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An akuma (悪魔) is an evil spirit in Japanese folklore, [1] [2] sometimes described in English-language sources as a devil or demon. [2] [3] An alternative name for the akuma is ma (ま). [4] Akuma is the name assigned to Satan in Japanese Christianity, and the Mara in Japanese Buddhism.
Oni, written in kanji as 鬼, is read in China as guǐ , meaning something invisible, formless, or unworldly, in other words, a 'ghost' or the 'soul of the dead'. On the other hand, the Japanese dictionary Wamyō Ruijushō ( 和名類聚抄 ) written in Japan in the 10th century explained the origin of the word oni as a corruption of on/onu ...
It is a general term for devils, demons and evil beings. In Japanese polytheism, it is an antonym of 神族 (shinzoku), "the tribe of gods". A maō is a king or ruler over mazoku. For instance, in Bible translations, Satan is a maō. In polytheism, the counterpart of maō is 神王 (shin'ō), "the king of gods".
A cart-like demon that descends from the sky, or a cat-like demon, which carries away the corpses of evildoers. Katawaguruma A type of wanyūdō, with an anguished woman instead of a monk's head in a burning wheel. Kawaakago A river spirit that pretends to be a crying baby to lure people in for pranks that sometimes prove fatal to the victim.
In Buddhism, there is the Mara that is concerned with death, the Mrtyu-mara. [3] It is a demon that makes humans want to die, and it is said that upon being possessed by it, in a shock, one should suddenly want to die by suicide, so it is sometimes explained to be a "shinigami". [4]
Yōkai (妖怪, "strange apparition") are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore.The kanji representation of the word yōkai comprises two characters that both mean "suspicious, doubtful", [1] and while the Japanese name is simply the Japanese transliteration or pronunciation of the Chinese term yaoguai (which designates similarly strange creatures), some Japanese ...
Yūrei from the Hyakkai Zukan, c. 1737. Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts.The name consists of two kanji, 幽 (yū), meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 (rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit".
Shuten-dōji (酒呑童子, also sometimes called 酒顛童子, 酒天童子, or 朱点童子) is a mythical oni or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto no Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his ...