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

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!*

Onamazu: Japan's Earthquake Causing Catfish

I've lived my entire life nestled in between the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers, so all my life I've heard the stories of the giant catfish, some as big as school buses, that inhabit the two rivers.  Aside from scaring the heck out of a few underwater welders doing bridge work (and MAYBE being responsible for the Kanawha River being known as the River of Evil Spirits), our tri-state catfish seem to be pretty tame. Japan hasn't been so lucky.

The Land of the Rising Sun is home to a catfish creature known as the Onamazu.

A namazu-e or catfish motif earthquake art, entitled Shin Yoshiwara ōnamazu yurai or "The cause of the great catfish at Shin Yoshiwara".-Source

Obviously, I cannot fully explain Shintoism adequately in one blog post, but the important thing to note is that Shinto is a traditional Japanese religion dating back to the 8th century. It incorporates the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred power ( kami ) in both animate and inanimate things. -Source: Google Dictionary

Onamazu is one of the kami, and lives UNDER the islands that make up Japan.  It spends most of its days buried in the mud, subject to the rule of the god, Kashima, who uses a stone to keep the giant Onamazu restrained.  However, as soon as Kashima turns his back, the Onamazu begins to thrash about.  The result is an earthquake hitting the country.

The legend is believed to have some roots in history.  It is believed that catfish, like many other animals, have a built-in warning system that alerts them to major geological disruptions, such as earthquakes.  It was thought that the early citizens of what is now Japan noticed the fact that just before an earthquake struck, the catfish in the region became more active. 

Source: Bertel Schmitt

Shinto ceased to be the official religion of Japan in 1945, but references to the Onamazu can still be found throughout the country.  Whiscash, a catfish Pokemon, was originally named Namazun. Onamazu appears in various forms in other media, such as video games, but what I find most interesting is that there is a catfish (excuse me, Onamazu) proudly used in the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake early warning materials.

Throughout July and August, ALL EIGHT planets in our solar system will be together on the same side of the sun, an event which historically has coincided with increased earthquake activity.  If you're in Japan over the next 60 days or so, keep an eye out for a big, creepy Onamazu.  And, if you're NOT---well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on your local rivers as well!  I know I'll be monitoring the Kanawha and Ohio River catfish as the tri-state has been known to have had a few good-sized quakes over the years!

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?*

The Slit-Mouthed Woman

Today's blog takes us far, far away from the tri-state. The legend of Japan's Kuchisake-onna has fascinated me for years and it has been interesting to see 'new' versions of the legend pop up on different websites! If you ever plan on visiting any Asian country, especially Japan, you might want to pay attention to this blog---it might just save your life.

The Kuchisake-onna is more commonly known as the Slit-Mouthed Woman, so named for her grotesque appearance.  Beginning around 1979 in Nagasaki Prefecture, school children walking home alone would report that a very beautiful woman with long, black hair and wearing a beige trench coat would approach them.  In these days, her mouth was covered by the collar of her coat or a scarf.  She would approach the child and ask him or her if they thought she was beautiful.  If the child said no, the woman would take out a large pair of scissors from underneath her coat and immediately kill the child.  If the child said YES, the woman would remove the covering from her mouth, revealing an horrific gash.

She would then repeat the question, "Am I pretty/beautiful?"  If the child said no, he would be cut in half with the large pair of scissors.  However, if he child said YES, the Slit-Mouth Woman would let him off easily---the scissors would be used only to slash the child's mouth, copying the woman's own injury.

In later years as a fear of germs would lead many Japanese to wear surgical masks out in public on a regular basis, the Slit-Mouth Woman kept her beige trench coat, but upgraded her mouth covering.  Her back story has also changed over the years.  In the original tales, the Kuchisake-onna had been the beautiful, yet unfaithful wife of a samurai.  After discovering that she had cheated on him, the samurai slashed his sword across the woman's face, marring her great beauty so that no one would ever love her again.  With the 2007 release of the film, Carved, a back story developed to explain that the ghost was that of a woman who was hit and killed by a car in the 1970s, an accident that left a disfiguring wound across her face.  She allegedly was a child murderer.

So, if you DO encounter the Slit-Mouth Woman you're doomed right?  Well, not exactly.  For one thing, she only seems to go after school children, so if you're of a more mature age, you're automatically pretty safe.  She only goes after children who are walking ALONE, so if you are a child, make sure you take a buddy with you wherever you go.  But, if you still find yourself a victim of the Slit-Mouth Woman, you'll need to trick her!

Make sure to tell her she's beautiful when she first asks.  Then, when she takes off the mask to reveal her wound, don't answer her with a yes or no.  Instead, when she asks if you find her pretty, tell her you find her average, or so-so.  Better yet, answer her question with a question: ask HER if she thinks YOU'RE pretty!  In her confusion, you'll be able to get away.  If for some reason, you mess up and the scissors come out, grab a handful of candy and throw it at her. She'll be forced to stop and pick it all up, giving you ample time to run away.  I hear she's particularly fond of butterscotch...

More Asian Ghost Stories on Theresa's Haunted History
The Yurei
The Ubume
The Cursed Japanese Kleenex Commercial

Sokushinbutsu: Japan's Living Mummies

In northern Japan, there is a small Buddhist sect known as the Shingon School.  For centuries, select Shingon monks have undergone what to the western world appears to be a fairly creepy form of suicide. Yet, to the Shingon, the process was merely a pathway to total enlightenment.  Hundreds would attempt the ritual between the 11th and 19th centuries before the practice was outlawed in 1879, but only a couple dozen would succeed and become the Sokushinbutsu:  The Living Mummies of Japan.

The process of becoming one of the Sokushinbutsu mummies took 2000 days, or right around six years.  The first 1000 days, the monk in question would subsist on a meager diet of nuts, seeds and berries, and undergo strenuous physical exercise in an effort to rid the body of as much fat as possible.

For the next 1000 days, the diet was changed to nothing but bark and roots.  This further slimmed down any remaining body fat, and began removing any excess moisture in the body.

When the second 1000 were almost up, a tea made from the sap of the urushi tree was added to the diet.  This tea is highly toxic, and the sap is normally used to lacquer bowls.  The toxicity of the tea caused intense vomiting, furthering the removal of body fat and fluids from the body.  However, the poisons would remain in the body, which would serve as a means of killing off any bacteria that could cause the body to rot and deter any insects from devouring the flesh.

After the 2000 day process ended, the monk would seal himself, seated in the lotus position, in a small, underground chamber with nothing more than a small air pipe and bell.  Each day the monk survived, he'd ring the bell to alert his brothers.  When the ringing stopped, the air tube was removed and the tomb sealed.  The tomb stayed sealed for three years before being dug back up.  If the monk's body had decomposed, the tomb was resealed.

But...if the monk had mummified, he was removed from his chamber.  The body was put on display for all to see, and he was raised to the status of a Buddha.  Today, there are only between 24 and 28 existing mummified Sokushinbutsu, 16 of which are on display to the public.  Of these, most were mummified near the Dainichi-Boo Temple, which is located by a spring with a high arsenic content.  It is theorized that the arsenic of the spring contributed to the success of the monks in this specific area.

No one is completely sure how or why this process of mummification started, but it is believed that Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect, brought the practice from China.  One early story illustrates possibly the first "modern" attempt at Shingon mummification: 

In the 17th century, famine struck Japan.  One Shingon monk took it upon himself to bury himself alive as a way to end the famine.  Apparently, it worked!  His body was dug up three years later, and to the shock of the rest of the monastery, his body was naturally mummified.  The other members of Shingon developed the method listed above as a way to ensure the self-mummification process, and thus, achieve enlightenment as well.

*Interested in more mummy stories?  Check out these stories from Theresa's Haunted History!*

Mummies in Phillippi, WV

Ohio's Eugene the Mummy