The Happy Haradashi

 

Image by Matthew Meyer

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025, my spooky friends! Today is a day to celebrate the possibilities that another year brings, and it's my personal mission to make this year as positive and happy as possible. Therefore, we're kicking off the first blog post of 2025 with a happy lil' Japanese yokai known as the Haradashi.

Too many ghosts and other supernatural beings get a reputation for being sad and mopey, or even being terrifying or menacing to those who witness them. But, the Haradashi is the opposite. She doesn't wish to be a negative influence on the human world; rather, she just wants to bring joy to those who need it most. 

The Haradashi can take on several physical forms. She can appear as an elderly nun, or a goofy-looking female 'monster' with long, black hair. Sometimes, she's nothing more than just a headless torso. However, one thing never changes---on the Haradashi's huge belly is a large, comical face. 

Those who are sad and lonely, especially those who are at home drowning their sorrows in a bottle of saki, may be paid a visit by the cheerful yokai. If you offer a Haradashi a drink, they will happily accept, and then reward you with an elaborately hilariously belly-dance and fill you with renewed hope. If desperate enough, you don't have to wait around for the Haradashi to come to you. You may also find Haradashi at certain temples. Here, they will invite you in for shelter and a warm meal, and again cheer you up with that belly face.

I hope 2025 is a fun, positive year for you, and that you won't ever require the services of the Haradashi. But, if you find yourself feeling a little down in the dumps, I hope you remember that you are enough and that you matter. You deserve the best life has to offer...including a personal belly-dance by a headless torso. 

Sources and Further Reading:

Yokai.com: Haradashi

Faceless Ghosts

Photo Source

Today is Faceless Ghost Friday over on Theresa's Haunted History's Facebook!  Throughout the day, I'll be posting different spooky stories from throughout the tri-state featuring blank-visaged entities.  And, as promised, I thought I'd share some of my own ideas and theories behind this fascinating paranormal topic.

My inspiration for today's blog came from an awesome article by Ashley Hall of the Paranormal Guide.  Posted in 2013, Hall's article discusses several reasons behind the faceless ghost phenomena.  One theory (because, after all, this is a field of study that rarely makes it past the conjecture stage) that is proposed is that these faceless ghosts appear in such a manner because they have no identity---they have forgotten who they were in life.

This is the theory that most closely aligns with my personal beliefs on the subject because I tend to think that ghosts (in this case, meaning human entities that have died, but have not crossed over and come back) have the ability to manifest themselves to witnesses in a way that reflects how they feel or perceive themselves.

The idea of ghosts being able to manifest themselves this way is a handy theory that can help explain more than just the faceless ghost phenomenon.  It can explain why some ghosts are seen bloodied and battered---literally how they appeared at the time of their death.  It can explain why some ghosts appear 'normal,' or even younger than they did in real life.  It can also even explain why ghosts manifest wearing clothes.  If it can do all that, then it makes sense to me that the theory can also cause an entity who has no idea who they are to manifest as faceless.

Another theory that I don't think Hall covers is one that I have also come across several times during my research, although not directly linked to faceless ghosts.  Ghosts manifest in a variety of ways.  They can appear as full-bodied apparitions, partial-bodied apparitions, or even just a singular body part.  They can manifest as indistinguishable from a living person, as a misty cloud, or as a shadowy humanoid.  Again, with no real scientific evidence available from which to draw, all we can go on is conjecture.  But, what if a manifestation takes a certain amount of energy and/or skill to achieve?  A ghost may not have the energy or ability to fully manifest (or perhaps was interrupted during the process), resulting in missing pieces.  With individual facial features being fairly detailed, manifesting an actual face may be difficult.

Anyway, these are some random ramblings.  I hope I've made myself clear enough to understand, lol.  Go check out Hall's article on Faceless Ghosts, and then hop on over to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page to let me know YOUR thoughts on these strange entities of the paranormal world.  Happy Haunting!

FACELESS GHOST BONUS

In Japan, there is a type of faceless ghost called the Nopperabo.  These classic yokai are generally seen as harmless pranksters who appear in human form, but then scare unsuspecting witnesses by wiping their face clean of any facial features, revealing a blank visage underneath. 

Akaname, The Japanese Filth Licker

This infographic comes from the Association of Paranormal Study, and is a great little piece on a very interesting creature from Japanese folklore, the Akaname!

A couple of years ago, my son really got into Yokai Watch---a cute cartoon starring adorable characters depicting a variety of real Japanese ghosts and monsters, also known as Yokai.  As part of his summer study that year, we studied Japanese culture and REAL stories of yokai, which was perfect for me, because I got to read and learn about a ton of quite interesting (and sometimes spooky) creatures myself. However, I don't remember coming across the Akaname...

The name, Akaname, literally translates into filth licker. Akaname, sometimes depicted as being red in color, is said to sneak into old bathhouses and dilapidated homes at night with its super long tongue to lick the bathrooms clean of all the gross grime and yuck that tends to build up in such places. Its origins in popular culture can be traced back at least as far as Toriyama Sekien's 1776 publication, the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō ( aka, "The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons" ).

Personally, I would LOVE to wake up to a perfectly clean bathroom, despite the nauseating idea that someone or something LICKED it that way.  However, the Japanese people were, on the whole, not so inclined. Seeing a yokai, any yokai, was generally considered to be a creepy experience. Added to that, cleanliness is extremely important in Japanese culture, and I'm sure it was a great dishonor to have a demonic creature have to come in and lick away your filth.  So, people would ensure that their bathing spaces were spic and span before they went to bed each evening.

Another interesting aspect of the akaname that I found was the idea that this creature focused less on literal filth (mildew, dirt, etc.) and more on the metaphor of filth as a moral impurity. In other words, keep your dirty thoughts and actions out of the bathroom, lol!

Source: Wikipedia---Akaname

*Want MORE Japanese Legends from Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State?  Check out this article on the Onamazu, the Earthquake-Causing-Giant-Catfish!*

Book Review: The Book of Yokai

Title: The Book of Yokai
Author: Michael Dylan Foster
Illustrations by: Shinonome Kijin
Published: 2015 by University of California Press
Amazon Purchase Information

Last month I finished up what I am calling my favorite book of 2017...and possibly my favorite 'paranormal' nonfiction book in a long, long time. But before I get into the book itself, a little history on why I even chose this title...

For the past couple of years, my son has really enjoyed the show, Yokai Watch. He has binge-watched all the episodes offered by Netflix SEVERAL times now, plays several video games featuring Yokai, and has read several of the easy readers devoted to the series. I started watching the show with him and found it absolutely delightful! It's cute, its funny, it has some humor that adults can appreciate without being crass, AND its about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. As you know, I absolutely LOVE anything considered strange and unusual within the paranormal realm.

Each summer, I have Luke pick a topic that he's interested in. As part of summer 'Mom School,' we take a really in-depth look at the subject and do all sorts of fun activities associated with it. It's a way to keep him learning all summer long without making it feel like he's actually learning anything. This summer he chose real-life yokai as his topic, and of course, I was thrilled. To help prepare for our studies, I added The Book of Yokai to my Amazon cart.

While we did use the Yokai Codex to look up particular yokai, but life got in the way, and I never got around to reading and utilizing the other half of the book. That is, until early December!

If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, "yokai" is a pretty broad term used in Japan to denote a wide variety of paranormal entities. Ghosts, monsters, spirits...these things are all considered yokai. And if you ever wanted to know ANYTHING about yokai, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of this book!

The Book of Yokai is divided into two sections. The first part of the book is a scholarly and pretty thorough exploration of the yokai culture. While these beings are considered supernatural, they actually hold an extremely prominent place in Japanese history. Their stories have been passed down from generation to generation, changing with the changing times. Some yokai are known throughout the country, while others are not known outside their small villages. Yokai star in movies, manga, television shows and video games. They even promote tourism and act as mascots for product brands. Yokai truly are ingrained into the Japanese culture and there have been many prominent academics and folklorists who have dedicated their lives to their study.

The second section of the book is the Yokai Codex---a sampling of different yokai one may encounter. Enhanced by both historical artwork and original drawings by Shinonome Kijin, each entry gives as much as history and as clear as a description as possible. You'll learn about the Kappa, a water yokai who loves cucumbers, Kasa-Bake, who is an umbrella monster, and the popular Slit-Mouthed Woman who terrorizes children walking home from school...just to name a few.

Obviously, this is a topic that can never be fully exhausted in just one book or one list, but Foster does an excellent job in choosing some iconic and well as some obscure yokai to discuss. He also does a fantastic job in explaining the topic of yokai to a western audience. Again, this isn't something easily done, nor possible to exhaust in one book, but The Book of Yokai is a great introduction as well as a useful resource for the more knowledgeable researcher. There are times where it gets a little repetitive, but overall, its well-written, entertaining, and full of wonderful information about a fascinating topic.

*Want More Book Reviews?*

Theresa's 2017 Update

Hey everyone! I want to sincerely apologize for my lack of posts thus far in 2017. I haven't really had anything super negative affecting my life or my ability to keep updated....I've just been unmotivated and stuck in a rut. So again, I want to sincerely apologize and also thank all of you who have still been visiting the blog and Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State Facebook page. Without your support and kind words, I don't know what I'd be up to, lol.

Anyway, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things! I might not have been online much these past six months, but my passion for the paranormal never really goes away. I've been busy reading, watching a ton of documentaries and participating in a few other things I wanted to share with you!


Reiki Classes---So far this year, my mom and I have completed both the Level I and the Level II Reiki Practitioner courses offered by the Crystal Lotus Metaphysical Shoppe in St. Albans, WV. We received our certification and attunements from the wonderful teacher and Master Reiki practitioner, Christina (Tina) Dolin.

I've had a lot of fun hanging out with my mom as we went through the classes, and I've spent a fair amount of time reading up reiki, watching YouTube videos about reiki, and of course, studying my handouts and practicing actual techniques. In the second course, I was surprised to learn a lot of helpful techniques to implement in residential investigations.

If you're in the St. Albans, WV area, I highly urge you to check out Crystal Lotus Shoppe! Not only do they offer various classes and sell a wide variety of jewelry, incense, smudging supplies, books, crystals and much more, but they also host tons of wonderful events. Follow their Facebook page for more info on upcoming Psychic Fairs (where you can get discounted readings, reiki healings, and massages), Artist Meet and Greets (where you can usually enter a drawing for a unique piece of art/jewelry), and many other great events.




Mentoring Project---One of the most awesome things I've done this year was serve as a mentor! Back in December, I was contacted by Bree, a student in Wayne County, who was looking for a mentor for her senior project on paranormal investigation.

It was such a pleasure getting to know this intelligent and creative young woman and it was a great honor serving as her mentor on this project. The paperwork wasn't always fun...but I had a great time walking her through Fiona Broome's Ghost Hunting certificate program, teaching her how much fun library research can be (hehehehe), and of course, going on 'field trips.' We saw the sights of Pt. Pleasant, including the Mothman Museum and the TNT area, various cemeteries, the Wine Cellars, and even finished up the project with a capstone investigation experience at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum!  She got an A on the project, and recently graduated with high honors, so I'm super proud of her. I hope I was able to teach her a few things, as she surely taught me---she inspired me to really start embracing the more spiritual nature of paranormal investigation and research.

Real-Life Yokai---As I write this blog, my son is finishing up his last day of 1st grade! I can't believe how fast this year has gone. But, he's ready for summer and so am I. Each year, I like to do what I call 'Mom School' during the summer with him. 'Mom School' is just some fun, yet educational, activities we do over the summer to keep from sitting in front of the computer/tablet all day. This year, my son picked real life yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures) as his topic. He loves the show, Yokai Watch, and was pretty interested when I told him that many of the characters in the show and in the video game are based off real legends. Over the past month or so, I've been researching and gathering materials to make our little summer unit study an awesome experience for both him AND me. I'll try to blog about some of our projects throughout the next couple of months.

And, that's about it! Thank you for your patience with me. I'm back and I'll be posting as much content as I can this summer! If you have any questions, comments, or any great ideas for a blog, the best way to contact me is to hop over to Facebook and reach me there. Happy Haunting, ya'll.