Questions tagged [japanese]
For questions about Japanese myths and legends.
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Where can I find a detailed description of the Akuma?
I've been trying to find information on the Akuma, the fire demon of Japanese folklore, for a manga I'm writing. But all of the sources I went to didn't provide enough detail. And I fear that without ...
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Storybooks about Japanese Mythology?
I've been wanting to read a bit about japanese myths and legends, kamis and yokais, and the main reference I found was Handbook of Japanese Mythology, which seems quite complete. However, my ...
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Should "obake" be understood to refer to shapeshifters, or rather to things that have been transformed?
In the tvtropes article on Youkai, the following remark is made on the meaning of "obake":
Obake is another Japanese word that can indicate some type of monster. Derived from the word for &...
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How did you survive my 100-step punch?
I remember from long ago a story about a martial artist, The Bully, who was renowned for his "100-step punch": if he lands the blow, you will die after taking 100 steps. One day another martial ...
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Are the Yoruba and Japanese pantheons the only ones to have an infinite increasing number of gods?
I know that the Yoruba and Japanese gods have basically an infinite number of gods since their pantheons continue to grow all the time but are there any other pantheons that do this?
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Why isn't Ninigi considered the first emperor of Japan?
Most references indicate that Amaterasu decided that Japan needed an emperor and she sent her grandson, Ninigi, to rule; however, they always refer to his grandson (great-grandson), Jimmu, as the ...
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Are there any beings from Norse Mythology that could be mistaken for a Kitsune (fox-person spirit)?
I'm starting a new Roleplaying campaign soon, and my character is norse/icelandic themed.
One of the other character is inspired by Kitsune.
I want to find out what, if anything, might my character ...
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Is there an older name for Cecaelia?
Cecaelia is a modern term for a mermaid with an octopus lower body, instead of a fish. I have read that such legends come from ancient Native American and Japanese culture. Does anyone know their ...
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Why 1000 years and not 900 or 800 years for kitsune to ascend to heaven?
After reaching 1,000 years of age gaining its ninth tail, a kitsune turns a golden color, becoming a 'Tenko' (天狐 "heavenly fox"/"celestial fox"), the most powerful form of the kitsune, and then ...
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What is the extent of control over a kitsune?
Kitsune have something called a Hoshi no tama, star ball or kitsune ball. They are white and/or gold orbs. The orb is like a kitsune's life force so they hide it, usually in their mouths or on their ...
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What is the meaning behind Amaterasu-ōmikami meaning what it does?
Amaterasu-ōmikami means "the great august kami (deity) who shines in the heaven." Why is it specifically august? What does the goddess name meaning august mean?
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Are there unique names for the different types of Kitsune?
There are thirteen different kinds of Kitsune, each with a corresponding element, listed as follows: Heaven (or Celestial or Prime), Void (or Dark), Wind, Spirit, Fire, Earth, River, Ocean, Mountain, ...
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Were the Nekomata bipedal?
The Japanese monster Nekōmata (猫また), which means "forked cat", was supposedly a two-tailed cat creature that lived in the mountains, but was originally a horribly mistreated house cat. I ...
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What is the original story of Fox Spirit/Nine tails fox in India's myths?
I read in wikipedia and some mythology sites about the fox spirit that came from India but surprisingly they never mentioned any story in an Indian version.
I can only find stories from China - Daji, ...
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If the ox tiger is an unlucky direction, why build an entrance to it?
On the Oni Wikipedia, scrolled down to Demon Gate, it says that in Chinese Taoism and traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology (Onmyōdō), the direction northeast (though the wiki uses northeasterly) is ...
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Were there ever any Kitsune considered to be Hero's or Protagonists of a story?
I'm trying to do some research into Kitsune's (and other fox spirits) but I am finding it difficult to find any named Kitsune apart from Tamamo-no-Mae whom has been shown to be quite villianous (...
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How were sun-showers viewed?
A sun-shower is when it rains while the sun is shining.
In Japanese culture/Shinto Mythology, sun-showers were/are believed to be the result of two Kitsune (fox spirits) getting married. It was ...
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Is there a kami of Aokigahara?
I read on a site that Aokigahara have a kami, but when I search on I do not think anything about, does anyone know anything?
I also read once that kamis are affected by the energy of where they live, ...
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What is the Japanese human origin myth?
How did Shinto (the traditional Japanese polytheistic religion) explain human origin?
Also, does it have a flood myth?
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Why did Izanami speaking first cause her and Izanagi bad luck with procreation?
In Shintoism, there is a legend that says two gods, Izanagi and Izanami, walked around a pillar. The goddess spoke to the god, then the god spoke to the goddess. They had a few kids but were ...
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What is the significance of soy beans in the Japanese custom of Setsubun?
During the Setsubun festival in February, it is customary to 'cast out' roasted soy beans and say,
"Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("鬼は外！福は内！", "Oni go out! Blessings come in!").
What is the ...
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Can kitsune die/be killed?
The closest thing I got from looking this up is a game. But I kind of need a non-modern interpretation answer for an idea I'm working on.
In the Edo period (1603–1867), kitsune were seen as witch ...
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Do fox-wives have to give birth under a tree?
Kitsune are born and give birth under a tree. The tree is then connected to the kitsune. The tree will gain power from the kitsune, never getting sick or being infested with worms or bug (don't know ...
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Is there a difference between a gold fur and a white fur kitsune?
After a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes either gold or white. Is there any specific reason why a kitsune would become white instead of gold and vise versa?
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Human and fox offspring in Shinto?
When a kitsune take human form and marries a human, they often have children. When the offspring are human, they inherit abilities (special physical or supernatural qualities). These in turn are ...
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Are there any sort of chief pantheon in Japanese mythology? Who do they consist of?
I've read some of the more well known ones like Izanagi and Izanami...Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, and Orochi... I mostly want to know about the Shinto side but Japanese Buddhism legends are good ...
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Do the gods Ameteratsu and Inari have any consorts?
The goddess Ameteratsu is the Japanese Sun goddess and the queen of the deities of the Shinto pantheon. Inari is the Japanese deity of agriculture and food.Both of these gods are very popular in the ...
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Japanese Trickster Demons
Are there any trickster demons in Japanese mythology, I am aware of the somewhat tricksy Japanese god Susanoo-no-Mikoto, but are there any demons known for tricking people in Japanese mythology?
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Are there any female heroines in Shinto mythology?
Female heroines are rare in mythology. In Greek, off the top of my hippocampus, I can only recall one, Atlanta. In Chinese folklore, possibly the most popularly known, Hua/Fa Mulan. Does Shinto ...
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What else was done to Amaterasu?
In this question, it mentions Amaterasu (Amaterasu-omikami) retreated into her cave after Susanoo (Susano'o) did a bunch of things to her. It does not elaborate further on this, save for the flayed ...
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Why was Amaterasu so angered by the flayed horse that Susanoo threw at her?
One rather memorable event in the Shinto creation narrative is that Amaterasu retreated into her cave (the Ama-no-Iwato) after Susanoo did a bunch of awful things to her. One of the things Susanoo did ...
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Japanese god of tea
Is there a Japanese god or goddess of tea?
I’ve read that Inari is a god of various things, such as rice, sake, and tea... But is there a deity that is god of tea in particular?
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Human become Kami in death if they possess the qualities of Kami in life. Kami have both good and evil qualities. What does this mean?
Looking for the Shino (Japanese) equivalent of nymphs and natures spirits, I found Kami.
they can also be the spirits of venerated dead persons. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of ...
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Did the Babylonians, Norse Vikings, Japanese or Greeks have a concept of a soulmate?
Soulmates or true love are common themes in stories, movies/tv shows and such. I was just wondering if it had any roots from ancient times. I limit my question to these four Mythologies in tags, but ...
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Who was the ruler of the Japanese Yomi?
The Japanese Underworld (Yomi) is said to be ruled by Izanami. However, in the tale of Ōkuninushi, Susanno is said to reside there as its king. In addition to that, Izanamzi told Inzangi that she had ...
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Could japanese Oni integrate into human civilization?
Is there a case in Japanese mythology of an Oni (Big Ogre from a desolate place) willingly helping people or being a inhabitant of a village? If not why can they not integrate into human society? What ...
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Are Kitsune and Huli jing the same?
Both the kitsune and huli jing are "fox spirits" with 9 tails, tricksters that can shapeshift into, or possess, young women.
One famous kitsune appears in the true story of Hideyoshi writing a letter ...
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Why is it so bad to be born in the Year of the Fire Horse?
Japan's birth rate dropped precipitiously in 1966, only to recover completely in 1967.
This is apparently because 1966 was the "Year of the Fire Horse" - that is, in the 60-year zodiacal cycle you ...
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Seven Sages of Japan
What religious order and where in Japan would there be the Seven Sages temple?
Were there 8 sages not seven?
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Is there any reference to this story about Inari?
The Japanese rice Goddess liked to wrap herself in a fox’s body. Sometimes, too, She took the shape of a human woman in order to sleep with men, who had excellent crops as a result. One of these men,...
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How are Japanese emperors related to Amaterasu?
Japanese Emperors are said to be direct descendants of the Sun-goddess Amaterasu. As far as I know, Amaterasu married the Moon-god, her brother, but later on, she left him. But they did not have any ...
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Which Kamuy are the 'bad ones'?
Chamberlain, in 'Aino folk-tales', reports the following tale, referred to as 'How it was settled who should rule the World', from the Ainus (Hokkaido, Japan):
When the Creator had finished ...
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What is the origin of the Japanese Kodama?
One of Studio Ghibli's (excellent) films, named Princess Mononoke, has depictions of kodama:
In Japanese folklore, kodama are tree spirits that inhabit trees that are older than 100 years.
In the ...
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What are the origins of the mythic Shachihoko?
A shachihoko (鯱鉾) is an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It is said to bring rain so is often used on roofs, most notably on Nagoya Castle:
Since tigers ...
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Do we know of the existence of Japanese mythological texts that predate the Kojiki?
The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) is the oldest surviving work of Japanese mythology (and, indeed, the oldest surviving work in the Japanese language, period), and as I understand it, much of our ...
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