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Kanashibari
金縛り かなしばり TRANSLATION: bound up with metal APPEARANCE: Kanashibari is the Japanese term for sleep paralysis, a phenomenon when REM sleep overlaps with waking consciousness. The victim’s body is still...
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Sazae oni
栄螺鬼 さざえおに TRANSLATION: turban snail demon HABITAT: oceans, seas, and coastal areas DIET: carnivorous APPEARANCE: Sazae oni are monstrous turban snails which haunt the seas. They appear on moonlit...
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Katsura otoko
桂男 かつらおとこ TRANSLATION: katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) man HABITAT: the moon DIET: vampiric APPEARANCE: Katsura otoko is an incomparably beautiful man who lives in the face of the moon. He appears...
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Kiyo hime
清姫 きよひめ TRANSLATION: Princess Kiyo; Lady Kiyo APPEARANCE: Kiyo hime is one of the most famous antagonists in Japanese literature, and an example of a honnari hannya—a demon woman who has attained the...
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Ippondatara
一本踏鞴 いっぽんだたら TRANSLATION: one-legged bellows HABITAT: mountains DIET: unknown, but kills humans one day per year APPEARANCE: Ippondatara has one thick, trunk-like leg and a single saucer-like eye. It...
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Amemasu
雨鱒 アメマス TRANSLATION: white-spotted char; literally “rain trout” HABITAT: cold streams and lakes, occasionally seagoing DIET: carnivorous, ranging from small fish and plankton up to and including large...
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Nikusui
肉吸い にくすい TRANSLATION: meat sucker HABITAT: mountain roads between Mie and Wakayama Prefectures DIET: human meat; especially that of young men APPEARANCE: Nikusui are vampiric yōkai which hunt late at...
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Hōnengame
豊年亀 ほうねんがめ TRANSLATION: fruitful year turtle ALTERNATE NAMES: kame onna (turtle woman) HABITAT: oceans DIET: unknown; possibly similar to a sea turtle APPEARANCE: Hōnengame are aquatic yōkai with...
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Hitotsume nyūdō
一つ目入道 ひとつめにゅうどう Translation: one-eyed priest Habitat: roads and highways Diet: omnivorous; occasionally humans Appearance: Hitotsume nyūdō could pass for really tall human priests if not for the large,...
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Shōjō
猩々 しょうじょう Translation: none; based on the Chinese name for the same creature Habitat: coasts, islands, and shallow waters; found throughout Japan Diet: omnivorous; extremely fond of sake Appearance:...
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