The following is a list of demons, ghosts, yÅkai, obake, yÅ«rei, and other legendary creatures that are notable in Japanese folklore and mythology.
A
- Abura-akago â€" An infant ghost who licks the oil out of andon lamps.
- Abura-sumashi â€" A spirit with a large head who lives on a mountain pass in Kumamoto Prefecture.
- Akabeko â€" A red cow involved in the construction of EnzÅ-ji in Yanaizu, Fukushima.
- Akaname â€" A spirit who licks off filth in untidy bathrooms.
- Akashita â€" A creature that looms in a black cloud over a floodgate.
- Akateko â€" A red hand dangling out of a tree.
- Akkorokamui â€" An Ainu monster resembling a fish or octopus.
- Akurojin-no-hi â€" A ghostly fire from Mie Prefecture.
- Amabie â€" A Japanese mermaid yokai.
- Amaburakosagi â€" A ritual-disciplinary demon from Shikoku.
- Amamehagi â€" A ritual-disciplinary demon from Hokuriku.
- Amanojaku â€" A small demon that instigates people into wickedness.
- Amanozako â€" A monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki.
- Amazake-babaa â€" An old woman who asks for sweet sake and brings disease.
- AmefurikozÅ â€" A little boy spirit who plays in the rain.
- Amemasu â€" An Ainu creature resembling a fish or whale.
- Ameonna â€" A rain-making female spirit.
- Amikiri â€" A net-cutting bird-headed, crustacean-armed, snake-bodied spirit.
- AmorÅnagu â€" A Tennyo from the island of Amami ÅŒshima.
- Amaterasu â€" A sun goddess.
- Anmo â€" A ritual-disciplinary demon from Iwate Prefecture.
- Aoandon â€" The demonic spirit which arises from an andon lamp at the end of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.
- AobÅzu â€" The blue monk who kidnaps children.
- AonyÅbÅ â€" A female ghost who lurks in an abandoned imperial palace.
- Aosaginohi â€" A luminescent heron.
- Arikura-no-baba â€" An old woman with magical powers.
- Ashimagari â€" A spirit which entangles the legs of travelers.
- Ashinagatenaga â€" A pair of characters, one with long legs and the other with long arms.
- Ayakashi (yÅkai) â€" A phenomenon considered to be the funayurei.
- Azukiarai (or Azukitogi) â€" A spirit that washes azuki beans.
B
- Bake-kujira â€" A ghostly whale skeleton that drifts along the coastline of Shimane Prefecture.
- Bakeneko â€" A shape-shifting cat.
- BakezÅri â€" A zori straw sandal spirit.
- Baku (spirit) â€" Supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.
- Basan â€" A large fire-breathing chicken monster.
- BashÅnosei
- Betobeto-san â€" Invisible spirit which follows people at night, making the sound of footsteps.
- BinbÅgami â€" The spirit of poverty.
- Biwa-bokuboku - Animated biwa lute.
- Buruburu
- Byakko â€" Japanese version of the Chinese White Tiger.
- ByÅbunozoki
C
- ChÅchinobake â€" A possessed chÅchin lantern.
- ChÅchinbi â€" Demonic flames which appear in footpaths between rice-fields.
D
- Daidarabotchi â€" A giant responsible for creating the geographical features of Japan.
- Daitengu â€" The most powerful tengu, each of whom lives on a separate mountain.
- Danzaburou-danuki â€" a tanuki from Sado Island.
- Datsue-ba â€" An old woman in the Underworld who removes clothes (or skin if unclothed) of the dead.
- Dodomeki â€" A hundred-eyed demon.
E
- Enenra â€" A monster made of smoke.
- EnkÅ â€" Kappa of Shikoku and western HonshÅ«.
F
- FÅ«jin â€" The wind god.
- FÅ«ri â€" A monkey-like yokai.
- FunayÅ«rei â€" Ghosts of people who died at sea.
- Furaribi â€" A creature engulfed in flames that flies aimlessly.
- Furutsubaki-no-rei â€" A soul-sucking plant.
- Furu-utsubo â€" A beloved quiver of slain archers.
- Futakuchi-onna â€" The two-mouthed woman.
G
- Gagoze â€" A demon who attacked young priests at GangÅ-ji temple.
- Gaki â€" Starving ghosts of especially greedy people.
- Gashadokuro â€" A giant skeleton that is the spirit of the unburied dead. Also known as Gaikotsu.
- Genbu â€" Japanese version of the Chinese Black Tortoise.
- GoryÅ â€" The vengeful spirits of the dead.
- Gozu and Mezu â€" Underworld guards.
- Guhin â€" Another name for tengu.
- GyÅ«ki â€" Another name for Ushi-oni.
H
- Hakanohi
- Hakuja no Myojin â€" A white serpent God.
- Hakutaku â€" A beast which handed down knowledge on harmful spirits.
- Hanako-san â€" A spirit of a young World War IIâ€"era girl who haunts school restrooms.
- Hannya â€" A noh mask representing a jealous female demon.
- Harionago â€" A woman with a thorn-like barb on the tip of each strand of her hair.
- Hashihime â€" A woman-turned-spirit associated with the bridge at Uji.
- Heikegani â€" Crabs with human-faced shells. They are the spirits of the warriors killed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
- Hibagon â€" The Japanese version of the Bigfoot or the Yeti.
- Hiderigami â€" The spirit of drought.
- Hihi â€" A baboon-like Chinese yokai.
- Hikeshibaba â€" An old woman who extinguishes lanterns.
- Hinode
- Hitodama â€" A fireball ghost that appears when someone dies, signifying the dead person's spirit.
- Hitotsume-kozÅ â€" A one-eyed child spirit.
- Hitotsume-nyÅ«dÅ â€" A one-eyed monk spirit.
- HiyoribÅ â€" The spirit which stops rainfall.
- Hoji â€" The wicked spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.
- Hone-onna â€" A skeleton-woman.
- HÅ-Å â€" The legendary Fenghuang bird of China.
- Hoshi-no-Tama â€" 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.
- HÅsÅshi â€" A ritual exorcist.
- Hotoke â€" A deceased person.
- Hyakki YakÅ â€" The demons' night parade.
- HyÅsube â€" A kind of hair-covered Kappa.
I
- Ibaraki-doji â€" Offspring of an oni.
- Ichiren-Bozu â€" Animated prayer beads.
- IkiryÅ â€" Essentially a living ghost, as it is a living person's soul outside of their body.
- Ikuchi â€" Sea-serpent that travels over boats in an arc while dripping oil.
- Inugami â€" A dog-spirit created, worshipped, and employed by a family via sorcery.
- Inugami Gyoubu â€" A type of tanuki.
- Isonade â€" A fish-like sea monster with a barb-covered tail.
- Issie â€" A lake monster.
- Itsumade â€" A fire-breathing birdlike monster.
- Ittan-momen â€" A possessed roll of cotton that attempts to smother people by wrapping itself around their faces.
- Iyaya â€" A woman whose face is reflected as an old man.
J
- Jami - A wicked mountain spirit.
- Janjanbi â€" A soul in the form of a ball of fire, named for the sound it makes.
- Jibakurei â€" A spirit that protects a specific place.
- Jikininki â€" Ghosts that eats human corpses.
- Jinmenju â€" A tree with human-faced fruits.
- Jishin-namazu â€" The giant catfish that causes earthquakes and tsunami. It was blamed during the Ansei quake & tsunami.
- JorÅgumo â€" A spider-woman.
- Jatai â€" Animated folding screen cloth.
- Jubokko â€" A vampiric tree.
K
- Kahaku (河伯) â€" Another name for a Kappa.
- Kakurezato
- Kamaitachi â€" The slashing sickle-clawed weasel that haunts the mountains.
- KambarinyÅdÅ â€" A monk spirit that spies on people using the toilet.
- KÅtahi (コタãƒ') - A Manawa Bradford, a spirit monkey that is very hairy and gets engulfed in rage. The "Kotahi" is also commonly referred to as "カノト"
- Kameosa â€" A possessed sake jar.
- Kanedama â€" A spirit that carries money.
- Kappa â€" A famous water monster with a water-filled head and a love of cucumbers.
- Karasu-tengu â€" Crow demon.
- Karura â€" Anthropomorphic eagle akin to the Hindu Garuda.
- Kasa-obake â€" A possessed paper umbrella monster.
- Kasha â€" A cat-like demon that descends from the sky and carries away corpses.
- Katawaguruma â€" A type of Wanyudo, with an anguished woman instead of a monk's head in a burning wheel.
- Kawauso â€" River otters.
- Kawaakago â€" A river spirit that pretends to be a crying baby.
- Kechibi â€" Fireballs with human faces inside.
- KeneÅ â€" An old man seated in the underworld who weighs the clothes given to him by Datsue-ba.
- Keseran Paseran â€" Creature from folklore that resembles a ball of fluff floating in the air.
- Keukegen â€" A small dog-like creature covered entirely in long hair.
- Kijimuna â€" A tree sprite from Okinawa.
- Kirin â€" 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 â€" A fox spirit.
- Kitsunebi â€" Flames created by the Kitsune.
- Kitsune no yomeiri
- Kiyohime â€" A woman who transformed into a serpent demon out of the rage of unrequited love.
- Kodama â€" A spirit that lives in a tree.
- Kodama Nezumi - A spherical Japanese dormouse, would swell up and explode at the approach of humans, the Matagi saw it as an omen and would not hunt that day if one was seen.
- KokakuchÅ â€" The Ubume bird.
- Komainu â€" The pair of lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
- Konaki-jiji â€" This yokai disguises itself as an abandoned baby then cries until someone picks it up.
- Konoha-tengu â€" A bird-like Tengu.
- Koropokkuru â€" A little person from Ainu folklore.
- KosenjÅbi â€" Fireballs that float over former battlefields.
- Kosode-no-te â€" A possessed kosode.
- Kubikajiri â€" Female corpse-chewing graveyard spirit.
- Kuchisake-onna â€" The slit-mouthed woman.
- Kuda-gitsune â€" A small fox-like animal used in sorcery.
- Kudan - A cow with a human face.
- KyonshÄ« â€" The Japanese version of the Chinese hopping vampire, known as "jiangshi".
- Kumo YÅkai â€" A Japanese spider demon.
- KyÅkotsu â€" A skeletal figure that emerges from a well.
- KyÅrinrin â€" Possessed scrolls or papers.
M
- Mekurabe â€" The multiplying skulls that menaced Taira no Kiyomori in his courtyard.
- Miage-nyÅ«dÅ â€" A spirit that grows as fast as you can look up at it.
- Mikaribaba â€" A one-eyed old woman.
- Mikoshi-nyÅ«dÅ â€" A bald goblin with an extending neck.
- Misaki â€" High-ranking divine spirits.
- Mizuchi â€" A dangerous water dragon.
- Mokumokuren â€" A swarm of eyes that appear on a paper sliding door in an old building.
- Momonjī
- Mononoke â€" Any mischievous and troublesome creature/entity of uncertain origin.
- Morinji-no-kama â€" Another name for Bunbuku Chagama, the tanuki teakettle.
- MÅryÅ
- Mujina â€" A shapeshifting badger.
- Mu-onna â€" The nothing woman.
- MyÅbu â€" A title sometimes given to a fox.
N
- Namahage â€" A ritual-disciplinary demon from the Oga Peninsula.
- Namazu â€" A giant catfish that causes earthquakes.
- Nekomata â€" A cat yokai.
- NuppeppÅ - A genderless blob of flesh with a hint of a face in the folds of fat.
- Ningyo â€" A fish person or "mermaid".
- Nobusuma â€" A flying squirrel-like monster.
- NoderabÅ â€" Strange creatures that stand near a temple bell.
- Noppera-bÅ â€" A faceless ghost.
- Nozuchi â€" A fat snake-like creature.
- Nogitsune â€" A dangerous kitsune.
- Nue â€" 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 â€" A vicious human-like monster whose head detaches from its body, often confused with the Rokurokubi.
- Nuppeppo â€" An animated lump of decaying human flesh.
- Nure-onna â€" A female snake-like monster who appears on the shore.
- Nuribotoke â€" An animated corpse with blackened flesh and dangling eyeballs.
- Nurikabe â€" A ghostly wall that traps a traveler at night.
- Nurarihyon â€" A strange character who sneaks into houses on busy evenings.
- NyÅ«dÅ-bÅzu â€" A yokai that grows larger the further one looks up.
- Nyūnaisuzume
O
- Obake (or Bakemono) â€" Shapeshifting spirits.
- Obariyon â€" Yokai which rides piggyback on a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy.
- Oboroguruma â€" An oxen cart with a face in its carriage.
- Oiwa â€" The ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband. One of the most famous onryÅ.
- ÅŒkaburo
- ÅŒgama - A giant toad which breathes rainbow-like smoke and wields a giant spear against whoever attacks it.
- Okami â€" A powerful wolf spirit that either takes your life or protects it depending on the actions one does in his or her life
- Okiku â€" The plate-counting ghost of a servant girl.
- ÅŒkubi â€" The huge face of a woman which appears in the sky.
- Okuri-inu â€" A spectral dog which follows lone travellers, attacking them if they trip. Similar to the Black dog of English folklore.
- ÅŒmagatoki â€" Dusk.
- ÅŒmukade â€" Giant, human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains.
- Oni â€" The classic Japanese demon. It is an ogre-like creature which often has horns.
- Oni of Rashomon
- Onibaba â€" The demonic hag of Adachigahara.
- Onibi â€" A demonic flame which can suck out life if they come too near.
- Onihitokuchi â€" One-eyed oni that kill and eat humans.
- Onikuma - Bear yokai.
- Onmoraki â€" Bird-demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses.
- ÅŒnyÅ«dÅ â€" Wastebasket taxon for all 'priestly' demons.
- OnryÅ â€" A vengeful ghost formed from powerful feelings like rage or sorrow.
- Otoroshi â€" A hairy creature that perches on the torii gates to shrines and temples.
- Onmyoji â€" A human who has powers like a yokai's.
- Osakabe
R
- Raijin â€" The God of Thunder.
- RaijÅ« â€" A beast that falls to earth in a lightning bolt.
- RÅjinbi â€" A ghostly fire that appears with an old person.
- Rokurokubi â€" A person, usually female, whose neck can stretch indefinitely.
- Ryuu â€" The Japanese dragon.
S
- Sa GojÅ â€" The water-monster Sha Wujing from Journey to the West, often interpreted in Japan as a Kappa.
- Samebito â€" A shark-man from the undersea Dragon Palace.
- Sankai â€" Amorphous afterbirth spirit.
- Sansei
- Sarakazoe
- Satori â€" An ape-like creature that can read one's thoughts.
- Sazae-oni â€" A turban snail that turns into a woman.
- SesshÅ-seki â€" The poisonous "killing stones" which Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into.
- SeiryÅ« â€" Japanese version of the Chinese Azure Dragon.
- Shachihoko â€" A tiger-headed fish whose image is often used in architecture.
- Shibaemon-tanuki â€" A tanuki from Awaji Island.
- Shichinin misaki â€" A group of 7 ghosts who sicken the living.
- Shidaidaka â€" A humanoid yokai that appears above roads.
- Shikigami â€" A spirit summoned to do the bidding of an OnmyÅji.
- Shikome â€" Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.
- Shinigami â€" The Japanese Grim Reaper.
- Shiranui â€" A mysterious flame seen over the seas in Kumamoto Prefecture.
- Shirime (尻目) â€" An apparition in the shape of a man having an eye in the place of his anus.
- ShirÅneri â€" Possessed mosquito nettings or dust clothes.
- ShiryÅ â€" The souls of the dead, the opposite of ikiryo.
- Shisa â€" The Okinawan version of the Shishi.
- Shishi â€" The paired lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
- ShÅjÅ â€" Red-haired sea sprites who love alcohol.
- ShÅkera â€" Is a creature which peeks in through the skylight of an old house.
- SÅjÅbÅ â€" The famous Daitengu of Mount Kurama.
- Suiko â€" Another name for Kappa.
- Son GokÅ« â€" The monkey king Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.
- Sunakake Baba â€" A witch who uses sand.
- Sunekosuri â€" A dog-like yokai that rubs up against people's legs when it is raining.
- Shuten-doji
- Suzaku â€" Japanese version of the Chinese Vermilion Bird.
- Suzuri-no-tamashii
T
- Taka-onna â€" A female monster that can stretch its waist to peer inside buildings.
- Tamamo-no-Mae â€" A wicked nine-tailed fox who appeared as a courtesan.
- Tanuki â€" A shape-shifting raccoon dog.
- Teke Teke â€" 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 â€" A wise demon with two variants: a red man with a long nose, or a bird-like demon.
- TenjÅkudari
- Tenka (kaika)
- Tenko (fox)
- Tennin â€" A heavenly being.
- Te-no-me â€" A ghost of a blind man with his eyes on his hands.
- Teratsutsuki
- Tesso â€" A priest who was snubbed by the emperor and became a swarm of rats which laid waste to a rival temple.
- TÅfu-kozÅ â€" A yokai that appears as a young boy carrying a plate of tofu.
- Tsuchigumo â€" A clan of spider-like yokai.
- Tsuchinoko â€" A legendary serpentine monster. It is now a cryptid resembling a fat snake.
- Tsukinowaguma â€" A legendary bear.
- Tsukuyomi â€" A moon god.
- Tsukumogami â€" 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 â€" A monster that drops out of the tops of trees.
- Tomoe(fox)
U
- Ubume â€" The spirit of a woman who died in childbirth.
- Uma-no-ashi â€" A horse's leg which dangles from a tree and kicks passersby.
- UmibÅzu â€" A giant monster appearing on the surface of the sea.
- Umi-nyÅbÅ â€" A female sea monster who steals fish.
- Ungaikyo â€" A possessed mirror.
- Ushi-no-tokimairi
- Ushi-oni â€" A name given to an assortment of ox-headed monsters.
- Ushi-onna - A kimono-clad woman with a cow head.
- Ushirogami
- Uwan â€" A spirit named for the sound it shouts when surprising people.
W
- Waira â€" A large beast that lurks in the mountains, about which little is known.
- Wani â€" A water monster comparable to an alligator or crocodile. A related word has been applied to the Saltwater crocodile.
- WanyÅ«dÅ â€" A flaming wheel with a man's head in the center, that sucks out the soul of anyone who sees it.
Y
- YadÅkai â€" Monks who have turned to mischief.
- Yama-biko â€" Small creatures that create echoes.
- Yamajijii â€" An old man with one eye and one leg.
- Yamako
- Yamaoroshi â€" A possessed vegetable grater, almost porcupine-like in appearance.
- Yamata no Orochi â€" The eight-headed dragon/serpent monster slain by the god Susanoo.
- Yama-inu â€" 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 â€" A Crone-like yÅkai.
- Yashima no Hage-tanuki â€" A tanuki that protects the Taira clan.
- Yatagarasu â€" The three-legged crow of Amaterasu.
- Yato-no-kami â€" Deadly Snake Gods which infested a field.
- Yobuko â€" A mountain-dwelling spirit.
- YÅkai/Youkai â€" A class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. They can also be called ayakashi (妖?), mononoke (物ã®æ€ª?), or mamono (é"物?).
- Yomotsu-shikome â€" The hags of the underworld.
- Yonakinoishi
- YÅsei â€" The Japanese word for "fairy".
- Yosuzume â€" A mysterious bird that sings at night, sometimes indicating that the okuri-inu is near.
- Yuki-onna â€" The snow woman.
- Yurei â€" Ghosts in a more Western sense.
Z
- Zashiki-warashi â€" A protective childlike house spirit.
- Zennyo RyÅ«Å â€" A rain-making dragon.
- Zorigami â€" An animated clock.
- Zuijin â€" A tutelary spirit.
- Zunbera-bÅ â€" Another name for the Noppera-bÅ.
See also
- Japanese mythology
- Kaidan
References
External links
- Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Deities
- 百物語怪談会 Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai | Translated Japanese Ghost Stories and Tales of the Weird and the Strange, a blog by Mizuki Shigeru
- 133 Yokai Statues on Mizuki Shigeru Road