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?*

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

The Japanese Suicide Girl Painting

Welcome to Day 2 of Haunted/Cursed Paintings Week!  The next 'painting'  has been floating around the internet for years and has recently made a comeback.  According to popular legend, it was a self-portrait painted by a young Japanese girl named Sonee, who then scanned the image and uploaded onto the web.  She then committed suicide.

After it was posted to a Korean forum, many members of the site claimed that the picture had eerie powers.  Some said that if you stared into the piercing blue eyes of the subject for more than five minutes, you too would go mad and commit suicide.  Others believed that if you stared at it long enough, the girl's ghost would appear and sometimes kill you, making it look like a suicide.  In another version of the tall tale, it is stated that the portrait changes as you gaze at it.  The melancholy young girl's mouth turns to an evil smirk, her brows furrow, and her eyes darken.  A dark mist then envelopes her petite frame.

Pretty cool urban legend, right?  And that's all that it is--an urban legend.

This artwork is actually by a Thai artist named Robert Chang and is of his original character creation, Princess Ruu, created for a screenplay he was working on called Tellurian Sky.  According to Chang, Princess Ruu is the only heir to the throne and is forced into a position of power at an early age, doomed never to have the chance of being with her true love.  This portrait, which was actually created using a computer program called Corel Painter, is supposed to be her last casual portrait before taking power.

Robert Chang's website

Urban Legends Online

*For another spooky Japanese Urban Legend, check out my blog on the Cursed Kleenex Commercial!*

Japanese Kleenex Commercial Curse

This is the creepiest commercial you've seen in a long time, right?  Hitting the airways around 1986, millions of Japanese viewers agreed...and it was quickly pulled from Kleenex's advertising campaign, which featured this ad, and two similar.  But, why is this commercial so darn creepy?  And just what the heck is going on with that kid?!

According to internet sources, this popular Japanese urban legend got its start when viewers noted that the jingle for this song, which is actually an English-lyric version of "It's a Fine Day" by Jane and Barton, sounded an awful lot like a German curse-- "Die, die, everyone is cursed and will be killed."

After it was pulled, the rumors began to pour in.  First it was said that the ad wasn't just pulled due to complaints of it being creepy, but that it was banned because people who watched it either died of mysterious circumstances or felt the overwhelming urge to commit suicide.  Secondly, it was widely believed that the cursed commercial had led to the deaths of the entire cast and crew, and that not one person who worked on the commercial was alive at the time it aired.

One cameraman was rumored to have been burned to death in a freak mechanical failure with his sauna.  The little boy had a whole list of things allegedly happen to him.  Some milder accounts place him as the victim of horrific nightmares lasting for days after filming.  In other versions of the legend, he isn't so lucky, either dying of organ failure from the toxicity of the paint used on his body, or decapitation resulting from being hit by a car.

The actress in the commercial may have had it worst of all.  Legend states that she went insane after the filming, and either hung herself or is still rotting away in a catatonic state in a mental institution.  Or, in my preferred telling, she became pregnant with the devil's child, and went insane.  It's actually the actress who gives us the biggest piece of evidence that this story is nothing more than an urban legend.  Her name is Keiko Matsuzaka, and if she DID go insane after giving birth to a devil baby, she recovered well, still working on film and television projects as late as 2007.

So, as rational people, we can be reasonably sure that the entire curse is simply an urban legend...but that leaves the question of what is going on in this commercial?  Well, as many sites that discuss this legend state, the child IS an ogre.  More specifically, he is a type of being called an oni, which is a demon, devil, ogre, troll mash-up, basically.  More specifically than THAT, he is an example of an Akaoni, or Red Demon.

The Akaoni is a pretty popular creature from Japanese folklore, and tends to show up in children's literature as a red critter, with green, moppish hair, a horn or two, and wearing tiger striped pants.  The Akaoni makes a prominent appearance in the 1933 children's book by Kousuku Hamada, called Naita Akaoni, or, the Red Demon who cried.

It was also the basis for a character named Ten in the popular anime of the time period, Ursei Yatsura!  In fact, it is widely speculated that the characters of Ten and Sakura, as seen below, were the inspiration for this commercial, as Kleenex tried to capitalize off a widely known television show airing in 1985-6.  So, yeah, its a little creepy as far as commercials go, but its definitely not the creepiest thing I've seen come out of Japan!

Ten, from Urusei Yatsura

It's a Fine Day Lyrics
The Horror Tree

Sakura, from Urusei Yatsura

The Japanese Ubume

Today's blog serves two purposes:

1. I wanted to add a "U" word to my Paranormal Dictionary page.

2. I've been interested for awhile in creating some infographics.  Infographics are a handy way to quickly share information on Facebook, especially since Facebook isn't keen on outside links.  It's also a handy way to present little chunks of information that don't have enough substance to really warrant a whole blog post.

I'm not 100% thrilled with this specific design, but I'm still experimenting with EASY ways to create graphics using the tools I have and also make them unique in a sea of all the others out there already.  Obviously I'll need to tweak the text and perhaps switch up the background depending on the photo(s) I use, but I'm okay with this as a first try that took just a few minutes to put together.  Let me know what you think in the comments below!