while they sleep– either suddenly or gradually. It is considered an infectious disease, like a bacteria. Women infected with nebutori don’t necessesarily eat more—they just get fat while they sleep.

“NEH” In “net”

ら

Raijū 雷獣

thunder animal Its body is composed of lightning and may be in the shape of a cat, fox, weasel, or wolf.

Another of Raiju’s peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts Raiden to shoot lightning arrows at Raiju to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather, but other legends say that Raiju will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors.

“RAH in “ramen

り

Obariyon 御婆利よん

heavy creature The Obariyon will attach itself to a person’s back, and although it cannot be seen, its weight can be felt by the person, making it harder to walk. The Obariyon cannot be easily removed without the use of magic, but it is said that if you can remove it and take it home, it will turn into many gold coins “REE” As in “reap”

る

Katawaguruma 片輪車

crippled wheel Instead of a giant monk’s head stuck in a wheel, katawaguruma appears as a tormented naked woman riding a single, flaming ox-cart wheel, eternally suffering and burning with pain. It can be found rolling along the roads of Japan, occasionally stopping in towns to hunt for impure souls to drag back to her hellish masters.

“ROO” As in “roo” in “kangaroo”

れ

Kakurezato 核列里

mouse men Kakurezato usually reside along river bank towns in its nooks and crannies. They are said to be very intelligent creatures with their very own miniature market and town.

Although they hide their sophisticated civilization once a human finds their hideaway.

“REH” As in “record”

ろ

Rokurokubi 轆轤首

potter’s wheel neck By day, rokuro kubi appear to be ordinary women. By night, however, their bodies sleep while their necks stretch to an incredible length and roam around freely. Sometimes their heads attack small animals, sometime they lick up lamp oil with their long tongue, and sometimes they just cause mischief by scaring nearby people.

“ROH” As in “rod”

は

Hakuzōsu 泊祖す

fox priest During the night, fox spirits whom have met with terrible fate due to hunting, disguise themselves as buddhist monks with masks. They proceed in disguise to mingle and befriend their trapper/hunter, and once a bond has been made, the Hakuzōsu proceeds to consume their tormenter’s soul.

“HA” As in “hack”

ひ

Hideragami 魃りがみ

drought spirit Hiderigami is a grotesque, hairy humanoid which stands between two and three feet tall and are rarely encountered by humans. They live deep in the mountains and only rarely travel out into human-inhabited lands, but when they do their presence can be strongly felt over a wide area. Its body exerts such a strong heat that everywhere it goes the ground dries up, clouds fail to form, and rain cannot fall. Despite the incredible danger that they pose, it is said that throwing a hiderigami into a toilet will kill it.

“HEE” As in “hero”

ふ

Nuppefuhofui ぬっぺっぽう blob of flesh The Nuppeppō is passive and unaggressive. The body odor is said to rival that smell of rotting flesh. Other theories claim that the Nuppeppō is actually decaying flesh. There is a rumor that states that those who eat the flesh of a Nuppeppō shall have ete rnal youth. The Nuppeppō aimlessly wanders deserted streets of villages, towns and cities, often at night towards the year-end, or graveyards or abandoned temples. It is normally solitary, but there are sightings of them in groups. Fingers and toes may be attributed as features amidst of fold of the skin.

“FU” As in “food”

へ

Heikegani 平家蟹

ghost crab A yokai with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face which many believed to be the face of an angry samurai hence the nickname (Samurai Crab(. It is locally believed that these crabs are reincarnations of the spirits of the Heike warriors defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura as told in The Tale of the Heike.

“HE” as in “hello”

ほ

Honē-onna 骨女

bone woman It is thought to be a female yōkai who kills men by extracting their lifeforce or by grabbing their hands and holding them until the victim becomes a skeleton himself. In other tales, the hone-onna manifests as a skeletal woman.

“HOH” As in “hostile”

ま

Makura-gaeshi 枕返し

pillow flipper Makuragaeshi are a kind of zashiki-warashi: a child ghost which haunts specific rooms of a house. People who sleep in a room haunted by a makuragaeshi often wake up to find that their pillow has been flipped and is now at their feet. Makuragaeshi are also known for other minor pranks, such as running through ashes and leaving dirty footprints around the rooms they haunt.

“MAH” As in “mama”

み

Mizuchi 蛟

water dragon A Japanese dragon or legendary serpent-like creature, which is aquatic or somehow related to water. Some commentators perceived it to have been a water deity. The origins of this creature are rooted in the various snakes that dwelled by rivers and lakes which gave them the name mizuchi, or ‘master of the water’ by common folk.

“MEE” As in “Me”

む

Mujina 貉

badger Mujina, or badgers, live in the mountains, generally farm from human society. Mujina are a slightly less famous as yokai than other shape-changing animals. They are very shy, and do not normally like to be seen by or interact with humans. Mujina encounters are much less common than those with other animal yokai.

“MOO” As in “mood”

め

Mekurabe 目競

rolling heads Legend goes that Kiyomori, the general in the late Heian period who started the first Samurai dominated government, began to have many other-worldly visions towards the end of his life. One of these visions included the Mekurabe, a multitude of skulls that appeared randomly in his courtyard. The skulls begin to roll together by themselves, piling up, all glaring bitterly at Kiyomori with eyeballs like a living person’s. Some say they are the begrudging spirits of all those whose lives had been cut short by this man.

“MEH” As in “mental”

も

Mokumokuren 目目連

phantom These yokai are spirits that usually live in torn shōji (Japanese paper sliding walls), although they can also be found in tatami floor mats and in walls. The name Mokumokuren literally means “many eyes” or “continuous eyes.” and is considered by the Japanese to be one of the traditional inhabitants of haunted houses. The only way to remove the spirit from the wall is to patch up the holes in it.

“MOH” As in “monster”