Fantastic Beasts

  The Terrifying and Colossal Yokai of Death and Vengeance   Introduction and Mythological Significance O-dokuro ( 大髑髏 ), also known as the "Giant Skeleton," is a fearsome and massive yokai in Japanese folklore. Its name combines "o" (meaning "large" or "great") with "dokuro" (meaning "skull" or "skeleton"), describing its terrifying form—a gigantic skeleton that roams the land, particularly at night, seeking vengeance and destruction. O-dokuro is considered one of the more deadly and violent yokai, capable of wreaking havoc on villages and killing those unlucky enough to cross its path. The legend of the O-dokuro is deeply tied to death, violence, and revenge. It is said to be born from the bones of people who died of starvation or in wars, massacres, or plagues, their spirits filled with anger and resentment. When these bones gather and merge, they form the O-dokuro—a creature driven by rage, seeking retribut...

Enenra (en'enra, lit. "lightweight-fabric smoke"), sometimes enraenra  is a yōkai, or Japanese monster, composed of smoke and darkness.  Enenras mostly reside in bonfires; when they emerge, they take human shape or form. It is said that an enenra can only be seen by the pure of heart. Enenras are mostly considered to be demons or divine beings of darkness and smoke; legend says that there are two types of enenras, the first and most common type being enenras who are born purely as enenras, whilst the second and more rarely occurring type are humans who have died and been transformed into enenras. 📚  Explore more of the Mystical Creatures series here :  Dive into the Enchanted Realms of Mythology

Dodomeki is a yōkai in Japanese mythology. Its original form was a giant, ferocious and cruel carnivorous demon. The demon was over ten meters tall, had spiky hair, and had hundreds of glowing eyes all over its body. Its mouth can spew toxic fumes. Its body burst into flames, wrapping around its body and burning everything but its body. Dodomeki can disguise themselves as a human in the form of a human woman with very long arms covered with small bird eyes. It is said that girls who have a habit of stealing money will be cursed to become Dodomeki. At that time, hundreds of small bird eyeballs sprouted from their arms and they transformed into this monster. This is thought to be related to the Japanese dōsen, a bronze coin with a hole in the center that looks like a bird's eye, commonly known as a chōmoku (Birds eye). Legend : A long time ago, in what was now Tochigi Prefecture, there lived a nobleman named Fujiwara no Hidesato. He had just been given the title of kokushi of Shimots...

Amefuri kozō are a type of Japanese youkai. Amefuri kozō are like monk boys. They wear children's kimonos, wooden clogs and wide-brimmed straw hats or , it wears a Japanese umbrella without a handle, and holds a paper lantern in its hand. They have a weird, silly but cute appearance because of their fat bodies and upturned noses. Despite his childish appearance, the Amefuri kozō was given the very important task of causing rain. Wherever they go, they cause clouds to form and rain. In ancient China, amefuri kozō were believed to be servants of the rain god, who was called Ushi in Japanese. Amefuri kozō are shy and rarely interact directly with people. However, they love to steal people's umbrellas and wear them as hats. They then cause showers to fall on their victims. Amefuri kozō became widely known by the printing boom during the Edo period. They were common characters in inexpensive, pocket-sized publications sold by street vendors known as kibyōshi, or yellow covers. Kibyō...

Amikiri are small, crustacean-like, shrimp- or lobster-like yokai. They are described as a combination of several species: snake, bird, lobster. They have long, red, multi-segmented bodies, bird-like beaks, and two arms similar to the claws of a crayfish or a scorpion. It uses its claws to cut fisherman nets and mosquito nets. This habit and their behavior leads people to regard them as a pest. They can fly through the air like a fish swimming in water, and are quite shy, rarely appearing before humans. A story from Yamagata Prefecture tells of a fisherman who one day discovered that his fishing net had been cut so small that it was worthless. He suspected it was caused by an amikiri. The next day, he paid special attention to hiding his nets at his home, where they couldn't be found by any wandering yokai. However, that night, amikiri sneaked into his room while he was sleeping and cut the mosquito net on his bed. The man woke up with a painful and itchy mosquito bite all over his...

Amanojaku or Amanjaku ("heavenly evil spirit") is a demon-like creature in Japanese folklore. They can be considered evil gods (kami), minor demons (oni) or youkai (youkai). They are often described as a type of small oni. They have the ability to see through a person's heart, "a very perverted demon" and from there can detect and blow up a person's darkest desires, inciting that person to commit bad deeds. Those who become victims will then begin to commit serious evil deeds. Therefore, wherever Amanojaku goes, it will cause a heavy evil spirit to haunt that place. In addition, they are described as a creature of extremely contrary nature. If they are asked to do something, they will do the opposite of what is asked. In Japanese Buddhism, Amanojaku is depicted as representing evil, but has been defeated by righteousness. The most common image is of the Four Heavenly Kings standing on the squashing Amanojaku demons. The mythology of Amanojaku is quite myster...

Amabie is said to be a mythical Japanese mermaid that depicts a variety of ape-like, daruma-doll-like, or bird-like, or fish-like appearances. However, it is most commonly depicted with a mouth like a bird's beak, has three or four legs, or a tail fin, has an ape-like voice, and is said to have emerged from the sea. Some descriptions suggest that they can even glow (at night). Amabie appeared to prophesy a bountiful harvest or a plague. Its images, carvings are said to have the ability to protect people against illness or death Another illustration also attributed to Amabie from the hand-replicated pamphlet depicts an ape-like creature with three legs, the legs seeming to project straight from the head (no neck or torso in the middle) . The body and face are covered with short hair, except it is bald. The eyes and ears are human-like, with a drooping or protruding mouth. This creature appeared in 1844 and predicted the doom for 70% of Japan's population that year, which could b...

Akashita is a yokai with an extremely large body, but it is hidden in a giant black cloud that only reveals its face and hands. The face of the monster is described as hairy, monstrous with a wide, ear-to-ear mouth that is always open with a large, long, bright red tongue extending out of the mouth. And the hands are large and hairy with long, sharp claws and look as big as meteors in the sky. Its origin can be identified as Akaguchi appearing in older Edo period yōkai scrolls such as Bakemono no e. This youkai is called Akaguchi and Akashita.The name Akashita may be related to the shakuzetsujin ("red tongue god") guarding Jupiter's west gate. It may also be related to shakuzetsunichi, an unlucky day in Onmyouji. Although some sources say that Akaguchi is simply a harbinger of bad luck, bad luck, and evil, other sources suggest Akaguchi as a protective deity. Akashita usually occurs during the summer months, when rain and water requirements are highest to ensure a success...

Abura sumashi is a type of ghost, a rare yokai originating from Kumamoto. It has a squat-like appearance with a large ugly head that looks like a potato or a rock, and the limbs of an adult but shorter than normal. However, they are very agile and can instantly run away in front of others. Abura sumashi always wears a woven straw raincoat. It is extremely rare to appear in front of humans and is only found deep in the mountains or along the passes in southern Japan where wild tea trees grow. Little is known about the lifestyle and habits of this reclusive yokai. The most famous Abura sumashi lives in the Kusazumigoe Pass in Kumamoto, it makes passersby startle when it suddenly appears in front of them or sometimes answers them unexpectedly with a mysterious voice and instantly disappears - gone without a trace. Although its origin is a mystery, it is generally believed that Abura sumashi is the ghost of oil thieves who fled into the woods. Oil is a very difficult and expensive commodit...

The abura-akago is a type of Japanese yōkai that appears illustrated in Toriyama Sekien's Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki during the mid-Edo period. They often appear at night in populated areas as mysterious fireballs and hover in the sky. When all night fell, everyone fell into a deep sleep and the light from the lamps emanated from their houses. Abura-akago will break into houses with those lights. When entering a house, they immediately change shape into small children. In this child form, they lick the oil from oil lamps and paper lanterns, known as andon. After that, they turned back into fireballs and flew away to other houses. Like many other oil-related yōkai, abura akago are said to originate from oil thieves. While the particular circumstances of these oil thieves are lost to time, died and—instead of passing on to the next life—turned into yōkai as a penalty for their sins. Some related notes: In Hacchō, Ōtsu of Ōmi ("Afumi") Province, there exists a flame resembling...

Kodama is the spirit of the tree. Kodama is also considered to be something that can be understood as forest gods, and a tree deity. Not all trees have Kodama, Kodama only appear in old trees. The people of Japan say that those who accidentally cut down the trees containing the Kodama, disaster will fall on their village. The sacred rope tied around the trunks of those trees is called shimenawa. According to the concept of the ancient Japanese, the sound of an old tree falling in the forest is the lamenting cry of Kodama residing in that tree. For the Japanese, all things in the world carry miracles and specialities, and so are the trees in the forest. Therefore, the concept of Kodama was born and became a special belief for the Japanese people. Kodama in the past were considered deities residing in tree trunks. They are not linked to only one tree, but can freely move from tree to tree, going around the forest to guard, protect and preserve the balance of nature. However, others belie...

Karakasa Kozo is also known as Kasa Obake, Karakasa Obake, which means "bamboo umbrella-boy". Karakasa Kozo is a youkai that is transformed into an old bamboo umbrella. It is an old umbrella made in the traditional Japanese style, the umbrella frame is made of bamboo spokes, the paper part is coated with waterproof oil. Umbrellas only have one handle, so when it becomes a ghost, it only has one leg. The parachute ghost looks a bit monstrous with one eye on its body, and its small leg carries a geta. Karakasa Kozo is like Noppera-bou , only likes to tease and scare people, not harm or kill people. When it's dark, Karakasa Kozo will show his true form, stick out his tongue and laugh and dance around the house. The characteristic of this youkai is that it does not harm humans, but only dances in the house when it is dark, when meeting people, it sticks out its red tongue to scare. So Karakasa Kozo is classified as not dangerous in the ranks of youkai. There is also another y...