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 Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:05 pm
Youkai
Also known as Ayakashi, Mononoke, or Mamono. It broadly refers to supernatural entities such as monsters and ghosts in the Japanese folklore but can also apply to anything that is a supernatural being or legend from any culture and because there are a thousand of stories of magical beings being told around the world, the different types of youkai is simply endless. It is said that after a very long time(a century or so), ordinary objects and animals gain life of its own and personality, not to mention supernatural powers that ultimately classifies them as a youkai. Humans are also capable of turning into this, given the right conditions and circumstances.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:38 pm
Common Types of Youkai
As I've said earlier, there are a wide variation of youkai in the Japanese folklore, making it difficult to determine each and every single one there is which is why I'll only be covering some of the easier-to-determine youkai such as Animals, Oni, Tengu and Tsukumogami.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:38 pm
Animals
Ranging from Cats, Birds, Insects, Rabbits, Dogs, Rodents and the usually favored by the mass, Fox. These are youkai that possess animal characteristics. Even in their humanoid form, they still possess features that indicates what kind of animal they are such as their ears and tails. While some animals developed a certain amount of supernatural power over time like the fox, other creature becomes a youkai from either fear or belief.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:39 pm
Oni
It roughly translate to demon, devil, ogre and troll, making it difficult to characterize it as a whole. The common depiction of the Oni is that they are hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads and in some cases, has more numbers of eyes, fingers and toes. Their skin is usually seen to be as red or blue, wearing a tiger-skin loincloth and wielding either a large sword or an iron club. They also possess great strength.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:40 pm
Tengu
In general, Tengu are analogous to the Western idea of goblins. It has two sub-species. The Ko-Tengu, also known as the crow tengu, which resembles a large bird of prey, wearing the robe of a yamabushi and the Dai-Tengu, appearing more in a human form unlike the other. The Ko-tengu has little respect to humans, making them a dangerous threat as they would torture, rape and kill them just for the fun of it. The Dai-Tengu on the other hand, acts more like a sage. They are much bigger and more powerful than the crow tengu but less dangerous.
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 2:43 pm
Tsukumogami
An entire class of Youkai. These are items in general that has come to life after a century. Having said that, it can be safe to assume that the items in question are either disposed of such as an old umbrella or a high valued instrument that are kept long enough for them to turn. These kind of youkai are usually paper lanterns, old umbrellas, straw sandals and teapots.
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