Young nobleman
The fox turned around.
Spring evening.
(Buson)
Since the Japanese professed Shinto, and although Shinto was a religion united with Buddhism, it still remained a belief in spirits, so the latter surrounded the Japanese literally from all sides. And there were … well, just a lot! Let's remember our ancient Russian demonic essences and … no matter how much we strain our memory, they all fit literally into the top ten. Well, who can we name without thinking too much? Brownie (lives in a house), bannik (lives in a bathhouse), meadowman (lives in a meadow in a haystack), field grass (in the field), wood goblin (in the forest), water, swamp - share swamps and reservoirs with clean water among themselves, then kikimory, known to everyone from childhood Baba Yaga, mermaids … well, that's all, perhaps! Exactly 10. Someone, perhaps, will remember some other folklore, but will not add much to this number. And why? Affected centuries of the Christian faith, in which there was simply no place for any spirits in the life of a baptized person. Whereas it was not so with the Japanese. Remaining Buddhists, they nevertheless believed that all sorts of magical entities, both evil and good, are as real as the reality around us, and many (especially before!) Saw them at all, or became their victims. And now we will get to know them, although not all of them, because, as already noted, there are just a lot of them.
Since we have already got acquainted with Japanese painting and even looked a little at Japan from the inside, it makes sense to turn to some specific Japanese examples of artistic culture. Since we are talking about demonic entities, we will start with them. Before us are "comic pictures" from a Japanese book of 1881, printed from wooden boards. By the way, this book is not kept in Japan, but in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Let's start with myo. The Sanskrit name for these beings is Vidya-raja ("Lords of secret knowledge"). These are warriors who protect people from demons, while they themselves obey the Buddhas. Outwardly, these warriors are people armed with swords with blades of pure light. Their origin is interesting: these are deceased military leaders who did not achieve the status of buddhas and bodhisattvas, but nevertheless achieved a certain enlightenment. In particular, they see demons that we humans cannot see. The idea, as you can see, played out in the novel "House for Peculiar Children" by Rensom Riggs, on which the famous film "Mrs. Peregrine's House for Peculiar Children" was filmed.
This is still the same book …
Satori is not only a state, it is also people. They are usually of medium height, very hairy and with piercing eyes. They live in wild mountains, and do not communicate with people. It is believed that Taoists who have achieved a complete understanding of Tao and Enlightenment are transformed into them. They can read the thoughts of ordinary people and are given to predict their actions.
They. They are evil demons with sharp fangs and horns that live in Hell (Jigoku). They are strong and difficult to kill as their body parts grow back into place when severed. In battles, they fight with iron clubs with sharp thorns (kanabo). Civilized enough to wear clothing - usually a tiger skin loincloth. At the same time, they are also very cunning, smart and have the ability to change their appearance and turn into a human. Their favorite food is human meat. They can become people who cannot control their anger. First of all, this applies to angry women. However, it happens that they are imbued with sympathy for people and become their protectors. In Japan, there is even a game called "onigokko" ("oni") like our tag. The driver-tag in it is just called "they".
Before us is one of the first comic books, illustrated by the artist Utagawa Kunisada. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Bakemono is a small sprout and very ugly-looking demonic creatures that live in dark caves in the mountains, but not far from human settlements, since they live by robbery. It doesn't cost a person to cope with one bakemono, but when there are many of them, fighting them is dangerous. They bite very hard, because their teeth are very sharp and long. A Buddhist temple is the best defense against bakemono.
Another kind of bad Japanese demons called gaki. They are eternally hungry, for this is their punishment for the fact that, being human, they gorged themselves on Earth or committed an even worse sin - threw away good food. They live in the Buddhist world - Gakido. But sometimes they can make their way into the world of people, where they are engaged in cannibalism. Gaki are always hungry, but they cannot die of hunger and eat anything, even their children, but still they are not given enough food. They are portrayed as exceptionally thin people, similar to skeletons covered with skin.
The Japanese were very fond of books with illustrations, which was very different from the Europeans, who had no illustrations in books for a long time. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Asura. These are also demons doomed to fight all their lives. They inhabit the Buddhist world - Sura-Kai. In earthly life, they strove for superiority over other people and wanted to rule. They are portrayed as powerful multi-armed demon warriors.
Buso are already very vile spirits that eat human flesh. People who died of hunger turn into them. On a dark night, they roam the dark streets to bite someone. They can only think about food. And it is impossible to confuse them with any other demons, since they look like decaying corpses.
Another book with pictures, looking at which one could appreciate the artist's masterful manner. Kuwagata Keisai (Kitayo Matsuoshi) (1761 - 1824) 1795. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
But dzashiki-warashi, on the contrary, are kind. These are house spirits that live in houses and protect their inhabitants from misfortunes and troubles. The signs by which the zashiki-warashi choose their home are unknown. But it is known that if they leave the house, then it gradually falls into desolation. They are shown to people in the guise of little girls, dressed in kimonos and with hair tied in a bun. Zashiki-warashi do not live in offices, only in old houses. Like children, they love to play pranks, but this must be treated with understanding.
The book is about how to draw in the popular Japanese style "mountains and waters". Kuwagata Keisai (Kitayo Matsuoshi) (1761 - 1824) 1795. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Rokurokubi are also demons that have the appearance of ordinary people during the day, but at night their necks stretch out and become very long. In Japanese fairy tales, they, having assumed the appearance of beautiful women, even get married, and only the night reveals their demonic essence. It is believed that rokurokubi are those people who in their past lives had the imprudence to violate Buddhist commandments or deliberately violated them. Worst of all, they not only scare people, but also eat or drink their blood. However, not everything is so bad, as usually their victims are criminals and blasphemers. That is, their lifetime punishment is to be eaten by rocurocubi.
Shikigami are small oni controlled by an experienced magician. They can, by order, enter the bodies of animals and people and control them by order of the magician. But dealing with them is dangerous, since they can get out of the influence of their master and attack him, and a stronger magician can subjugate a weaker shikigami with all the ensuing unpleasant consequences.
"The warriors are killing the demon." Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
"Snowmen" or yama-uba are also known to the Japanese. Outwardly, they are very untidy and wear torn kimonos. Yama-uba's favorite pastime is to lure people high into the mountains and eat there. Being experts in black magic, they know how to "avert their eyes" and send a haze.
Shojo - demons of the deep sea. They are large creatures with green skin, fins on their arms and legs, and green hair. Like the "amphibian man" they cannot remain without water for a long time. A favorite pastime is to sink fishermen's boats and drag them to the bottom. Interestingly, in ancient Japan, a reward was awarded for the shojo head in coastal cities and towns. And … apparently, someone got it!
So we finally got to the Japanese stirrups. This is how they looked, were a real work of art, and it is not surprising that they could have turned into someone, grieving for the deceased owner! Edo era. Tokyo National Museum.
Abumi-guti were invented, apparently, in memory of the horse battles of the past. The point is that these are … horse stirrups come to life! It happened, although rarely, that a warrior died in battle, but the stirrups from his horse remained on the battlefield. In this case, they came to life and turned into strange fluffy creatures, always busy looking for their missing master.
And this is the equestrian set: saddle - chicken and stirrups - abumi. Edo era. Tokyo National Museum. Note that the Japanese put their feet on the stirrups, but did not put them in them.
Abura-akago are the souls of wicked merchants who sold oil they stole from the lamps that stood near the roadside shrines. In the form of a clot of flame they fly into the room, then turn into a fat baby who drinks oil from the lamp, and then again turns into a clot of fire and … flies away.
Azuki-arai - have the appearance of an old man or an old woman, whose main occupation is to wash beans in mountain rivers. At the same time, they sing songs of a frightening content: "Should I soak the beans or eat someone?", But there is no need to be afraid of them.
Aka-name or spirit "licking mud". Usually appears in those baths where it is dirty. After its appearance, people quickly learn to clean in common areas. He also has a relative - a long-legged tenyo-name, whose occupation is to lick dirty ceilings.
Ama-no-zako is a feminine spirit born from the rage of the raging thunder god Susanoo. She looks like an ugly woman with teeth that she can use to bite into the steel of a sword. Knows how to fly.
Ama-no-zaku is a very ancient demon of stubbornness and vice. Reads the thoughts of people and makes them act to their detriment. In one of the Japanese fairy tales, he ate a princess, pulled her skin over himself and tried to get married in this form, but, fortunately for the groom, he was exposed and killed.
Ame-furi-kozo is just the spirit of the rain. Introduces himself as a child under an umbrella, holding a paper lantern. Loves to splash in rain puddles. And it is completely harmless.
Summer in Japan is not a very good time of the year: it is hot, stuffy, a lot of mosquitoes and, most importantly, ghosts. Among them are ami-kiri. This is a cross between a bird, a snake and a lobster, and his occupation is to tear apart mosquito nets, as well as fishing tackle and, for some reason, clothes hung out to dry.
Ao-andon is a ghost that's more than funny. The fact is that in the Edo era, the Japanese often gathered in a large room, lit a blue lantern with a hundred candles and told different scary stories in turn. At the end of each story, one candle was extinguished. When the hundredth was recited and the last candle was extinguished, … ao-andon appeared. Like this!
Ao-bodzu is a very harmful shorty cyclops who for some reason chose young wheat to live in, where he drags the children playing nearby.
Demons in Japan constantly surrounded people and this did not surprise anyone. Uki-yo, 1872. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Ao-niobo is another unpleasant creature - a cannibal, who for some reason chose the ruins of the imperial palace as her home. She was once a maid of honor. You can recognize her by her black teeth and shaved eyebrows.
Asi-magari is just a ghostly raccoon dog that wraps around the legs of travelers with its fluffy tail at night. If you touch it, you will feel that its wool is like raw cotton.
Ayakashi is nothing more than a sea serpent something about two kilometers long. All covered with mucus and completely disgusting both in appearance and in character, so it is better not to meet with him at sea.
Baku: is a hybrid of a bear (body), elephant (trunk), rhino eyes (eyes), with a cow's tail, tiger paws and a spotted leopard skin. It feeds on … human dreams. If you have a bad dream, you just need to call baku, and he will swallow it along with all the troubles that he promises you!
Bake-zori is a very interesting magical entity, representing … an old sandal. Has a custom of running around the house and singing silly songs.
Bake-kujira is also the entire original demon, since it is a skeleton of a whale that swims in the ocean as if it were alive, in addition, sinister birds are circling above it. As a harpoon skeleton, it is invulnerable.
Bake-neko. Remember that if you feed your cat in the same place for exactly 13 years, then it will definitely turn into a werewolf. Moreover, it can be so huge that it will not be able to crawl into the house, but it will stick its paws into it, looking for people in it, like mice in a burrow. Sometimes this werewolf transforms into a human.
The artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 - 1861) drew many cats. Loved them. In this uki-yo picture, he depicted bake-neko. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
In Japan, there is a popular story about how a cat disappeared in one of the houses. And the mother of the family began to behave somehow strangely: to avoid people and eat, shutting herself alone in the room. Her family members decided to find out what was the matter and instead of their mother they found a creepy humanoid monster, which the owner of the house managed to kill. A day later, the missing cat returned to their house, and under the tatami on the floor they found the bones of their mother, gnawed clean by the demon.
