Yokai: 6 Bizarrely Specific Demons From Traditional Japanese Folklore

Japanese folklore is a treasure trove of beasts, demons, ghosts and ghoulies. The collective term for these beings is ‘yokai’. Ranging from the terrifying to the adorable, the sheer range is a testament to human creativity. Some of these yokai offer an imaginative, supernatural answer for some of life’s happenings, and sometimes the strangest thing about them is the very specific nature of their activities.

Nurikabe

When walking the pathways and backalleys of Japan at night, watch out for nurikabe. Basically a moving wall, these apparitions appear out of nowhere to block random human’s paths. Although said to be invisible, Japanese artists through history have made a few guesses as to what kind of form such a yokai would take.

Makuragaeshi

The makuragaeshi is a mischievous spirit who gets his kicks from sneaking into people’s rooms in the dead of night while they’re asleep, and moving their pillow. In some tellings, they simply turn the pillow over, but in others it is claimed they will take the pillow out from under your head and place it all the way at the foot of the bed. How annoying!

Akaname

This monster licks all the grime and filth off bathtubs and bathrooms. Actually, having a resident akaname sounds quite useful, but it is said the legend of the monster was created to encourage children to keep the bathroom clean.

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https://grapee.jp/en/107444