Post by The Archivist on Sept 9, 2018 19:57:27 GMT -5
List of legendary creatures from Japan
A
Abumi-guchi – A furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander who worked for Yamata no Orochi.
Abura-akago – An infant ghost who licks the oil out of andon lamps.
Abura-sumashi – A spirit with a large head who lives on a mountain pass in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Akabeko – A red cow involved in the construction of Enzō-ji in Yanaizu, Fukushima.
Akaname – A spirit who licks off filth in untidy bathrooms.
Akashita – A creature that looms in a black cloud over a floodgate.
Akateko – A red hand dangling out of a tree.
Akkorokamui – An Ainu monster resembling a fish or octopus.
Akurojin-no-hi – A ghostly fire from Mie Prefecture.
Amabie – A Japanese mermaid yokai.
Amaburakosagi – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Shikoku.
Amamehagi – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Hokuriku.
Amanojaku – A small demon that instigates people into wickedness.
Amanozako – A monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki.
Amazake-babaa – An old woman who asks for sweet sake and brings disease.
Amefurikozō – A little boy spirit who plays in the rain.
Amemasu – An Ainu creature resembling a fish or whale.
Ameonna – A rain-making female spirit.
Amikiri – A net-cutting bird-headed, crustacean-armed, snake-bodied spirit.
Amorōnagu – A Tennyo from the island of Amami Ōshima.
Amaterasu – A sun goddess.
Anmo – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Iwate Prefecture.
Aoandon – The demonic spirit which arises from an andon lamp at the end of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.
Aobōzu – The blue monk who kidnaps children.
Aonyōbō – A female ghost who lurks in an abandoned imperial palace.
Aosaginohi – A luminescent heron.
Arikura-no-baba – An old woman with magical powers.
Ashimagari – A spirit which entangles the legs of travelers.
Ashinagatenaga – A pair of characters, one with long legs and the other with long arms.
Ayakashi (yōkai) – A phenomenon considered to be the funayurei.
Azukiarai (or Azukitogi) – A spirit that washes azuki beans.
B
Bake-kujira – A ghostly whale skeleton that drifts along the coastline of Shimane Prefecture.
Bakeneko – A shape-shifting cat.
Bakezōri – A zori straw sandal spirit.
Baku (spirit) – Supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.
Basan – A large fire-breathing chicken monster.
Bashōnosei
Betobeto-san – Invisible spirit which follows people at night, making the sound of footsteps.
Binbōgami – The spirit of poverty.
Biwa-bokuboku – Animated biwa lute.
Buruburu
Byakko – Japanese version of the Chinese White Tiger.
Byōbunozoki
C
Chōchinobake – A possessed chōchin lantern.
Chōchinbi – Demonic flames which appear in footpaths between rice-fields.
D
Daidarabotchi – A giant responsible for creating the geographical features of Japan.
Daitengu – The most powerful tengu, each of whom lives on a separate mountain.
Danzaburou-danuki – a tanuki from Sado Island.
Datsue-ba – An old woman in the Underworld who removes clothes (or skin if unclothed) of the dead.
Dodomeki – A hundred-eyed demon.
E
Enenra – A monster made of smoke.
Enkō – Kappa of Shikoku and western Honshū.
F
Fūjin – The wind god.
Fūri – A monkey-like yokai.
Funayūrei – Ghosts of people who died at sea.
Furaribi – A creature engulfed in flames that flies aimlessly.
Furutsubaki-no-rei – A soul-sucking plant.
Furu-utsubo – A beloved quiver of slain archers.
Futakuchi-onna – The two-mouthed woman.
G
Gagoze – A demon who attacked young priests at Gangō-ji temple.
Gaki – Starving ghosts of especially greedy people.
Gashadokuro – A giant skeleton that is the spirit of the unburied dead. Also known as Gaikotsu.
Genbu – Japanese version of the Chinese Black Tortoise.
Goryō – The vengeful spirits of the dead.
Gozu and Mezu – Underworld guards.
Guhin – Another name for tengu.
Gyūki – Another name for Ushi-oni.
H
Hakanohi
Hakuja no Myojin[1] – A white serpent God.
Hakutaku – A beast which handed down knowledge on harmful spirits.
Hanako-san – A spirit of a young World War II-era girl who haunts school restrooms.
Hannya – A noh mask representing a jealous female demon.
Haradashi – A creature with a giant face on its stomach.
Harionago – A woman with a thorn-like barb on the tip of each strand of her hair.
Hashihime – A woman-turned-spirit associated with the bridge at Uji.
Heikegani – Crabs with human-faced shells. They are the spirits of the warriors killed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
Hibagon – The Japanese version of the Bigfoot or the Yeti.
Hiderigami – The spirit of drought.
Hihi – A baboon-like Chinese yokai.
Hikeshibaba – An old woman who extinguishes lanterns.
Hinode
Hitodama – A fireball ghost that appears when someone dies, signifying the dead person's spirit.
Hitotsume-kozō – A one-eyed child spirit.
Hitotsume-nyūdō – A one-eyed monk spirit.
Hiyoribō – The spirit which stops rainfall.
Hoji – The wicked spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.
Hone-onna – The skeleton-woman.
Hō-ō – The legendary Fenghuang bird of China.
Hoshi-no-Tama – A ball guarded by a Kitsune (fox) which can give the one who obtains it power to force the Kitsune to help them. It is said to hold some reserves of the Kitsune's power.
Hōsōshi – A ritual exorcist.
Hotoke – A deceased person.
Hyakki Yakō – The demons' night parade.
Hyōsube – A kind of hair-covered Kappa.
I
Ibaraki-doji – Offspring of an oni.
Ichiren-Bozu – Animated prayer beads.
Ikiryō – Essentially a living ghost, as it is a living person's soul outside of their body.
Ikuchi – A sea-serpent that travels over boats in an arc while dripping oil.
Inugami – A dog-spirit created, worshipped, and employed by a family via sorcery.
Inugami Gyoubu – A type of tanuki.
Isonade – A fish-like sea monster with a barb-covered tail.
Issie – A lake monster.
Itsumade – A fire-breathing birdlike monster.
Ittan-momen – A possessed roll of cotton that attempts to smother people by wrapping itself around their faces.
Iyaya – A woman whose face is reflected as an old man.
J
Jami – A wicked mountain spirit.
Janjanbi – A soul in the form of a ball of fire, named for the sound it makes.
Jibakurei – A spirit that protects a specific place.
Jikininki – Ghosts that eats human corpses.
Jinmenju – A tree with human-faced fruits.
Jishin-namazu – The giant catfish that causes earthquakes and tsunami. It was blamed during the Ansei quake & tsunami.
Jorōgumo – A spider-woman.
Jatai – Animated folding screen cloth.
Jubokko – A vampiric tree.
K
Kahaku (河伯) – Another name for a Kappa.
Kakurezato
Kamaitachi – The slashing sickle-clawed weasel that haunts the mountains.
Kambarinyōdō – A monk spirit that spies on people using the toilet.
Kameosa – A possessed sake jar.
Kanedama – A spirit that carries money.
Kappa – A famous water monster with a water-filled head and a love of cucumbers.
Karasu-tengu – Crow demon.
Karura – Anthropomorphic eagle akin to the Hindu Garuda.
Kasa-obake – A possessed paper umbrella monster.
Kasha – A cat-like demon that descends from the sky and carries away corpses.
Katawaguruma – A type of Wanyudo, with an anguished woman instead of a monk's head in a burning wheel.
Kawauso – River otters.
Kawaakago – A river spirit that pretends to be a crying baby.
Kechibi – Fireballs with human faces inside.
Keneō – An old man seated in the underworld who weighs the clothes given to him by Datsue-ba.
Keukegen – A small dog-like creature covered entirely in long hair.
Kijimuna – A tree sprite from Okinawa.
Kirin – The Japanese version of the Qilin of China, which is part dragon and part deer with antlers, fish scales and an ox's tail. Said to be a protective creature and the guardian of the metal element.
Kitsune – A fox spirit.
Kitsunebi – Flames created by the Kitsune.
Kitsune no yomeiri
Kiyohime – A woman who transformed into a serpent demon out of the rage of unrequited love.
Kodama – A spirit that lives in a tree.
Kokakuchō – The Ubume bird.
Komainu – The pair of lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
Konaki-jiji – This yokai disguises itself as an abandoned baby then cries until someone picks it up.
Konoha-tengu – A bird-like Tengu.
Koromodako - An octopus-like Yokai that lives in the waters bordering Kyoto and Fukui.
Koropokkuru – A little person from Ainu folklore.
Kosenjōbi – Fireballs that float over former battlefields.
Kosode-no-te – A possessed kosode.
Kubikajiri – Female corpse-chewing graveyard spirit.
Kuchisake-onna – The slit-mouthed woman.
Kuda-gitsune – A small fox-like animal used in sorcery.
Kudan – A cow with a human face.
Kyonshī – The Japanese version of the Chinese hopping vampire, known as "jiangshi".
Kumo Yōkai – A Japanese spider demon.
Kyōkotsu – A skeletal figure that emerges from a well.
Kyōrinrin – Possessed scrolls or papers.
M
Mekurabe – The multiplying skulls that menaced Taira no Kiyomori in his courtyard.
Miage-nyūdō – A spirit that grows as fast as you can look up at it.
Mikaribaba – A one-eyed old woman.
Mikoshi-nyūdō – A bald goblin with an extending neck.
Misaki – High-ranking divine spirits.
Mizuchi – A dangerous water dragon.
Mokumokuren – A swarm of eyes that appear on a paper sliding door in an old building.
Momonjī
Mononoke – Any mischievous and troublesome creature/entity of uncertain origin.
Morinji-no-kama – Another name for Bunbuku Chagama, the tanuki teakettle.
Mōryō
Mujina – A shapeshifting badger.
Mu-onna – The nothing woman.
Myōbu – A title sometimes given to a fox.
N
Namahage – A ritual-disciplinary demon from the Oga Peninsula.
Namazu – A giant catfish that causes earthquakes.
Nekomata – A cat yokai.
Nuppeppō – A genderless blob of flesh with a hint of a face in the folds of fat.
Ningyo – A fish person or "mermaid".
Nobusuma – A flying squirrel-like monster (possibly inspired by Indian giant flying squirrel).
Noderabō – Strange creatures that stand near a temple bell.
Noppera-bō – A faceless ghost.
Nozuchi – A fat snake-like creature.
Nogitsune – A dangerous kitsune.
Nue – A monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake-headed tail. It plagued the emperor with nightmares in the Heike Monogatari.
Nukekubi – A vicious human-like monster whose head detaches from its body, often confused with the Rokurokubi.
Nuppeppo – An animated lump of decaying human flesh.
Nure-onna – A female snake-like monster who appears on the shore.
Nuribotoke – An animated corpse with blackened flesh and dangling eyeballs.
Nurikabe – A ghostly wall that traps a traveler at night.
Nurarihyon – A strange character who sneaks into houses on busy evenings.
Nyūdō-bōzu – A yokai that grows larger the further one looks up.
Nyūnaisuzume
O
Obake (or Bakemono) – Shapeshifting spirits.
Obariyon – Yokai which rides piggyback on a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy.
Oboroguruma – An oxen cart with a face in its carriage.
Oiwa – The ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband. One of the most famous onryō.
Ōkaburo
Ōgama – A giant toad which breathes rainbow-like smoke and wields a giant spear against whoever attacks it.
Ōkami – A powerful wolf spirit that either takes your life or protects it depending on the actions one does in his or her life.
Okiku – The plate-counting ghost of a servant girl.
Ōkubi – The huge face of a woman which appears in the sky.
Okuri-inu – A spectral dog which follows lone travellers, attacking them if they trip. Similar to the Black dog of English folklore.
Ōmagatoki – Dusk.
Ōmukade – A giant, human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains.
Oni – The classic Japanese demon. It is an ogre-like creature which often has horns.
Oni of Rashomon
Onibaba – The demonic hag of Adachigahara.
Onibi – A demonic flame which can suck out life if they come too near.
Onihitokuchi – One-eyed oni that kill and eat humans.
Onikuma – Bear yokai.
Onmoraki – A bird-demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses.
Ōnyūdō – Wastebasket taxon for all 'priestly' demons.
Onryō – A vengeful ghost formed from powerful feelings like rage or sorrow.
Otoroshi – A hairy creature that perches on the torii gates to shrines and temples.
Onmyoji – A human who has powers like a yokai's.
Osakabe
R
Raijin – The God of Thunder.
Raijū – A beast that falls to earth in a lightning bolt.
Rōjinbi – A ghostly fire that appears with an old person.
Rokurokubi – A person, usually female, whose neck can stretch indefinitely.
Ryuu – The Japanese dragon.
S
Sa Gojō – The water-monster Sha Wujing from Journey to the West, often interpreted in Japan as a Kappa.
Samebito – A shark-man from the undersea Dragon Palace.
Sankai – An amorphous afterbirth spirit.
Sansei
Sarakazoe
Satori – An ape-like creature that can read one's thoughts.
Sazae-oni – A turban snail that turns into a woman.
Sesshō-seki – The poisonous "killing stones" which Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into.
Seiryū – Japanese version of the Chinese Azure Dragon.
Shachihoko – A tiger-headed fish whose image is often used in architecture.
Shibaemon-tanuki – A tanuki from Awaji Island.
Shichinin misaki – A group of 7 ghosts who sicken the living.
Shidaidaka – A humanoid yokai that appears above roads.
Shikigami – A spirit summoned to do the bidding of an Onmyōji.
Shikome – Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.
Shinigami – The Japanese Grim Reaper.
Shiranui – A mysterious flame seen over the seas in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Shirime (尻目) – An apparition in the shape of a man having an eye in the place of his anus.
Shirōneri – Possessed mosquito nettings or dust clothes.
Shiryō – The souls of the dead, the opposite of ikiryo.
Shisa – The Okinawan version of the Shishi.
Shishi – The paired lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
Shōjō – Red-haired sea sprites who love alcohol.
Shōkera – A creature which peeks in through the skylight of an old house.
Sōjōbō – The famous Daitengu of Mount Kurama.
Suiko – Another name for Kappa.
Son Gokū – The monkey king Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.
Sunakake Baba – A witch who uses sand.
Sunekosuri – A dog-like yokai that rubs up against people's legs when it is raining.
Shuten-doji
Suzaku – The Japanese version of the Chinese Vermilion Bird.
Suzuri-no-tamashii
T
Taka-onna – A female monster that can stretch its waist to peer inside buildings.
Tamamo-no-Mae – A wicked nine-tailed fox who appeared as a courtesan.
Tanuki – A shape-shifting raccoon dog.
Teke Teke – A vengeful spirit of a school girl, with a half upper torso body, who goes around killing people by slicing them in half with a scythe, mimicking her own disfigurement.
Ten
Tengu – A wise demon with two variants: a red man with a long nose, or a bird-like demon.
Tenjōkudari
Tenka (kaika)
Tenko (fox)
Tennin – A heavenly being.
Te-no-me – A ghost of a blind man with his eyes on his hands.
Teratsutsuki
Tesso – A priest who was snubbed by the emperor and became a swarm of rats which laid waste to a rival temple.
Tōfu-kozō – A yokai that appears as a young boy carrying a plate of tofu.
Tsuchigumo – A clan of spider-like yokai.
Tsuchinoko – A legendary serpentine monster. It is now a cryptid resembling a fat snake.
Tsukinowaguma – A legendary bear.[2]
Tsukuyomi – A moon god.
Tsukumogami – An animated tea caddy that Matsunaga Hisahide used to bargain a peace with Oda Nobunaga. It is now understood to mean any 100-year-old inanimate object that has come to life.
Tsurube-otoshi – A monster that drops out of the tops of trees.
U
Ubume – The spirit of a woman who died in childbirth.
Uma-no-ashi – A horse's leg which dangles from a tree and kicks passersby.
Umibōzu – A giant monster appearing on the surface of the sea.
Umi-nyōbō – A female sea monster who steals fish.
Ungaikyō – A possessed mirror.
Ushi-no-tokimairi
Ushi-oni – A name given to an assortment of ox-headed monsters.
Ushi-onna – A kimono-clad woman with a cow head.
Ushirogami
Uwan – A spirit named for the sound it shouts when surprising people.
W
Waira – A large beast that lurks in the mountains, about which little is known.
Wani – A water monster comparable to an alligator or crocodile. A related word has been applied to the Saltwater crocodile.
Wanyūdō – A flaming wheel with a man's head in the center, that sucks out the soul of anyone who sees it.
Y
Yadōkai – Monks who have turned to mischief.
Yama-biko – Small creatures that create echoes.
Yamajijii – An old man with one eye and one leg.
Yamako
Yamaoroshi – A possessed vegetable grater, almost porcupine-like in appearance.
Yamata no Orochi – The eight-headed dragon/serpent monster slain by the god Susanoo.
Yama-inu – A dog-like mountain spirit, that may appear to travelers on mountain roads; may be friendly, or may attack and kill the traveler, depending on the tale, (also see the Japanese wolf).
Yama-uba – A Crone-like yōkai.
Yashima no Hage-tanuki – A tanuki that protects the Taira clan.
Yatagarasu – The three-legged crow of Amaterasu.
Yato-no-kami – Deadly Snake gods which infested a field.
Yobuko – A mountain-dwelling spirit.
Yōkai/Youkai – A class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. They can also be called ayakashi (妖?), mononoke (物の怪?), or mamono (魔物?).
Yomotsu-shikome – The hags of the underworld.
Yonakinoishi
Yōsei – The Japanese word for "fairy".
Yosuzume – A mysterious bird that sings at night, sometimes indicating that the okuri-inu is near.
Yuki-onna – The snow woman.
Yurei – Ghosts in a more Western sense.
Z
Zashiki-warashi – A protective childlike house spirit.
Zennyo Ryūō – A rain-making dragon.
Zorigami – An animated clock.
Zuijin – A tutelary spirit.
Zunbera-bō – Another name for the Noppera-bō.
Abumi-guchi – A furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander who worked for Yamata no Orochi.
Abura-akago – An infant ghost who licks the oil out of andon lamps.
Abura-sumashi – A spirit with a large head who lives on a mountain pass in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Akabeko – A red cow involved in the construction of Enzō-ji in Yanaizu, Fukushima.
Akaname – A spirit who licks off filth in untidy bathrooms.
Akashita – A creature that looms in a black cloud over a floodgate.
Akateko – A red hand dangling out of a tree.
Akkorokamui – An Ainu monster resembling a fish or octopus.
Akurojin-no-hi – A ghostly fire from Mie Prefecture.
Amabie – A Japanese mermaid yokai.
Amaburakosagi – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Shikoku.
Amamehagi – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Hokuriku.
Amanojaku – A small demon that instigates people into wickedness.
Amanozako – A monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki.
Amazake-babaa – An old woman who asks for sweet sake and brings disease.
Amefurikozō – A little boy spirit who plays in the rain.
Amemasu – An Ainu creature resembling a fish or whale.
Ameonna – A rain-making female spirit.
Amikiri – A net-cutting bird-headed, crustacean-armed, snake-bodied spirit.
Amorōnagu – A Tennyo from the island of Amami Ōshima.
Amaterasu – A sun goddess.
Anmo – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Iwate Prefecture.
Aoandon – The demonic spirit which arises from an andon lamp at the end of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.
Aobōzu – The blue monk who kidnaps children.
Aonyōbō – A female ghost who lurks in an abandoned imperial palace.
Aosaginohi – A luminescent heron.
Arikura-no-baba – An old woman with magical powers.
Ashimagari – A spirit which entangles the legs of travelers.
Ashinagatenaga – A pair of characters, one with long legs and the other with long arms.
Ayakashi (yōkai) – A phenomenon considered to be the funayurei.
Azukiarai (or Azukitogi) – A spirit that washes azuki beans.
B
Bake-kujira – A ghostly whale skeleton that drifts along the coastline of Shimane Prefecture.
Bakeneko – A shape-shifting cat.
Bakezōri – A zori straw sandal spirit.
Baku (spirit) – Supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.
Basan – A large fire-breathing chicken monster.
Bashōnosei
Betobeto-san – Invisible spirit which follows people at night, making the sound of footsteps.
Binbōgami – The spirit of poverty.
Biwa-bokuboku – Animated biwa lute.
Buruburu
Byakko – Japanese version of the Chinese White Tiger.
Byōbunozoki
C
Chōchinobake – A possessed chōchin lantern.
Chōchinbi – Demonic flames which appear in footpaths between rice-fields.
D
Daidarabotchi – A giant responsible for creating the geographical features of Japan.
Daitengu – The most powerful tengu, each of whom lives on a separate mountain.
Danzaburou-danuki – a tanuki from Sado Island.
Datsue-ba – An old woman in the Underworld who removes clothes (or skin if unclothed) of the dead.
Dodomeki – A hundred-eyed demon.
E
Enenra – A monster made of smoke.
Enkō – Kappa of Shikoku and western Honshū.
F
Fūjin – The wind god.
Fūri – A monkey-like yokai.
Funayūrei – Ghosts of people who died at sea.
Furaribi – A creature engulfed in flames that flies aimlessly.
Furutsubaki-no-rei – A soul-sucking plant.
Furu-utsubo – A beloved quiver of slain archers.
Futakuchi-onna – The two-mouthed woman.
G
Gagoze – A demon who attacked young priests at Gangō-ji temple.
Gaki – Starving ghosts of especially greedy people.
Gashadokuro – A giant skeleton that is the spirit of the unburied dead. Also known as Gaikotsu.
Genbu – Japanese version of the Chinese Black Tortoise.
Goryō – The vengeful spirits of the dead.
Gozu and Mezu – Underworld guards.
Guhin – Another name for tengu.
Gyūki – Another name for Ushi-oni.
H
Hakanohi
Hakuja no Myojin[1] – A white serpent God.
Hakutaku – A beast which handed down knowledge on harmful spirits.
Hanako-san – A spirit of a young World War II-era girl who haunts school restrooms.
Hannya – A noh mask representing a jealous female demon.
Haradashi – A creature with a giant face on its stomach.
Harionago – A woman with a thorn-like barb on the tip of each strand of her hair.
Hashihime – A woman-turned-spirit associated with the bridge at Uji.
Heikegani – Crabs with human-faced shells. They are the spirits of the warriors killed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
Hibagon – The Japanese version of the Bigfoot or the Yeti.
Hiderigami – The spirit of drought.
Hihi – A baboon-like Chinese yokai.
Hikeshibaba – An old woman who extinguishes lanterns.
Hinode
Hitodama – A fireball ghost that appears when someone dies, signifying the dead person's spirit.
Hitotsume-kozō – A one-eyed child spirit.
Hitotsume-nyūdō – A one-eyed monk spirit.
Hiyoribō – The spirit which stops rainfall.
Hoji – The wicked spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.
Hone-onna – The skeleton-woman.
Hō-ō – The legendary Fenghuang bird of China.
Hoshi-no-Tama – A ball guarded by a Kitsune (fox) which can give the one who obtains it power to force the Kitsune to help them. It is said to hold some reserves of the Kitsune's power.
Hōsōshi – A ritual exorcist.
Hotoke – A deceased person.
Hyakki Yakō – The demons' night parade.
Hyōsube – A kind of hair-covered Kappa.
I
Ibaraki-doji – Offspring of an oni.
Ichiren-Bozu – Animated prayer beads.
Ikiryō – Essentially a living ghost, as it is a living person's soul outside of their body.
Ikuchi – A sea-serpent that travels over boats in an arc while dripping oil.
Inugami – A dog-spirit created, worshipped, and employed by a family via sorcery.
Inugami Gyoubu – A type of tanuki.
Isonade – A fish-like sea monster with a barb-covered tail.
Issie – A lake monster.
Itsumade – A fire-breathing birdlike monster.
Ittan-momen – A possessed roll of cotton that attempts to smother people by wrapping itself around their faces.
Iyaya – A woman whose face is reflected as an old man.
J
Jami – A wicked mountain spirit.
Janjanbi – A soul in the form of a ball of fire, named for the sound it makes.
Jibakurei – A spirit that protects a specific place.
Jikininki – Ghosts that eats human corpses.
Jinmenju – A tree with human-faced fruits.
Jishin-namazu – The giant catfish that causes earthquakes and tsunami. It was blamed during the Ansei quake & tsunami.
Jorōgumo – A spider-woman.
Jatai – Animated folding screen cloth.
Jubokko – A vampiric tree.
K
Kahaku (河伯) – Another name for a Kappa.
Kakurezato
Kamaitachi – The slashing sickle-clawed weasel that haunts the mountains.
Kambarinyōdō – A monk spirit that spies on people using the toilet.
Kameosa – A possessed sake jar.
Kanedama – A spirit that carries money.
Kappa – A famous water monster with a water-filled head and a love of cucumbers.
Karasu-tengu – Crow demon.
Karura – Anthropomorphic eagle akin to the Hindu Garuda.
Kasa-obake – A possessed paper umbrella monster.
Kasha – A cat-like demon that descends from the sky and carries away corpses.
Katawaguruma – A type of Wanyudo, with an anguished woman instead of a monk's head in a burning wheel.
Kawauso – River otters.
Kawaakago – A river spirit that pretends to be a crying baby.
Kechibi – Fireballs with human faces inside.
Keneō – An old man seated in the underworld who weighs the clothes given to him by Datsue-ba.
Keukegen – A small dog-like creature covered entirely in long hair.
Kijimuna – A tree sprite from Okinawa.
Kirin – The Japanese version of the Qilin of China, which is part dragon and part deer with antlers, fish scales and an ox's tail. Said to be a protective creature and the guardian of the metal element.
Kitsune – A fox spirit.
Kitsunebi – Flames created by the Kitsune.
Kitsune no yomeiri
Kiyohime – A woman who transformed into a serpent demon out of the rage of unrequited love.
Kodama – A spirit that lives in a tree.
Kokakuchō – The Ubume bird.
Komainu – The pair of lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
Konaki-jiji – This yokai disguises itself as an abandoned baby then cries until someone picks it up.
Konoha-tengu – A bird-like Tengu.
Koromodako - An octopus-like Yokai that lives in the waters bordering Kyoto and Fukui.
Koropokkuru – A little person from Ainu folklore.
Kosenjōbi – Fireballs that float over former battlefields.
Kosode-no-te – A possessed kosode.
Kubikajiri – Female corpse-chewing graveyard spirit.
Kuchisake-onna – The slit-mouthed woman.
Kuda-gitsune – A small fox-like animal used in sorcery.
Kudan – A cow with a human face.
Kyonshī – The Japanese version of the Chinese hopping vampire, known as "jiangshi".
Kumo Yōkai – A Japanese spider demon.
Kyōkotsu – A skeletal figure that emerges from a well.
Kyōrinrin – Possessed scrolls or papers.
M
Mekurabe – The multiplying skulls that menaced Taira no Kiyomori in his courtyard.
Miage-nyūdō – A spirit that grows as fast as you can look up at it.
Mikaribaba – A one-eyed old woman.
Mikoshi-nyūdō – A bald goblin with an extending neck.
Misaki – High-ranking divine spirits.
Mizuchi – A dangerous water dragon.
Mokumokuren – A swarm of eyes that appear on a paper sliding door in an old building.
Momonjī
Mononoke – Any mischievous and troublesome creature/entity of uncertain origin.
Morinji-no-kama – Another name for Bunbuku Chagama, the tanuki teakettle.
Mōryō
Mujina – A shapeshifting badger.
Mu-onna – The nothing woman.
Myōbu – A title sometimes given to a fox.
N
Namahage – A ritual-disciplinary demon from the Oga Peninsula.
Namazu – A giant catfish that causes earthquakes.
Nekomata – A cat yokai.
Nuppeppō – A genderless blob of flesh with a hint of a face in the folds of fat.
Ningyo – A fish person or "mermaid".
Nobusuma – A flying squirrel-like monster (possibly inspired by Indian giant flying squirrel).
Noderabō – Strange creatures that stand near a temple bell.
Noppera-bō – A faceless ghost.
Nozuchi – A fat snake-like creature.
Nogitsune – A dangerous kitsune.
Nue – A monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake-headed tail. It plagued the emperor with nightmares in the Heike Monogatari.
Nukekubi – A vicious human-like monster whose head detaches from its body, often confused with the Rokurokubi.
Nuppeppo – An animated lump of decaying human flesh.
Nure-onna – A female snake-like monster who appears on the shore.
Nuribotoke – An animated corpse with blackened flesh and dangling eyeballs.
Nurikabe – A ghostly wall that traps a traveler at night.
Nurarihyon – A strange character who sneaks into houses on busy evenings.
Nyūdō-bōzu – A yokai that grows larger the further one looks up.
Nyūnaisuzume
O
Obake (or Bakemono) – Shapeshifting spirits.
Obariyon – Yokai which rides piggyback on a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy.
Oboroguruma – An oxen cart with a face in its carriage.
Oiwa – The ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband. One of the most famous onryō.
Ōkaburo
Ōgama – A giant toad which breathes rainbow-like smoke and wields a giant spear against whoever attacks it.
Ōkami – A powerful wolf spirit that either takes your life or protects it depending on the actions one does in his or her life.
Okiku – The plate-counting ghost of a servant girl.
Ōkubi – The huge face of a woman which appears in the sky.
Okuri-inu – A spectral dog which follows lone travellers, attacking them if they trip. Similar to the Black dog of English folklore.
Ōmagatoki – Dusk.
Ōmukade – A giant, human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains.
Oni – The classic Japanese demon. It is an ogre-like creature which often has horns.
Oni of Rashomon
Onibaba – The demonic hag of Adachigahara.
Onibi – A demonic flame which can suck out life if they come too near.
Onihitokuchi – One-eyed oni that kill and eat humans.
Onikuma – Bear yokai.
Onmoraki – A bird-demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses.
Ōnyūdō – Wastebasket taxon for all 'priestly' demons.
Onryō – A vengeful ghost formed from powerful feelings like rage or sorrow.
Otoroshi – A hairy creature that perches on the torii gates to shrines and temples.
Onmyoji – A human who has powers like a yokai's.
Osakabe
R
Raijin – The God of Thunder.
Raijū – A beast that falls to earth in a lightning bolt.
Rōjinbi – A ghostly fire that appears with an old person.
Rokurokubi – A person, usually female, whose neck can stretch indefinitely.
Ryuu – The Japanese dragon.
S
Sa Gojō – The water-monster Sha Wujing from Journey to the West, often interpreted in Japan as a Kappa.
Samebito – A shark-man from the undersea Dragon Palace.
Sankai – An amorphous afterbirth spirit.
Sansei
Sarakazoe
Satori – An ape-like creature that can read one's thoughts.
Sazae-oni – A turban snail that turns into a woman.
Sesshō-seki – The poisonous "killing stones" which Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into.
Seiryū – Japanese version of the Chinese Azure Dragon.
Shachihoko – A tiger-headed fish whose image is often used in architecture.
Shibaemon-tanuki – A tanuki from Awaji Island.
Shichinin misaki – A group of 7 ghosts who sicken the living.
Shidaidaka – A humanoid yokai that appears above roads.
Shikigami – A spirit summoned to do the bidding of an Onmyōji.
Shikome – Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.
Shinigami – The Japanese Grim Reaper.
Shiranui – A mysterious flame seen over the seas in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Shirime (尻目) – An apparition in the shape of a man having an eye in the place of his anus.
Shirōneri – Possessed mosquito nettings or dust clothes.
Shiryō – The souls of the dead, the opposite of ikiryo.
Shisa – The Okinawan version of the Shishi.
Shishi – The paired lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
Shōjō – Red-haired sea sprites who love alcohol.
Shōkera – A creature which peeks in through the skylight of an old house.
Sōjōbō – The famous Daitengu of Mount Kurama.
Suiko – Another name for Kappa.
Son Gokū – The monkey king Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.
Sunakake Baba – A witch who uses sand.
Sunekosuri – A dog-like yokai that rubs up against people's legs when it is raining.
Shuten-doji
Suzaku – The Japanese version of the Chinese Vermilion Bird.
Suzuri-no-tamashii
T
Taka-onna – A female monster that can stretch its waist to peer inside buildings.
Tamamo-no-Mae – A wicked nine-tailed fox who appeared as a courtesan.
Tanuki – A shape-shifting raccoon dog.
Teke Teke – A vengeful spirit of a school girl, with a half upper torso body, who goes around killing people by slicing them in half with a scythe, mimicking her own disfigurement.
Ten
Tengu – A wise demon with two variants: a red man with a long nose, or a bird-like demon.
Tenjōkudari
Tenka (kaika)
Tenko (fox)
Tennin – A heavenly being.
Te-no-me – A ghost of a blind man with his eyes on his hands.
Teratsutsuki
Tesso – A priest who was snubbed by the emperor and became a swarm of rats which laid waste to a rival temple.
Tōfu-kozō – A yokai that appears as a young boy carrying a plate of tofu.
Tsuchigumo – A clan of spider-like yokai.
Tsuchinoko – A legendary serpentine monster. It is now a cryptid resembling a fat snake.
Tsukinowaguma – A legendary bear.[2]
Tsukuyomi – A moon god.
Tsukumogami – An animated tea caddy that Matsunaga Hisahide used to bargain a peace with Oda Nobunaga. It is now understood to mean any 100-year-old inanimate object that has come to life.
Tsurube-otoshi – A monster that drops out of the tops of trees.
U
Ubume – The spirit of a woman who died in childbirth.
Uma-no-ashi – A horse's leg which dangles from a tree and kicks passersby.
Umibōzu – A giant monster appearing on the surface of the sea.
Umi-nyōbō – A female sea monster who steals fish.
Ungaikyō – A possessed mirror.
Ushi-no-tokimairi
Ushi-oni – A name given to an assortment of ox-headed monsters.
Ushi-onna – A kimono-clad woman with a cow head.
Ushirogami
Uwan – A spirit named for the sound it shouts when surprising people.
W
Waira – A large beast that lurks in the mountains, about which little is known.
Wani – A water monster comparable to an alligator or crocodile. A related word has been applied to the Saltwater crocodile.
Wanyūdō – A flaming wheel with a man's head in the center, that sucks out the soul of anyone who sees it.
Y
Yadōkai – Monks who have turned to mischief.
Yama-biko – Small creatures that create echoes.
Yamajijii – An old man with one eye and one leg.
Yamako
Yamaoroshi – A possessed vegetable grater, almost porcupine-like in appearance.
Yamata no Orochi – The eight-headed dragon/serpent monster slain by the god Susanoo.
Yama-inu – A dog-like mountain spirit, that may appear to travelers on mountain roads; may be friendly, or may attack and kill the traveler, depending on the tale, (also see the Japanese wolf).
Yama-uba – A Crone-like yōkai.
Yashima no Hage-tanuki – A tanuki that protects the Taira clan.
Yatagarasu – The three-legged crow of Amaterasu.
Yato-no-kami – Deadly Snake gods which infested a field.
Yobuko – A mountain-dwelling spirit.
Yōkai/Youkai – A class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. They can also be called ayakashi (妖?), mononoke (物の怪?), or mamono (魔物?).
Yomotsu-shikome – The hags of the underworld.
Yonakinoishi
Yōsei – The Japanese word for "fairy".
Yosuzume – A mysterious bird that sings at night, sometimes indicating that the okuri-inu is near.
Yuki-onna – The snow woman.
Yurei – Ghosts in a more Western sense.
Z
Zashiki-warashi – A protective childlike house spirit.
Zennyo Ryūō – A rain-making dragon.
Zorigami – An animated clock.
Zuijin – A tutelary spirit.
Zunbera-bō – Another name for the Noppera-bō.