The world of Yōkai − mysterious spirit allies

The Manila Times

The world of Yōkai − mysterious spirit allies  Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed in “yōkai”, mysterious beings with supernatural powers. There are many kinds, from "tengu", who fly around deep in the mountains, to the kappa living in rivers. We explore this world in a small country town that used yōkai traditions to attract tourists. In a spontaneous response to the ongoing pandemic, a “yōkai” called Amabie became a symbol of hope in Japan, inspiring people to post illustrations on social media, make Amabie figurines and even sweets. It’s thought “yōkai” legends grew over the centuries as a projection of people’s fears and uncertainties in times of catastrophe. The Japanese today have a great affection for these mysterious creatures.  VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #DailyNews #Japan #Yokai #Spirit #Allies #Mysterious #Tradition

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:11 Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed in yokai,

00:15 mysterious beings with supernatural powers.

00:20 These include Tengu, who live deep in the mountains and can fly from peak to peak.

00:28 This yokai, who loves to suddenly appear and give people a fright.

00:36 There's a yokai child who lives in family homes.

00:39 No one can see it, but it's said that if it leaves, the family is sure to break up.

00:48 After yokai were first depicted in this 16th century scroll,

00:52 artists began to visualize these creatures in all their many varieties.

00:58 Many originally terrifying yokai gradually became a familiar part of life.

01:05 Modern manga and anime artists love to depict yokai,

01:10 and works featuring yokai characters are always immensely popular.

01:20 Fukusaki-cho is a town of about 20,000 in the mountains of Hyogo

01:27 that used yokai to revive its community.

01:32 Kappa now dwell in its river.

01:37 That was very real and scary.

01:41 Old folk sayings that tell us to avoid kappa during rainstorms

01:45 were perhaps warning of the danger of rivers flooding.

01:51 The stories about yokai taught people that it was dangerous to do certain things

01:56 and warn them away from hazardous places.

01:59 This is probably why we gradually grew to feel affectionate towards these beings

02:04 and accept them as part of our lives.

02:09 Walking through this town, you'll meet every kind of yokai.

02:13 From an oni taking a selfie

02:17 to a tengu in a business suit working on his laptop.

02:22 Tourists soon began flocking here to see these yokai.

02:31 As COVID-19 continues to spread, a previously little-known yokai has hit the news.

02:39 It's called Amabie. It appeared out of the sea about 180 years ago.

02:46 Amabie left a simple message before vanishing again.

02:50 "If an epidemic strikes, show my image to everyone."

02:57 Shrines and temples around the country took these words to heart,

03:00 producing charms with Amabie's picture.

03:06 "I believe it will keep me safe."

03:10 There are even Amabie figurines and snacks.

03:15 Stuck at home to avoid the virus, people began sharing Amabie images on social media.

03:21 One of the first was Satake Shunsuke.

03:26 "I thought it might cheer people up a little during this time when we can't go out.

03:30 It's a prayer for the epidemic to pass,

03:33 and that what I'm doing will help people in these difficult times."

03:39 Each post on social media brings him a flood of responses.

03:46 All over Japan, people began drawing their own versions of Amabie,

03:50 united in praying that the virus will go away.

03:57 Komatsu Kazuhiko has spent a lifetime researching yokai.

04:02 He tells us that when faced with disaster or disease,

04:06 people in every era turned to yokai for help.

04:11 "After yokai became seen as coming to our aid in times of catastrophe,

04:15 people began to project and externalize their emotional pain and distress

04:19 onto these sympathetic spirit beings."

04:24 The yokai legends mellowed and evolved over the passing centuries,

04:28 and the Japanese today have a great affection for these mysterious creatures.

04:33 (music)

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Transcript

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