Priest Boy Yokai!

My computer has been down for a few days, so I have some catching up to do.

What is it with Yokai resembling Priest Boys? We previously had Sendai's very own Priest Boy, Chouchin Kouzou, a lad who just stares you down. Today, we have 一つ目小僧 (ひとつめこぞう) or Hitotsume Kouzou who is another Priest Boy, though Cyclopean in appearance.

Other than the One Eye and long tongue, they're fairly harmless, merely choosing to startle people and occasionally lick them.

"In an account from Fukushima Prefecture, a young lady was walking the street at night. A little boy approached her from behind and asked “Ma’am, would you like some money.” She laughed and sweetly replied yes, and turned to face the boy. He was a hitotsume kozō. Instead of bearing riches and he was grinning, staring so intensely at her with his single eye that she fainted in shock on the spot."
 

The next Kouzou (Priest Boy) is 豆腐小僧 (とうふこぞう), little Tofu Boy. 

"Tōfu kozō are timid and weak yokai, and are not known to be aggressive towards humans. On rare occasions, a tōfu kozō may follow a human home on a rainy night, but for the most part they shy away from any confrontation."

雨降小僧 (あめふりこぞう) Rainfall Priest Boy. Unsurprisingly, he appears when it's raining. Despite their childish appearance, amefuri kozō are charged with the very important task of causing rainfall. Wherever they go, they cause clouds to form and rain to come down. In ancient China, amefuri kozō were thought to be the servants of the god of rainfall, who is known as Ushi in Japanese.

"Amefuri kozō are shy and rarely interact directly with people. However, they enjoy stealing people’s umbrellas and wearing them as hats. They then cause rain showers to fall upon their victims." 

 岸涯小僧 (がんぎこぞう) Riverbank Priest Boys are a little creepier than the above. "Gangi kozō are hairy, monkey-like water spirits which inhabit rivers. They live along the riverbanks, where they hunt fish. Their bodies are covered in hair, and the hair on their head resembles the the bobbed okappa hair style once popular among children in Japan. Their most notable features are their webbed hands and toes, and their long teeth which are sharp and jagged like files. They are close relatives of the much more well-known kappa." "Gangi kozō normally stay away from people, but occasionally encounter fishermen along the rivers they inhabit. When meeting a gangi kozō, fishermen often leave their largest, cheapest fish on the riverside as an offering."

Perhaps the most famous and silly-looking one is 唐傘小僧 (からかさこぞう), Karakasa Kouzou. Paper Umbrella Priest Boy, doesn't really resemble a boy, rather a worn out umbrella.

 Appearance: These silly looking yōkai are transformations of Chinese-style oiled-paper umbrellas. They have a single large eye, a long, protruding tongue, and either one or two legs upon which they hop around wildly.

Behavior: Karakasa kozō are not particularly fearsome as far as yōkai go. Their favorite method of surprising humans is to sneak up on them and deliver a large, oily lick with their enormous tongues—which may be traumatic even though it isn’t dangerous. Caution is advised, however. There are other umbrella tsukumogami which are dangerous to humans, and care should be taken not to confuse them with this more playful spirit.

I didn't bother linking to them all, click the top link and use the Yokai Finder yourself.

I'm going to return to Junji Ito's collection of Horror, #10, Unendurable Labyrinth. It has to do with Monks, being stared at (Chouchin Kouzou and Hitotsume Kouzou), and bullies (Tofu Kouzou). Here is a preview where the author talks about the tale. I learned a new word: Scopophobia, the fear of being stared at.

 

Speaking of kids (albeit, really old kids), I'm going to share some pics of Spudkins, Sweet Potatoes that my students carved. I'm quite pleased with the result and no one sliced open their hand nor burned the place down.

There's a few more pics, but my temperamental PC is not showing me them right now. 

I only have one of the above Gatcha, though I think it's the best one.

 The Forever People are a Jack Kirby creation, and since I don't have any of the Newsboy Legion on hand, these are the closest to kids I'm gonna get.

You may be able to find some kiddie crafts at The Paper Layer.

I'm still working out the bugs in my new computer so please be patient with me.

It's Ribbitting!

Okay, still playing catch-up, this is yesterday's post. 

There is a Giant Toad Yokai called an Oogama which is just an ordinary Japanese toad (Bufo Japonicus) that has lived for over 1000 years and thus gains its Yokai status. They can grow incredibly large and they become more dangerous the larger they get. Their long tongues are agile and sticky, and they can catch and drag just about anything into their mouths to eat. Their breath appears rainbow colored when they exhale. They sometimes carry spears which they use to assault humans. Like many animal yōkai, ōgama have the ability to change their forms and disguise themselves as humans.

When they rest, they might resemble a large stone and foolish people may sit upon them. If you do, they may garnish spears and the 3-meter large ones may even eat you.

The following is the legend of an Oogama that lives in Miyagi:

Legends: Long ago in Miyagi Prefecture, a famous marksman heard about an old, dilapidated house by a bridge where every night a strange old woman appeared and spun thread. Her neighbors feared her and thought she was a demon of some kind. The marksman went to investigate the old woman. Her smile and cackle were so disturbing to him that he immediately aimed his gun at her heart and fired. As he did, the light from her lantern went out and the night became pitch black. The marksman stumbled home in the dark. The following morning the woman was gone, and there was no sign of any injury. He must have missed somehow. A few nights later the old woman appeared again. The marksman went to see, and this time he aimed his gun not at the woman, but at her lantern. He fired, and once again everything went black. This time he heard a terrible shriek and a clattering sound. At first light he returned to the house, and lying where the woman had been was the corpse of an enormous, ugly toad.

  

It should come as no surprise, that I have a few frogs in my possession. Here are a few. 

I'm very fond of this amphibian!

I really wanted that squeaky toy toad but these were expensive so I didn't want to risk getting duplicates.

Several weeks ago during a trip to Morioka, these two creatures were gobbling up tiny photophilic flies and moths that were attracted to the Pizza Hut sign. (Don't tell the guy in photo below but while I was trying to take a cool pic of the above, I accidentally stepped on his friend.)

My favourite Kaiju-Toad is the character of Jiraiya when he turns into his Toad-form in The Magic Serpent.

A few years ago, I picked up this Wacky Walky because it looked so freaky. (Sure, it isn't a toad, but it is green.) His nickname is Chicken George.

 

When discussing Junji Ito with a friend, she pointed out that one of her favourite stories is "14" by manga-writer/artist Kazuo Umezu. This guy wrote the manga/anime upon which The Drifting Classroom was based. (Click the author for a link to my previous blog entry on the guy. Click The Drifting Classroom to watch the movie!) Fourteen is a spiritual sequel to The Drifting Classroom.

IF you check out this article you'll see some examples of Kazuo's work. Such as:

 

Further scroll down that article, and there will be a link to another article about Junji Ito. He idolized Kazuo Umezu and as you can see, homaged his style as well.

Apart from the Spider-Man friend/foe, Frog Man and the villainous Evil Mutant, Toad, I can't think of any amphibious comic characters. I have Swamp Thing. Is that close enough?

 

I haven't visited The Man Cave, check him out for some spooky comics and movies.

I'm pooped. This entry took way longer than I thought it would. Toadally!

Spiraling out.

Let's get the preliminaries out of the way, "Welcome to the 2024 Edition of the Countdown to Halloween!" As soon as I figure out how to do so (gadgets?!?) I'll add a little sidebar to my bloggy thing so you don't have to click the above link and can just click the badge to check out all the participating bloggers.

Since it's October 1st, I'll add a page from my calendar to prove it. According to this, Godzilla's 50th anniversary was 20 years ago in October with the release of Final Wars. I'll let you do the math to figure out what anniversary 2024 is. 

During the Countdown, I'll keep my Godzilla references to a minimum. I will need to save something for Govember! (Gojira + November, duh.) So instead, let's give a shoutout to my estranged and very strange sister who celebrates a birthday today! This Puffy tune showed up in my Facebook memories ten years ago when she was less estranged and less strange.

So let's get to the meat of the Countdown. Several days ago, I received a Facebook ad for a Popup store featuring Junji Ito. (Click there to zoom to his website.) I thought to myself, "Hey, why don't I feature Junji daily on my blog?" Here are the highlights of that ad.

I'd love a couple of these standees.

So, I spent the past week scouring stores for some Junji goodies, mostly to no avail. What I did find, I'll share later...

Today I watched the first episode of UZUMAKI, a creepy little anime about Spirals. 

I'll let you watch the show yourselves and not spoil anything (Except for this pic.)

If I can find it for a reasonable price, I might pick up the Manga.

Less likely, I'll find a cheap copy of the Colouring Book.

This clip of the ending tune (Dojoji no Kotoriuta) won't spoil much, so give it a listen.

I've amassed enough Gatcha-capsules and UFO Catcher Crap over the last while to showcase one daily.

Since this hebi (Snake) is Spirally, that's what I'll start with.

Check out the little caveat that they give you. I wouldn't dream of causing mischief with this.

UPDATE! I scored the green snake today. These are pretty nice for two bucks.

I'm trying to diet (not very hard it seems) so the Treats part of Trick or Treat will be a minimum.

I saw this today at 31 (Baskin Robbins) but didn't indulge.

I also plan to feature a Yokai from my Prefecture (Miyagi), going alphabetically, we have Amazake Baba, an elderly hag who goes door to door asking for Sweet Sake (amazake). Whether you give her any or not, should you answer the door, those within the household will fall ill. (That's putting the Trick in Trick or Treat!) For some historical significance, check out the link above. Just don't answer the door!

On my way back from the local Shrine on New Year's Day, I am often offered a free cup of amazaki. I shall be a bit more discerning about accepting now.

I'd be neglectful if I didn't mention the Yokai, Rokurokubi, who has a long spirally neck. For more, go to previous blog entries here or here.

Before I go, I had a difficult time finding someone who has already started their October blog yet (pesky time difference), but I did discover one by Alexis so go check them out.

Be back tomorrow, Same Bat-time, Same Bat-Channel for more Halloween hijinks.

UPDATE 2! I forgot that I had intended to showcase some of my spooky comic books that I have with me or at a friend's place (or for sale on consignment.)

I chose this one because Mera's hair is spiraling.