are also notorious for ambushing and drowning those foolish enough to swim in isolated or fast moving waters. One strategy is simply to drag a victim below the surface. Another is to remove a swimmer’s intestines from below, by punching a slimy hand through . . . well, use your imagination. The kappa isn’t after the entrails themselves, but rather the shirikodama, a mysterious organ said to be located in the colon.
Surviving an Encounter:
If challenged to a wrestling match:
1) Grit your teeth and graciously accept.
2) Bow deeply (you’re in Japan, after all). This will make it spill the contents of its head-dish, draining its power like water from a bathtub.
3) Insist on wrestling under bright sunlight to speed up evaporation. (Warning: this only works on sunny days.)
4) In a real pinch, fling a fresh cucumber—one of the kappa’s favorite foods—into the ring. This should distract it long enough for you to beat a hasty retreat.
Can kappa be repelled by farts? This 1881 woodblock print by Yoshitoshi seems to suggest as much.
If you’re confronted by a kappa in the water:
1) Don’t panic.
2) Work your way calmly back to shore.
3) The creatures have occasionally helped drowning children to the shore, so try acting childish. Who knows? It just might let you—and your colon—off the hook.
Kappa Couture:
Kappa must leave the water and remove their waterproof skin—called amagawa—in order to sleep. A kappa without its amagawa is totally defenseless: it can’t enter the water without it! Because of this, raincoats are also known as amagappa in Japan.
Kappa Sightseeing:
The Kappabashi (Kappa Bridge) area of Tokyo has, as its name suggests, a deep connection to these strange aquatic creatures. Legend has it that the very first Kappa Bridge was built by a raincoat merchant who enlisted kappa as laborers. The former site of the bridge is now occupied by the local Buddhist temple, Sogenji, also known by its nickname, Kappa-dera (Kappa Temple).
Kappa Maki Rolls
Kappa Cuisine:
The popular sushi dish kappa maki (cucumber roll) takes its name from this yokai.
KAPPA PROVERBS:
KAPPA NO KAWANAGARE: —“Even a kappa can drown”—is an idiom that means “even experts make mistakes.”
RIKU NI AGATTA KAPPA:—“Like a kappa on land”—is a saying that refers to situations where someone is out of their element.
HE NO KAPPA:—“Like a kappa fart”—is the Japanese equivalent of the American idiom “a piece of cake!”
KAPPA-HAGE—Term for a man with a round bald spot on the top of his head.
Ferocious Fiends: 004
Zashiki Warashi
Ferocious Fiends: 004
Zashiki Warashi
座敷童子
Pronunciation:
(ZAH-she-key WAH-rah-she)
English Name:
Literally, “Child in the Room”
Gender:
Male/Female
Height:
Same as a human five-year-old
Weight:
Same as a human five-year-old
Locomotion:
Bipedal
Disctinctive Features:
Resembles a normal human child in traditional Japanese dress
Offensive Weapons:
Bankruptcy, social ostracism, family strife
Weaknesses:
Neglect
Abundance/Distribution:
Uncommon/Northern Japan
Habitat:
Happy households
Claim to Fame:
A cute and cuddly countenance cloaks this yokai’s startling ability to destroy people’s lives. But don’t get the wrong idea: it isn’t angry or out for vengeance. In fact, most of the time it’s downright playful.
Taking its name from the Japanese term for a traditional tatami-floored room and an archaic term for “child,” when happy, the Zashiki Warashi is a pleasant sort of poltergeist. It is especially fond of pranks and tricks, including climbing atop sleeping people in the dead of night, flipping over pillows and unmaking beds, causing music to issue from otherwise uninhabited rooms, and hiding in the midst of large groups of children during mealtimes.
In essence, this is one yokai you want to have haunting your home, for the Zashiki Warashi’s presence is a sign of good fortune. The problems come when it leaves.
The Attack!
The Zashiki Warashi isn’t aggressive. It looks like a harmless little kid. So what’s to be afraid of? That’s the trick. Zashiki Warashi’s glowing good fortune only lasts as long as it’s in your home. Its very presence is a silent demand for respect and care. If it—or more specifically, the home it inhabits—is neglected, it will leave. And when a Zashiki Warashi leaves, you and your family are most definitely in trouble, for bankruptcy, disaster, and domestic strife are certain to follow. A home deserted by a Zashiki Warashi is on the road to ruin.
“Rake of Prosperity” offerings are sold at temples to beckon the kind of fortune that the Zashiki Warashi can bring.
Surviving an Encounter:
Think of the Zashiki Warashi as an adopted child. Take care of your home and everyone in it, and the Zashiki Warashi will take care of you. This yokai is essentially a reflection of the level of happiness of a household.
