You can call them legends, folk tales, fables, stories, myths or any other thing one can imagine to describe unbelievable accounts. The fact of the matter is that many people are interested in learning more about the creatures that either used to roam this world or only existed inside our imagination. Here today we will take a look at some monsters in Japanese legends and how they impact the culture and way of life on the small island country.
The first and certainly one of the most interesting monsters in Japanese legends is the Kappa. This is one of those folk tales created to teach a lesson as tales of the Kappa were often used to keep children from sneaking off and swimming in nearby lakes or rivers without supervision. There is a tale often told about how parents would throw objects belonging to their children in the water in order to occupy the creature which has also been called a water demon or river child. The appearance varies from account to account with some folk tales claiming it is almost like a child while others say it’s more like a frog or turtle. I had heard of these monsters in Japanese legends in the past and have found them interesting for a long time.
In some cultures there are myths created to explain things that people do not understand in life. Such is the case with the next of the monsters in Japanese legends that we will discuss here today. The Namazu-eis one such creature and these gigantic catfish are purely the work of the human mind trying to find a way to explain the riddles of the earth. You see these gigantic catfish were said to be deep down in the earth and whenever they moved this is what caused earthquakes. According to the Japanese folk tales the gods would usually make these monsters be still by forcing them in place with giant rocks or boulders but whenever they would get some wiggle room then the earthquakes would rock the people of Japan.
It seems that some folk tales and myths exist no matter where you find yourself here on earth. It appears that even the bigfoot has been spotted and talked about when discussing monsters in Japanese legends. The Hibagon is the island nation’s version of the creature but has some different characteristics than our local cryptid here in the states. The Hibagon is said to be small in size ranging between four to five feet tall and weighing around 100 pounds. In my opinion though the Japanese legends about this monster sound scary as it has been said to have a pale white face with matching hands and feet. Then the eyes are said to be dead almost like two black holes in the middle of that blank white face.
I feel that we must talk about the mythical Ryujin before closing our discussion in regards to monsters in Japanese legends. The Ryujin was not only a dragon but was said to be the most powerful creature and ruled the ocean. According to Japanese legends this monster was said to live in a mighty palace underneath the sea built out of white coral and jewels. Another of the folk tales about this creature is that supposedly he was able to change into human form to allow him to produce children with human women. There were royal ancestors that claimed to have been from the Ryujin bloodline. This is probably one of the most talked monsters in Japanese legends.
Well that is all for today and I hope that everyone learned some things of interest in regards to monsters in Japanese legends. So remember the next time your child isn’t behaving in the tub or pool outside perhaps tell them the folk tales about the Kappa. Perhaps that myth will make them think long enough to do them some good in the long run.
