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Sinister Spirits of Asia Part II: Legendary Creatures of Japan

© Sarah Davis

According to one legend, the travelling monk Kwairyo once unwittingly agreed to spend the night with a family of nukekubi. When he returned to their home after nightfall after going to seek water, he found the headless bodies of his companions on the floor. Noticing that the heads were perfectly and bloodlessly detached, rather than severed, and having heard legends of such things before, the monk hid the bodies. He then went out into the garden to find, as he suspected, five disembodied heads flitting through the darkness like pale bats. Upon seeing him, they retreated into the house, only to find their bodies missing. Enraged, the heads screamed out into the courtyard, where the waiting monk batted them down with his staff. As he beat the heads into submission, one attached itself to his sleeve and died with its jaws locked onto the material.

When the panicked monk ran into the village with what appeared to be a severed head attached to his sleeve, he was arrested, and, thanks to a sage who recognized the undead creature, narrowly escaped being convicted of murder.

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Tengu

Tengu are shape-shifting mountain spirits frequently depicted in Japanese art, who most frequently take the form of either anthropomorphic birds or human men with bird-like features. As bird-men, they have beaked faces and feathered wings (they are often depicted as having both arms and wings). As humans, they have sharp, aquiline features and uncommonly long noses. They often imitate the garb of yamabushi priests, and have been known to relentlessly tease and trick wandering priests and their allies by means of these disguises. They are associated in legend with Mount Kuramo, near Kibune, Japan.

Like many other Japanese spirits, they are capricious tricksters, and can be either helpful or harmful to those they encounter. Tengu are very skilled at swordsmanship and weapon- smithing, and may act as mentors to those who win their favor through offerings and respect.

The name "tengu" is related to "t'ien kou", the name of another mountain spirit in Chinese mythology, which means "celestial hounds".

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Rokurokubi

Rokurokubi, or long-necked goblins, usually appear as ordinary humans (almost always women), and may make their homes in human civilizations and marry into human families. The Rokurokubi's primary monstrous feature is her ability to extend her neck impossibly long distances in order to frighten or spy on others. To enhance this performance, she is also able to distort her human face into that of an ogre-like demon. Although sometimes portrayed as malicious creatures who uses her powers to drain the blood or energy of others, Rokurokubi are actually trickster spirits, who delight in causing fear and chaos, and prefer to frighten, rather than harm, victims.