You may have heard of the three views of japan matsushima, amanohashidate, and itsukushima, the three great gardens of japan kenrokuen, korakuen, and kairakuen, or the three sacred mountains of japan mount fuji, mount haku, and mount tate. Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that includes shinto and buddhist traditions. Japanese mythology has its fair share of weird monsters, and theyve quickly become quite wellknown worldwide. Jorogumo is a type of yokai, a creature, ghost or goblin of japanese folklore.
The japanese monsters are getting quite popular for the kappa to the kasaobake. The story begins in a limitless, formless chaos of a dark, silent universe. Manga commonly include ideas based on the creation myth, featuring amaterasu, susanoo, izanagi and izanami. Feb 02, 2016 i really want to know more about japanese mythology, but i dont know where to look. The shinto religion alone has many kami japanese for gods or spirits most japanese myths, as generally known today, are based on the kojiki, nihonshoki and some other books. Contentsshow history shutendouji is an oni often called the leader of all oni in the mountains, for he is the most infamous and the strongest. Jan 02, 2018 its been a while since we last took a look a japanese folklore, so today we explore the origins of one of the most iconic demons in japanese folklore, the oni. A captivating guide to japanese folklore, myths, fairy tales, yokai, heroes and heroines explore captivating myths of japanese deities, yokai, heroes and heroines the study of mythology and folklore is a peculiar one to the ext. Within this book, youll find the following japanese myths and topics covered. There are three monsters who are considered the greatest and most evil yokai in all of japanese folklore.
Shadow of the fox by julie kagawa, red winter by annette marie, flame in the mist by renee ahdieh, kinslayer by jay. Shinto and buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of japanese mythology. A captivating guide to japanese folklore, myths, fairy tales, yokai, heroes and heroines by matt clayton 4. There was also a glossary in the back which really helped me and my short memory. What are the best books in english about japanese mythology. The kaibutsu ehon illustrated book of monsters features woodblock. An archive of our own, a project of the organization for transformative works. The birth of amaterasu, trukuyumi, susawono, and the leechchild. Click here to get the japanese mythology book displayed in the video. Japanese mythology your guide to the gods of japan. A new exhibition looks at a legend that has gripped the japanese imagination for seven centuries a myth whose graphic novellike plot has. Intro introduction to japanese mythology pantheon the japanese pantheon explore browse our entries on japanese mythology find gods search the holy database of all known gods az index list of deity names from japanese mythology. Before he became a legendary monster, shuten doji was a.
This is why in japanese the twilight hour is called omagatoki. With this list, well be looking at 10 characters based on this old lore. Published on jan 2, 2018 its been a while since we last took a look a japanese folklore, so today we explore the origins of one of the most iconic demons in japanese folklore, the oni. The book reveals the origins of japans myths in the very different realms of buddhism, shinto, and folklore, and explores related mythologies of the ainu and okinawan cultures and recent myths arising from japans encounters with. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. It can only be seen at night in large cities, hopping like a rabbit and searching for human souls to steal. Japanese gods, too numerous to count, are known collectively as yaoyorozunokamigamithe eight million. It was so cool seeing casual references to creatures such as yokai and shinigami, and seeing it play such a rich part in the story. Buy a cheap copy of japanese mythology book by juliet piggott. See more ideas about japanese folklore, japanese art and japanese mythology.
Mar 11, 2008 buy handbook of japanese mythology handbooks of world mythology by michael ashkenazi isbn. They are generally considered to be foreign in origin, perhaps introduced into japan from china along with buddhism. Jan 10, 2014 explore othgens board japanese mythology, followed by 150. This book illustration from 1737 is reproduced in kaibyo. The dreaded king of the oni, shuten doji, is one of them. What are some good books i can get on japanese mythology.
Jan 23, 2020 japanese folklore is a huge part of japanese culture and this is reflected in tons of anime series that take heavy inspiration from japans centuries of mythology. Cruel and malicious, they can, nevertheless, be converted to. The nihon shoki begins with the japanese creation myth, explaining the origin of the world and the first seven generations of divine beings starting with kuninotokotachi, and goes on with a number of myths as does the kojiki, but continues its account through. Some series take inspiration from these historical folktales that you may not even know about. Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the japanese archipelago. Shutendoji, according to one legend, was born at ganbara, echigo.
Ibuki, where in literature like the nihon shoki, in the legend of the defeat of the giant snake yamata no orochi to susanoo in a battle, it fled from izumo to omi, had a child with a wealthy persons daughter, with that child was shutendoji. The book is also called the nihongi, japanese chronicles. The following is a list of demons, ghosts, kami, obake, yokai, yurei and other legendary creatures that are notable in japanese folklore and mythology contents 09. The ancient capitals of heijokyo nara and heiankyo kyoto were built according to chinese geomanticarchitectural ideals, somewhat akin to feng shui. This video covers the story of two of the most evilest yokai in japanese mythology shuten doji and tamamo no mae. Although decapitated, the demons detached head still took a bite at. See more ideas about japanese art, japanese folklore and japanese. Hadland davis pulled from hearns works, from basil chamberlains things japanese, from various translations of the kojiki and the nihongi, and from all of the new research available to create a single volume detailing the myths and legends of japan. This is a list of demons that appear in religion, theology, demonology, mythology, and folklore.
Handbook of japanese mythology makes it easy to travel this vast yet littleknown mythological landscape. Finally, a band of heroes led by the legendary warrior minamoto no yorimitsu assaulted shuten dojis palace, and with the help of some magical poison, were able to assault the oni band during a bout of heavy drinking. Buy handbook of japanese mythology handbooks of world mythology by michael ashkenazi isbn. Michael ashkenazis handbook of japanese mythology is an expert study that deserves a prominent place on the shelves of many japanophiles, including those devoted to religious studies and such early sources as the kojiki and nihongi, as well as those who more broadly study the roots of world myth. When it comes to the creatures of japanese mythology, everyone knows the strange and absurd monsters, from the kappa to the kasaobake.
Shuten doji and his gang rampaged through kyoto, capturing noble virgins, drinking their blood and eating their organs raw. The spirit of the wine shuten doji by tamamura hokuto japanese mythology. One book that makes this reference is an illustrated book on swords by comicbook artist kurogane hiroshi ja who has frequently created work. Japanese mythology ebook by jim ollhoff nook book ebook. Discusses the mythology of japan, its origins in shintoism and buddhism, and the gods, spirits, men, and animals that appear in the many legends and stories. Behind the tales though lies quite monstrous and deathly beasts that have not been so much popular yet. Oni, in japanese folklore, a type of demonic creature often of giant size, great strength, and fearful appearance.
Book 1 entails the events of her life from birth to the war of ooeyama, right on the brink of becoming infamous. It is not a list of names of demons, although some are listed by more than one name. Japanese mythology by juliet piggott and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. From the ruler of the heavens amaterasu to ryujin, the dragonking of the sea, this book helps kids understand the myths that shape and direct peoples lives. The creation myth comes from the kojiki, or record of ancient matters, the first book written in japan dating back to 712 and the nihon shoki finished in 720. Japanese mythology, body of stories compiled from oral traditions concerning the legends, gods, ceremonies, customs, practices, and historical accounts of the japanese people. I saw this book on a kindle search for japanese mythology and a book titled japanese mythology a to z seemed like a good choice. Readers of japanese mythology will learn the history of myths, as well as their deeper meaning. Oni, ubiquitous supernatural figures in japanese literature, lore, art, and religion, usually. Japanese mythology the shinto and folk gods of japan. Every book ive seen on their mythology either has only one star on barnes and noble, or only 32 pages, which cant possibly teach me anything.
Totoya hokkei demon preparing to write in an account book from the. This encyclopedia contains over 125 illustrated entries detailing the monsters of japanese folklore and the myths and magic surrounding them. The demon of rashomon ibarakidoji this story has the potential to go off on so many interesting tangents that i have to be careful how i tell it this summer i visited the kyoto history museum, which puts a lot of this legend into a very tangible perspective, making it all the more interesting because of the connections. Japanese mythology refers to any number of stories involving kami deities or spirits, oni ogres, andor youkai feylike creatures. Noriko reider tales of the supernatural in early modern japan takes us on a tour of the various masks the oni has worn over the story of shuten doji, and an. Japanese mythology simple english wikipedia, the free. Handbook of japanese mythology handbooks of world mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with china, korea, ainu, and okinawan myths are also key influences in japanese mythology. While it doesnt look that different from a normal pig, it s unable to cast a shadow, and has glowing red eyes and only one ear.
The story takes place at rashomon, the south gate of old kyoto. There are few monsters who are considered among the greatest and most evil yokai in all of japanese folklore. Oni the traditional japanese demon the story of shuten. This video covers the story of two of the most evilest yokai in japanese mythology shuten doji. Nov 02, 2018 click here to get the japanese mythology book displayed in the video.
Most of the surviving japanese myths are recorded in the kojiki compiled 712. Soga shohaku, blue oni, detail from a hanging scroll depicting the sessen doji story. Japanese artwork japanese painting japanese prints japanese mythology japanese folklore hannya tattoo japanese monster japanese warrior traditional japanese art what others are saying. This video covers the story of two of the most evilest yokai in japanese mythology shutendoji and tamamo no mae. This trilogy is a modernday persephone retelling with all of the frothy drama youd expect in a supernatural romance, and cheekily combines the troubles of life in the underworld with the everyday trials and tribulation of being a teenager. Popular japanese mythology books goodreads share book.
499 582 140 1309 888 1161 708 446 983 1397 177 607 92 104 25 287 1043 1306 795 36 750 280 1156 1315 925 529 156 726 286 521 1502 960 254 60 61 46 322 1180 1274 870 869 1319 1325 338 373