Japanese Youkai

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Tachihaki	Japanese Youkai	Lead	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 40 (06/29/08 11:21 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None I sent this message to Ryoga's girl privately and she said this discussion was interesting. Even though I got the idea of this message from IY board, it has nothing to do with IY. So I post here. I just know about UY and Ranma, so I don't know about IY. But to read the board is very fun. Well, this discussion seaparates from IY itself, so I send you my messages directly. I think Youkai exists even today. When I was a kid, some aquiantaces said they "saw" a kappa, a youkai living in water. And there was a rumour that a house was haunted. All over Japan there exist some youkai stories such as "kuchisake onna" (some police stations made policemen patrol to protect children from Kuchisakeonna"), "Jinmenken", and "Iguana baasan" etc. Some posts on the board hint that English speaking fans are thinking Youkai is things of past, but in fact it is difficult to say whether they exists or not. It may be safe to say that youkai do not exist from the beginning in the Western culture, but I don't know if it is applied to today's Japan. (Of course, ogres, werewolves etc, are western youkai, but they don't exist today). Japanese youkai stories are very interesting. She tells me about "faery folks" in Britain. I'm wondering if there exists something like youkai in America also. I think in today's Japan Youkai tend to appear in primary schools and around primary school students. I'm curious about Ranma Fan 1432's opinion, because she is the youngest among us. I agree that Youkai are rarer comparing to past. It is because they were born from people's imagination and fitted to their lives. But in modern times our lives are dramatically differnt from that of past, so many youkai can't exist. But that does not mean youkai are extinct and a lot of new youkai are born.
andyjay		#1	[-]
Mysterious Deceased Husband Posts: 2736 (06/29/08 12:46 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Well, you've heard of Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch), haven't you? And then there are reports of monsters in lakes similar to the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. One of the most famous is "Champ", which lives in Lake Champlain on the New York-Vermont border. These monsters don't have the mystical powers of Japanese yokai (at least not in most accounts), but the stories about them are a little similar in that cryptozoologists (people who study mysterious creatures) say they could be surviving dinosaurs or other supposedly extinct animals. Bigfoot is often claimed to be a Gigantopithicus (a large ape closely related to humans), and Champ and Nessie are said to be pleisiosaurs (large aquatic reptiles). I'm kinda skeptical of it all, but sometimes you just wonder. There are still plenty of wild, remote regions the world that haven't felt man's footsteps. Next time you go out into the woods, keep your eyes open.
Hooray		#2	[-]
Dr. Tofu's Patient Posts: 348 (06/29/08 02:58 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	In West Virginia we have the Mothman. Maybe he's really a youkai?
tsubasafan	Re: Youkai	#3	[-]
Naraku's Slave Posts: 139 (06/29/08 05:48 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Whether one calls such creatures demons, monsters, fae, youkai, youma, shinma or what there obviously exists more than just men and animals on this planet.
Tachihaki		#4	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 41 (06/29/08 09:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	andyjay wrote: Well, you've heard of Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch), haven't you? Yeah! They are called "雪男(Yuki-otoko), or snow-man." When we say "雪女(Yuki-onna), or snow-woman", we mean Oyuki from UY, or youkai something like that. 　　　　　　　　　　　　 In West Virginia we have the Mothman. Maybe he's really a youkai? Yeah! I think so too. And this is a list of Japanese youkai. There are tons. http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7 I think most today's youkai come from urban legends. For example "赤マント" is very famous and appeared in UY. http://www.slotama.com/My%20Pictures/uruseiyatu/uru-36.jpg http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B5%A4%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88%E3%81%AE%E6%80%AA%E4%BA%BA The rumour is that there is a man in a red cloak kidnapping children and kill them, or also said that he abducts only girls, rape and kill them. In UY episode, he gets married with the girl he kidnapped. We have some image of him, so this story looks very funny. According to Wikipedia, the rumour occured in the early Showa period(1926~1989).
Yoiko Hibiki		#5	[-]
Posts: 5129 (06/30/08 06:03 PM) Anything-Goes Martial Artist Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tachihaki wrote: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B5%A4%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88%E3%81%AE%E6%80%AA%E4%BA%BA The rumour is that there is a man in a red cloak kidnapping children and kill them, or also said that he abducts only girls, rape and kill them. In UY episode, he gets married with the girl he kidnapped. We have some image of him, so this story looks very funny. According to Wikipedia, the rumour occured in the early Showa period(1926~1989). lol Wow... that could have been a very different story had Red Mantle behaved that way in "Urusei Yatsura". Yoiko Hibiki Webmaster - Rumic World
Tachihaki		#6	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 43 (07/02/08 10:56 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	People of my generation are more familiar with "Red Mantle or Blue Mantle" story. Because the story of a man clad in a red mantle is an urban legend, there are some variations and I myself have heard the story of "Red Mantle or Blue Mantle". The story is as follows, A pupil take a crap in a school toilet when a long tall pale man asks the child, "Which do you want? A red mantle or a blue mantle?" If the child answers " I want red one", the child is stabbed to death and becomes red with blood. If the child answers " I want blue one", the man sucks up the kid's blood and the kid turns blue losing a lot of blood and killed. The genre of modern horror stories related to schools (and it is mainly elementary schools) are called "Gakko no Kaidan". And many horror stories are related to toilets for some reason. And Rumiko Takahashi made her Red Mantle smeak into a women's room, I think that is not an accident.
Tachihaki		#7	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 44 (07/02/08 11:05 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	So, many Japanese elementary schools are "haunted". How about American schools?
andyjay		#8	[-]
Mysterious Deceased Husband Posts: 2741 (07/02/08 12:10 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Oh yes, there stories of ghosts in American schools. New England, the part of the country where most of my family is from, is known for legends of ghosts. Here's a list of ghost sightings in the state of Connecticut (including several high schools). http://theshadowlands.net/places/connecticut.htm
ryogasgirl		#9	[-]
Perverted Monk Posts: 236 (07/03/08 09:37 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Just to kind of add something to the discussion if anyone's interested, I'll post my original response to tachihaki: "Well, in IY it's suggested that youkai still exist in the modern era, but in much less obvious ways and in lower numbers than existed in the sengoku jidai. There are not, for instance, inu - youkai running around Tokyo fighting each other. In fact, Kagome's friends would be unlikely to believe in youkai even if they saw Inuyasha without a hat on. Kagome may only have been able to believe in youkai once she was pulled into the well by one at the beginning of the series, she even tried to convince herself it was a dream afterwards. It seems that of all the modern era characters, jii-chan, Kagome's grandfather and official shrine-keeper, is the only one who still holds a strong belief in youkai. I agree, Japanese youkai stories are fascinating and fun! It's refreshing to know that youkai are still such a big part of Japanese culture and that many Japanese people still believe in their existance. I, myself, would love to visit Japan and explore the places where youkai are known to reside in hopes of seeing one. As I understand it, though, the youkai which are said to exist today are reclusive creatures which are difficult to find. Most would prefer not to be found. If they are as powerful and influential as they are reputed to be, it might be best to let them be anyways . In Ireland mostly, but in other parts of the British Isles as well, "faerie folk" still have many people who believe in their existance. Like the Japanese youkai, they are influential to humans, giving good luck to those they favor and bad luck to those whom they dislike. It's very difficult to see them. Even of you offer them gifts or honor them in other ways, they would be unlikely to show themselves. People mostly just experience their influences or they may see evidence of their existance in other ways. Yeah, not exactly the same as Japanese youkai, but similar. Interesting discussion! I think it would be fun to post this on the IY boards, if you wanted to!"
Yoiko Hibiki		#10	[-]
Posts: 5143 (07/06/08 08:21 PM) Anything-Goes Martial Artist Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tachihaki wrote: So, many Japanese elementary schools are "haunted". How about American schools? I remember when I was in elementary school there was an old house beside our playground with an old car in front of it. Because we never saw the woman that lived there we used to think a witch lived in the house. Your story about Red Mantle and bathrooms reminds me of the "Bloody Mary" story. Supposedly you stand in front of your bathroom mirror after 3AM and chant "Bloody Mary" a certain number of times (I always heard 3, but some say 13 times) a woman inside the mirror, come out and kill you. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/bloodymary.asp This page details the various versions and histories of the legend. Yoiko Hibiki Webmaster - Rumic World
Tachihaki		#11	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 64 (07/07/08 09:51 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	we used to think a witch lived in the house. We also have such a house in my neighbourhood. Interestingly, not only did children but also adults said the same thing. But around ten years ago, some people seemed to buy the house and build a new one.
ac tactics	witch or ghost	#12	[-]
Cat Cafe Patron Posts: 470 (07/10/08 01:40 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	during my vacation in Tamasopo Mexico we visited a waterfall which was just great, but there was a creepy stair way that led up to the top of the waterfall. As I claimed this rough passage, a small old lady with large bags and a large hat was on her way down and yet not moving at the same time. me being an insensitive cow, ignored her and continued to climb. when I get to the to top I see a wonderfully clear river and lots of bison... caca. I go down a different rout, tell my sister (about the river not the shoe surprise or the old lady) we go up and see the old lady mumbling to herself. not moving and just standing there. this was at a park where you have to pay to get in, and I cant think of a way she could get in. my sister tried to talk to her but she kept staring out in open space and talking to her self. "to be or not to be" ... there is no question we exist. alive or dead we are.
Tachihaki		#13	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 69 (07/11/08 07:35 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	ac tactics wrote: moving and just standing there. this was at a park where you have to pay to get in, and I cant think of a way she could get in. my sister tried to talk to her but she kept staring out in open space and talking to her self. Maybe, she is an owner of the land, haha
Hoshi Shouri		#14	[-]
Lover of the Sea Posts: 1651 (07/11/08 10:45 AM) 2004&2005 Rumic Quiz Champ Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Yoiko Hibiki wrote: I remember when I was in elementary school there was an old house beside our playground with an old car in front of it. Because we never saw the woman that lived there we used to think a witch lived in the house. We had a house like that on my street. I can't believe you were worried about a 'witch' though when isn't your elementary school right next to a freaking cemetary?? "Ichigo Ichie" Each moment, only once
andyjay		#15	[-]
Mysterious Deceased Husband Posts: 2751 (07/12/08 12:24 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	My old house was supposedly built next to an Indian burial ground. At least that was the rumor. It was below a rather prominent hill, and I wouldn't be too surprised if tribes held rituals there or something. I've heard that most California Indians cremated their dead. Tachihaki, you might be interested to know that Indian burial grounds are a popular source for ghostly legends in America. And cemeteries in general. I don't know if you've ever seen the movie "Poltergeist", but...I won't say any more, in case you'd like to rent it sometime. It's an old movie but a great horror flick. It speaks to a lot of Americans of my generation because it's about a haunted house, but not a spooky old Victorian mansion or something. Just a normal suburban tract house, so more Americans could somewhat relate to it. There were two sequels to that movie, and some people say that movie was cursed. A few people, including the child actress who played the little girl in the movie, all died prematurely. Also the house used in the filming was partially damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake (which occured a year to the day before the Kobe quake).
Tachihaki		#16	[-]
Martial Arts Calligrapher Posts: 70 (07/12/08 08:02 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I have heard of Poltergeist. In Japan, a lot of American movies are aired in the primary time. I think "Poltergeist" have been broadcast in the past. As for cemeteries, there is a superstition in Japan that if you come across a hearse or pass through a burial ground, you must hide your thumbs with other fingers, or making fists. I don't know why some people do this, but when I was an undergraduate school student, a teacher said that this custom already existed in the Heian Period(794~1191) in a Japanese History class. The most well known cursed play in Japan is "Toukaidou Yotsuya Kaidan". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotsuya_Kaidan It is said that a lot of actors who played this show were injured or killed by the curse of Oiwa, but in fact many tricks were hidden on the theatres to entertain audiences and actors were often injured by accidents caused by these tricks. And another most famous curse in Japan is "The Curse of Taira no Masakado". Some of you may have heard of "Taira no Masakado". One of Ranma 1/2 CDs mention his name. That is "Martial Arts Karuta Game". According to the CD, a secret scroll of Martial Arts Karuta written by Taira no Masakado and his colleagues in The Heian Period was found in Kuno house. But actually, Karuta did not exist yet in those days. Anyway, the grave of Taira no Masakado is said to be cursed. It is located in Tokyo, all of the people who tried to remove the tomb were dead for some reason. After WW2, the GHQ also tried to destruct the grave, but failed. You can visit the grave today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taira_no_Masakado
andyjay		#17	[-]
Mysterious Deceased Husband Posts: 2765 (07/24/08 02:20 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	This story actually made the news today. It doesn't mention anything supernatural, but after talking about "Poltergeist", you can't help but wonder... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_fe_st/odd_mystery_noise
ryogasgirl		#18	[-]
Perverted Monk Posts: 273 (07/24/08 08:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	You know, all of this ghost talk gets me to remembering something from my childhood. When I was six and my brother not much older, he would wake up my parents in the middle of the night - every night - to tell them that there was a man in his closet watching him sleep and eyes all over his window. Of course, there was no one there when my mom went in to put him back in bed. He was never afraid of anything before or since, so it made me nervous as well, since I was scared of everything . This went on for quite some time, maybe a year or more. Also, my mom confessed to me when I was old enough not to be freaked out that she would get the sensation that someone was sitting on the end of her bed when my father was called in to work late at night. She never felt it when he was there. It was an old house from the 1800's so maybe it was haunted. We never looked into it, but you never know. Of course, ghosts and youkai are nothing alike, but, well, it's all in the realm of the supernatural, so it's all good.
andyjay		#19	[-]
Mysterious Deceased Husband Posts: 2766 (07/24/08 09:13 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	If you don't mind me asking, Ryogasgirl, where do you live? You can just give the state if you want. I'm always interested in old 1800's-era houses because here in San Diego, it seems like buildings built before about 1960 are considered like Stonehenge. Most of my family is on the east coast, so I always like seeing all the ancient houses...and imagining if they have any ghosts. My dad grew up in a house in Connecticut built in the 1700's. It's actually on the National Register of Historic Places now, but it was kind of a dump when he was there. He never saw anything weird there (he doesn't believe in ghosts), but since the wiring and furnace dated back to the '30s or so, he was always worried about fire. His bedroom was actually right above the furnace. One of my cousins lives in another old house, and I think his wife said she sensed "a presence" there on a few occasions. And another cousin said his friend saw a chess piece float across his room.
ryogasgirl		#20	[-]
Perverted Monk Posts: 275 (07/24/08 09:17 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I lived in MA not far from Cape Cod at the time. It was a cute little house, but it just had a creepy vibe to it which has always been difficult to describe.

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