the kappa
the kappa is a river goblin, a hairy creature with the body of a tortoise and scaly limbs. his head somewhat resembles that of an ape, in the top of which there is a cavity containing a mysterious fluid, said to be the source of the creature's power. the chief delight of the kappa is to challenge human beings to single combat, and the unfortunate man who receives an invitation of this kind cannot refuse. though the kappa is fierce and quarrelsome, he is, nevertheless, extremely polite. the wayfarer who receives his peremptory summons gives the goblin a profound bow. the courteous kappa acknowledges the obeisance, and in inclining his head the strength-giving liquid runs out from the hollow in his cranium, and becoming feeble, his warlike characteristics immediately disappear. to defeat the kappa, however, is just as unfortunate as to receive a beating at his hands, for the momentary glory of the conquest is rapidly followed by a wasting away of the unfortunate wayfarer. the kappa possesses the propensities of a vampire, for he strikes people in the water, as they bathe in lake or river, and sucks their blood. in a certain part of japan the kappa is said to claim two victims every year. when they emerge from the water their skin becomes blanched, and they gradually pine away as the result of a terrible disease.
in izumo the village people refer to the kappa as kawako ("the child of the river"). near matsue there is a little hamlet called kawachi-mura, and on the bank of the river kawachi there is a small temple known as kawako-no-miya, that is, the temple of the kawako or[pg 351] kappa, said to contain a document signed by this river goblin. concerning this document the following legend is recorded.
the kappa and his victim.
the kappa's promise
in ancient days a kappa dwelt in the river kawachi, and he made a practice of seizing and destroying a number of villagers, and in addition many of their domestic animals. on one occasion a horse went into the river, and the kappa, in trying to capture it, in some way twisted his neck, but in spite of considerable pain he refused to let his victim go. the frightened horse sprang up the river bank and ran into a neighbouring field with the kappa still holding on to the terrified animal. the owner of the horse, together with many villagers, securely bound the child of the river. "let us kill this horrible creature," said the peasants, "for he has assuredly committed many horrible crimes, and we should do well to be rid of such a dreadful monster." "no," replied the owner of the horse, "we will not kill him. we will make him swear never to destroy any of the inhabitants or the domestic animals of this village." a document was accordingly prepared, and the kappa was asked to peruse it, and when he had done so to sign his name. "i cannot write," replied the penitent kappa, "but i will dip my hand in ink and press it upon the document." when the creature had made his inky mark, he was released and allowed to return to the river, and from that day to this the kappa has remained true to his promise.
the tengu
we have already referred to the tengu in the story of yoshitsune and benkei.[1] in this legend it will[pg 352] be remembered that yoshitsune, one of the greatest warriors of old japan, learnt the art of swordsmanship from the king of the tengu. professor b. h. chamberlain describes the tengu as "a class of goblins or gnomes that haunt the mountains and woodlands, and play many pranks. they have an affinity to birds; for they are winged and beaked, sometimes clawed. but often the beak becomes a large and enormously long human nose, and the whole creature is conceived as human, nothing bird-like remaining but the fan of feathers with which it fans itself. it is often dressed in leaves, and wears on its head a tiny cap." in brief, the tengu are minor divinities, and are supreme in the art of fencing, and, indeed, in the use of weapons generally. the ideographs with which the name is written signify "heavenly dog," which is misleading, for the creature bears no resemblance to a dog, and is, as we have already described, partly human and partly bird-like in appearance. there are other confusing traditions in regard to the word tengu, for it is said that the emperor jomei gave the name to a certain meteor "which whirled from east to west with a loud detonation." then, again, a still more ancient belief informs us that the tengu were emanations from susa-no-o, the impetuous male, and again, that they were female demons with heads of beasts and great ears and noses of such enormous length that they could carry men on them and fly with their suspended burden for thousands of miles without fatigue, and in addition their teeth were so strong and so sharp that these female demons could bite through swords and spears. the tengu is still believed to inhabit certain forests and the recesses of high mountains. generally speaking, the tengu is not a malevolent being, for he possesses a keen sense of humour, and is fond of a practical joke. sometimes, however, the tengu[pg 353] mysteriously hides human beings, and when finally they return to their homes they do so in a demented condition. this strange occurrence is known as tengu-kakushi, or hidden by a tengu.
tobikawa imitates a tengu
tobikawa, an ex-wrestler who lived in matsue, spent his time in hunting and killing foxes. he did not believe in the various superstitions concerning this animal, and it was generally believed that his great strength made him immune from the witchcraft of foxes. however, there were some people of matsue who prophesied that tobikawa would come to an untimely end as the result of his daring deeds and disbelief in supernatural powers. tobikawa was extremely fond of practical jokes, and on one occasion he had the hardihood to imitate the general appearance of a tengu, feathers, long nose, claws, and all. having thus disguised himself he climbed up into a tree belonging to a sacred grove. presently the peasants observed him, and deeming the creature they saw to be a tengu, they began to worship him and to place many offerings about the tree. alas! the dismal prophecy came true, for while the merry tobikawa was trying to imitate the acrobatic antics of a tengu, he slipped from a branch and was killed.
the adventures of kiuchi heizayemon
we have already referred to the tengu-kakushi, and the following legend gives a graphic account of this supernatural occurrence.
one evening, kiuchi heizayemon, a retainer, mysteriously disappeared. kiuchi's friends, when they heard of what had taken place, searched for him in every direction. eventually they discovered the missing man's clogs, scabbard, and sword; but the sheath was bent[pg 354] like the curved handle of a tea-kettle. they had no sooner made this lamentable discovery than they also perceived kiuchi's girdle, which had been cut into three pieces. at midnight, those who searched heard a strange cry, a voice calling for help. suzuki shichiro, one of the party, chanced to look up, and he saw a strange creature with wings standing upon the roof of a temple. when the rest of the band had joined their comrade, they all looked upon the weird figure, and one said: "i believe it is nothing but an umbrella flapping in the wind." "let us make quite sure," replied suzuki shichiro, and with these words he lifted up his voice, and cried loudly: "are you the lost kiuchi?" "yes," was the reply, "and i pray that you will take me down from this temple as speedily as possible."
when kiuchi had been brought down from the temple roof, he fainted, and remained in a swoon for three days. at length, gaining consciousness, he gave the following account of his strange adventure:
"the evening when i disappeared i heard some one shouting my name over and over again, and going out i discovered a black-robed monk, bawling 'heizayemon!' beside the monk stood a man of great stature; his face was red, and his dishevelled hair fell upon the ground. 'climb up on yonder roof,' he shouted fiercely. i refused to obey such an evil-faced villain, and drew my sword, but in a moment he bent the blade and broke my scabbard into fragments. then my girdle was roughly torn off and cut into three pieces. when these things had been done, i was carried to a roof, and there severely chastised. but this was not the end of my trouble, for after i had been beaten, i was forced to seat myself on a round tray. in a moment i was whirled into the air, and the tray carried me with great speed to many regions. when it appeared to me that i had[pg 355] travelled through space for ten days, i prayed to the lord buddha, and found myself on what appeared to be the summit of a mountain, but in reality it was the roof of the temple whence you, my comrades, rescued me."
a modern belief in the tengu
captain brinkley, in japan and china, informs us that as late as 1860 the officials of the yedo government showed their belief in supernatural beings. prior to the visit of the shogun to nikko, they caused the following notice to be exhibited in the vicinity of the mausolea:
to the tengu and other demons
"whereas our shogun intends to visit the nikko mausolea next april, now therefore ye tengu and other demons inhabiting these mountains must remove elsewhere until the shogun's visit is concluded.
"(signed) mizuno, lord of dewa.
"dated july 1860."
the local officials were not content with a notice of this kind. after duly notifying the tengu and other demons of the coming of the shogun, the exact mountains were specified where these creatures might live during the ruler's visit.
the mountain woman and the mountain man
the mountain woman's body is covered with long white hair. she is looked upon as an ogre (kijo), and, as such, figures in japanese romance. she has cannibalistic tendencies, and is able to fly about like a moth and traverse pathless mountains with ease.
the mountain man is said to resemble a great darkhaired[pg 356] monkey. he is extremely strong, and thinks nothing of stealing food from the villages. he is, however, always ready to assist woodcutters, and will gladly carry their timber for them in exchange for a ball of rice. it is useless to capture or kill him, for an attack of any kind upon the mountain man brings misfortune, and sometimes death, upon the assailants.
sennin
the sennin are mountain recluses, and many are the legends told in connection with them. though they have human form, they are, at the same time, immortal, and adepts in the magical arts. the first great japanese sennin was yosho, who was born at noto a.d. 870. just before his birth his mother dreamt that she had swallowed the sun, a dream that foretold the miraculous power of her child. yosho was studious and devout, and spent most of his time in studying the "lotus of the law." he lived very simply indeed, and at length reduced his diet to a single grain of millet a day. he departed from the earth a.d. 901, having attained much supernatural power. he left his mantle hanging on the branch of a tree, together with a scroll bearing these words: "i bequeath my mantle to emmei of dogen-ji." in due time emmei became a sennin, and, like his master, was able to perform many marvels. shortly after yosho's disappearance his father became seriously ill, and he prayed most ardently that he might see his well-loved son again. in reply to his prayers, yosho's voice was heard overhead reciting the "lotus of the law." when he had concluded his recitations, he said to his stricken father: "if flowers are offered and incense burned on the 18th of every month, my spirit will descend and greet you, drawn by the perfume of the flowers and the blue smoke of incense."
[pg 357]
sennin in art
sennin are frequently depicted in japanese art: chokoro releasing his magic horse from a gigantic gourd; gama with his wizard toad; tekkai blowing his soul into space; roko balancing himself on a flying tortoise; and kumé, who fell from his chariot of cloud because, contrary to his holy calling, he loved the image of a fair girl reflected in a stream.
miraculous lights
there are many varieties of fire apparitions in japan. there is the ghost-fire, demon-light, fox-flame, flash-pillar, badger-blaze, dragon-torch, and lamp of buddha. in addition supernatural fire is said to emanate from certain birds, such as the blue heron, through the skin, mouth, and eyes. there are also fire-wheels, or messengers from hades, sea-fires, besides the flames that spring from the cemetery.
a globe of fire
from the beginning of march to the end of june there may be seen in the province of settsu a globe of fire resting on the top of a tree, and within this globe there is a human face. in ancient days there once lived in nikaido district of settsu province a priest named nikobo, famous for his power to exorcise evil spirits and evil influences of every kind. when the local governor's wife fell sick, nikobo was requested to attend and see what he could do to restore her to health again. nikobo willingly complied, and spent many days by the bedside of the suffering lady. he diligently practised his art of exorcism, and in due time the governor's wife recovered. but the gentle and kind-hearted nikobo was not thanked for what he had done;[pg 358] on the contrary, the governor became jealous of him, accused him or a foul crime, and caused him to be put to death. the soul of nikobo flashed forth in its anger and took the form of a miraculous globe of fire, which hovered over the murderer's house. the strange light, with the justly angry face peering from it, had its effect, for the governor was stricken with a fever that finally killed him. every year, at the time already indicated, nikobo's ghost pays a visit to the scene of its suffering and revenge.
the ghostly wrestlers
in omi province, at the base of the katada hills, there is a lake. during the cloudy nights of early autumn a ball of fire emerges from the margin of the lake, expanding and contracting as it floats toward the hills. when it rises to the height of a man it reveals two shining faces, to develop slowly into the torsos of two naked wrestlers, locked together and struggling furiously. the ball of fire, with its fierce combatants, floats slowly away to a recess in the katada hills. it is harmless so long as no one interferes with it, but it resents any effort to retard its progress. according to a legend concerning this phenomenon, we are informed that a certain wrestler, who had never suffered a defeat, waited at midnight for the coming of this ball of fire. when it reached him he attempted to drag it down by force, but the luminous globe proceeded on its way, and hurled the foolish wrestler to a considerable distance.
baku
in japan, among superstitious people, evil dreams are believed to be the result of evil spirits, and the supernatural creature called baku is known as eater of dreams. the baku like so many mythological beings,[pg 359] is a curious mingling of various animals. it has the face of a lion, the body of a horse, the tail of a cow, the forelock of a rhinoceros, and the feet of a tiger. several evil dreams are mentioned in an old japanese book, such as two snakes twined together, a fox with the voice of a man, blood-stained garments, a talking rice-pot, and so on. when a japanese peasant awakens from an evil nightmare, he cries: "devour, o baku! devour my evil dream." at one time pictures of the baku were hung up in japanese houses and its name written upon pillows. it was believed that if the baku could be induced to eat a horrible dream, the creature had the power to change it into good fortune.
the shojo's white saké[2]
the shojo is a sea monster with bright red hair, and is extremely fond of drinking large quantities of sacred white saké. the following legend will give some account of this creature and the nature of his favourite beverage.
we have already referred to the miraculous appearance of mount fuji.[3] on the day following this alleged miracle a poor man named yurine, who lived near this mountain, became extremely ill, and feeling that his days were numbered, he desired to drink a cup of saké before he died. but there was no rice wine in the little hut, and his boy, koyuri, desiring if possible to fulfil his father's dying wish, wandered along the shore with a gourd in his hand. he had not gone far when he heard some one calling his name. on looking about him he discovered two strange-looking creatures with long red hair and skin the colour of pink cherry-blossom,[pg 360] wearing green seaweed girdles about their loins. drawing nearer, he perceived that these beings were drinking white saké from large flat cups, which they continually replenished from a great stone jar.
"my father is dying," said the boy, "and he much desires to drink a cup of saké before he departs this life. but alas! we are poor, and i know not how to grant him his last request."
"i will fill your gourd with this white saké," replied one of the creatures, and when he had done so koyuri ran with haste to his father.
the old man drank the white saké eagerly. "bring me more," he cried, "for this is no common wine. it has given me strength, and already i feel new life flowing through my old veins."
so koyuri returned to the seashore, and the red-haired creatures gladly gave him more of their wine; indeed, they supplied him with the beverage for five days, and by the end of that time yurine was restored to health again.
now yurine's neighbour was a man called mamikiko, and when he heard that yurine had recently obtained a copious supply of saké he grew jealous, for above all things he loved a cup of rice wine. one day he called koyuri and questioned him in regard to the matter, saying: "let me taste the saké." he roughly snatched the gourd from the boy's hand and began to drink, making a wry face as he did so. "this is not saké!" he exclaimed fiercely; "it is filthy water," and having said these words, he began to beat the boy, crying: "take me to those red people you have told me about. i will get from them fine saké, and let the beating i have given you warn you never again to play a trick upon me."
koyuri and mamikiko went along the shore together,[pg 361] and presently they came to where the red-haired creatures were drinking. when koyuri saw them he began to weep.
"why are you crying?" said one of the creatures. "surely your good father has not drunk all the saké already?"
"no," replied the boy, "but i have met with misfortune. this man i bring with me, mamikiko by name, drank some of the saké, spat it out immediately, and threw the rest away, saying that i had played a trick upon him and given him foul water to drink. be so good as to let me have some more saké for my father."
the red-haired man filled the gourd, and chuckled over mamikiko's unpleasant experience.
"i should also like a cup or saké" said mamikiko. "will you let me have some?"
permission having been granted, the greedy mamikiko filled the largest cup he could find, smiling over the delicious fragrance. but directly he tasted the saké he felt sick, and angrily remonstrated with the red-haired creature.
the red man thus made answer: "you are evidently not aware that i am a shojo, and that i live near the sea dragon's palace. when i heard of the sudden appearance of mount fuji i came here to see it, assured that such an event was a good omen and foretold of the prosperity and perpetuity of japan. while enjoying the beauty of this fair mountain i met koyuri, and had the good fortune to save his honest father's life by giving him some of our sacred white saké that restores youth to human beings, together with an increase in years, while to shojo it vanquishes death. koyuri's father is a good man, and the saké was thus able to exert its full and beneficent power upon him; but you are greedy and selfish, and to all such this saké is poison."
[pg 362]
"poison?" groaned the now contrite mamikiko. "good shojo, have mercy upon me and spare my life!"
the shojo gave him a powder, saying: "swallow this in saké and repent of your wickedness."
mamikiko did so, and this time he found that the white saké was delicious. he lost no time in making friends with yurine, and some years later these men took up their abode on the southern side of mount fuji, brewed the shojo's white saké, and lived for three hundred years.
the dragon
the dragon is undoubtedly the most famous of mythical beasts, but, though chinese in origin, it has become intimately associated with japanese mythology. the creature lives for the most part in the ocean, river, or lake, but it has the power of flight and rules over clouds and tempests. the dragon of china and japan resemble each other, with the exception that the japanese variety has three claws, while that of the celestial kingdom has five. the chinese emperor yao was said to be the son of a dragon, and many rulers of that country were metaphorically referred to as "dragon-faced." the dragon has the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a hare, scales of a carp, paws of a tiger, and claws resembling those of an eagle. in addition it has whiskers, a bright jewel under its chin, and a measure on the top of its head which enables it to ascend to heaven at will. this is merely a general description and does not apply to all dragons, some of which have heads of so extraordinary a kind that they cannot be compared with anything in the animal kingdom. the breath of the dragon changes into clouds from which come either rain or fire. it is able to expand or contract its body, and in addition it[pg 363] has the power of transformation and invisibility. in both chinese and japanese mythology the watery principle is associated with the dragon, as we have already seen in the story of urashima, the empress jingo, and the adventures of hoori, &c.
the dragon (tatsu) is one of the signs of the zodiac, and the four seas, which in the old chinese conception limited the habitable earth, were ruled over by four dragon kings. the celestial dragon ruled over the mansions of the gods, the spiritual dragon presided over rain, the earth dragon marked the courses of rivers, and the dragon or hidden treasure guarded precious metals and stones.
a white dragon, which lived in a pond at yamashiro, transformed itself every fifty years into a bird called o-goncho, with a voice resembling the howling of a wolf. whenever this bird appeared it brought with it a great famine. on one occasion, while fuk hi was standing by the yellow river, the yellow dragon presented him with a scroll inscribed with mystic characters. this tradition is said to be the legendary origin of the chinese system of writing.
[1] see chapter ii.
[2] adapted from ancient tales and folk-lore of japan, by r. gordon smith.
