Download or read book BAKENEKO written by and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cats are strange and mysterious creatures. Cultures all around the world have created myths and legends surrounding house cats, stories laden with superstition and usually a touch of fear. In most of the West we have black cats and their association with witches and black magic. In Ancient Egypt, as most of us know, cats were worshipped as sacred animals. And in Japan there are bakeneko. I use bakeneko as a general term, but what I am really referring to is kaibyo, which is a Japanese word used to describe supernatural or "strange" cats. And Japan has a lot of them. Almost since cats were first introduced to the archipelago in the mid-800s, stories have come about of their strange powers, their propensities toward shape-shifting, and all other sorts of strange myths. But if you’re like me, you may be wondering: why? What about cats and culture in general has led to this inevitable fascination, and sometimes demonization, of our domestic feline friends? The more I read about these legends, the more I wondered on these questions, and the deeper I had to go to find the answers. So join me in looking at the origins of these strange cats, and the underlying factors that have helped form Japan's complicated relationship with these mysterious and wonderful creatures.

Download or read book Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai written by Zack Davisson and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2024-06-18 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A modern day Lafcadio Hearn is picking up his ghostly torch. Zack Davisson is the author, translator, and folklorist following in Hearn's footsteps." —tofugu.com Mysterious demons, ghosts and monsters have haunted Japan for centuries! The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai presents 100 of the strangest creatures you have ever seen—from evil demons and terrifying monsters to mythical ghosts and enchanted beasts. In this book, Yokai expert Zack Davisson explains how Yokai are highly elusive, and yet without understanding them you will never truly know Japan. The Yokai profiled in this book include: Amabie: A mysterious half fish, half bird creature said to heal any affliction merely by gazing upon its image Tofu Kozo: A harmless Yokai that appears like a young child dressed in a fancy kimono with a straw hat carrying a plate of wobbly tofu Kyokotsu: The pitiful spirit of a person who was thrown down a well and died—with pale skin and a shock of white hair growing from a bleached-white skull Akaname: A disgusting Yokai who skitters about licking the scum from filthy bathtubs Kanibozu: Massive crabs, who shapeshift into human form, disguising themselves as monks asking riddles, but killing anyone who fails to answer correctly! And many more! Packed with interesting facts and entertaining stories, this book is richly illustrated with over 250 color woodblock prints and paintings that reveal the fascinating world of the Yokai.

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films written by Salvador Jiménez Murguía and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-07-29 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the horror genre has been embraced by filmmakers around the world, Japan has been one of the most prolific and successful purveyors of such films. From science fiction terrors of the 1950s like Godzilla toviolentfilms like Suicide Circle and Ichi the Killer, Japanese horror film has a diverse history. While the quality of some of these films has varied, others have been major hits in Japan and beyond, frightening moviegoers around the globe. Many of these films—such as the Ringu movies—have influenced other horror productions in both Asia and the United States. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films covers virtually every horror film made in Japan from the past century to date. In addition to major and modest productions, this encyclopedia also features entries on notable directors, producers, and actors. Each film entry includes comprehensive details, situates the film in the context and history of Japanese horror cinema, and provides brief suggestions for further reading. Although emphasizing horror as a general theme, this encyclopedia also encompasses other genres that are associated with this theme, including Comedy Horror, Science Fiction Horror, Cyber-punk Horror, Ero Guru (Erotic Grotesque), and Anime Horror. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films is a comprehensive reference volume that will appeal to both cinema scholars as well as to the many fans of this popular genre.

Download or read book Creatures Real and Imaginary in Chinese and Japanese Art written by Walther G. von Krenner and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-05-01 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This guide to identifying lions, unicorns and other creatures real and fanciful in Chinese and Japanese artwork explains how these and other animal depictions were introduced to the East, and how their portrayals changed over time. Tracing the lion's early use in Mesopotamian art and its cultural symbolism in Greece and Rome, this study includes stylized foxes, tigers, badgers and cats, as well as fanciful creatures like dragons, humanoid birds, water imps, demons and other chimerical beasts. Stories and descriptions are provided along with numerous photographs and drawings, making this work an invaluable resource for art collectors and anyone interested in East Asian culture and history.

Download or read book Journal Bakeneko Shapeshifting Cat written by Beautiful Journals and Notebooks and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-11-06 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japanese Cat Journals to Write in Make Great Gifts for Cat Lovers This lined cat notebook has gorgeous wrap-around art on the front and back. Cats traverse the landscape of Japanese art and are popular cultural creatures found in Japanese folklore and mythology. There are lucky cats, sly cats, and, of course, shapeshifting cats. The Bakeneko or shapeshifting cat featured on the cover of this beautiful lined journal makes an inspired notebook, journal, or diary for all cat lovers whether girls and women or boys and men. It's a record, a prayer journal, even a list manager. (Great gift idea!) This good, portable self-help journal and notebook has many uses: Write down your thoughts, record activities, goals, action plans, chats, texts, even dreams, whatever makes you happy. Want to remember anything? Write it down. Use this carry-with-you everyday journal. Share your notebook with friends? Scribble secrets on the lined notebook pages. You can even use it to manage your ever-growing list of passwords. Go ahead and color the two coloring page style graphics. Use the index to remember special notes. This gorgeous folktale cat journal is ideal for lovers of Japan, too, whether they are teens or adults, and anyone who loves to journal, stay organized, or write letters. Follow your dreams by using this journal to write in. Ready to Write Your Way into a New Life? Most of us know there's power in words, but are you aware of the force created from keeping a journal? This handy, portable, lined journal to write in is exactly what you need to enjoy the power of a self-discovery journal.Maybe you're the type of person who loves to journal, write, capture your thoughts, record events, track daily activities, make lists, count blessings, express gratitude, create goals, or engage in a conversation with yourself, you'll find this lined notebook perfect. And if it's not for you, surely you know someone who would love to have this cute journal as a gift? Special Features and Sections This whimsical and fun journal contains 120 pages and has some special features and sections: 5.5" x 8.5" size - portable and easy enough to carry with you 106 lined pages Cream-colored paper, smooth and 55#, suitable for ink, pencils, gel pens, and coloring pencils 4-page Reflections section 2 pages with coloring-page graphics for your creative play 2-page Personal Index section Title page to record your name, date, or other information Smooth-to-touch matte-finish cover Gift Ideas and Uses Best Birthday Gift Christmas and Holidays Gift Baskets and Stocking Stuffers Gifts for Graduating Students Journals and Planners Gifts for women; gifts for girls, gifts for girlfriends, gifts for every occasion Journal as a gift Journal for self help, journal exploration, journal self-discovery What Can Journaling Do for You? Extensive research exists that extols the benefits of journaling and many neuroscientists are looking more and more at the impact of the hand-written ones where good old paper is used. Here are but a few reasons to give a paper journal a try: Increase learning. Improve memory and comprehension. Increase goal achievement. Increase self-awareness. Unlock creativity. Improve mood and self-confidence. As you can see, there are many reasons why this journal can be of help. Why not scroll up and get your copy today? Beautiful Journals and Notebooks offers many more styles and varieties of journals and their usefulness is only limited by your imagination. Catch a dream, create a prayer list, or simply use one to record your expenditures as you go about your daily life. There are a 1001 ways to use a journal. What's your way?

Download or read book The Book of Japanese Folklore An Encyclopedia of the Spirits Monsters and Yokai of Japanese Myth written by Thersa Matsuura and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2024-04-30 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan. Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: a fascinating journey through Japan’s folklore through profiles of the legendary creatures and beings who continue to live on in pop culture today. From the sly kitsune to the orgrish oni and mischievous shape-shifting tanuki, learn all about the origins of these fantastical and mythical creatures. This gorgeous package is complete with stained edges and stunning four-color illustrations. With information on their cultural significance, a retelling of a popular tale tied to that particular yokai, and how it’s been spun into today’s popular culture, this handsome tome teaches you about the stories and histories of the beings that inspired characters in your favorite movies, animes, manga, and games. Adventure, mystery, and amazing tales await in The Book of Japanese Folklore.

Download or read book The Book of Yokai written by Michael Dylan Foster and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2015-01-14 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena of all sorts haunt the folklore and popular culture of Japan. Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shape-shifting foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories. Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, and introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful and accessible narrative, readers will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture and will also learn of their abundance and variety through detailed entries, some with original illustrations, on more than fifty individual creatures. The Book of Yokai provides a lively excursion into Japanese folklore and its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture. It also invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader processes of tradition, innovation, storytelling, and individual and communal creativity.

Download or read book Supernatural Creatures written by DK and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2024-08-13 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arm yourself with fun facts and figures and become a dinosaur expert. From colossal sauropods to deadly theropods and everything in between, learn all about the age of dinosaurs with more than 1,000 weird and wonderful numbers. Alongside stunning full-page photographs and fun, colourful graphics, the wacky animal fact-bites and funky figures in Our World in Numbers: Dinosaurs & Other Prehistoric Life will have you impressing your family and friends like never before. As you number-crunch your way around the prehistoric world, you'll discover a whole heap of amazing facts - from the fastest, biggest, and deadliest creatures to how big were dinosaur hearts, brains, and poos. This data-packed adventure into the past is filled with everything you've ever wanted to know about dinosaurs - and more!

Download or read book The Complete Idiot s Guide to World Mythology written by Evans Lansing Smith, Ph.D. and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-07-01 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Make no myth-take-this book is indispensable. The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology explores the gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, monsters and angels of the myths from every corner of the globe. Additionally, it explores the parallels between every culture and the striking similarities in mythic figures and the structure, action, wording, and result of the stories themselves. * Covers Egyptian, Celtic, Teutonic, Norse, Japanese, Mexican, Native American, and other myths * Features information on The Hero's Journey-the cycle of myth according to Jung, Campbell, and others * Appendixes include a glossary of terms and both a general and a subject Index

Download or read book Kaibyo the Supernatural Cats of Japan written by Zack Davisson and published by Mercuria Press. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Woodblock prints, essays, and translations scratch to light the secret lives of Japan's mythological felines.

Download or read book Japanese Mythology written by Bruce Simons and published by Bruce Simons. This book was released on 2023-01-02 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enter Japanese folklore and discover the creatures that inhabit this world. A wonderful Japanese world populated by kami, yokai, and heroes is waiting for you. Begin your journey to discover their myths and legends. Few people know the real foundations of Japanese culture, but if you too want to be part of this niche, this book is perfect for you! Japanese mythology encompasses so many ancient stories and legends that have come down to the present day only through two sacred texts: the Kojiki and the Nihonji. These manuscripts recount the creation of the world and legends about the creatures that populate Japanese folklore. Did you know Mount Fuji is considered a deity and is also populated by stories and legends? Did you know that earthquakes, tidal waves and natural phenomena are the cause of supernatural creatures? The legends encapsulated within the two sacred texts are also the answers to all those philosophical and scientific questions that people have been asking for centuries. Through knowledge of Japanese myths you will be able to understand the vision of the cosmos and life that this great Eastern country has. Ready for the great journey? Within this book, you will find: - The foundations of Japanese mythology: history and religion - How everything originated : the creation of the World and Japan - The sacred texts : Kojiki and Nihonji - The pantheon of Japanese mythology : the kami who populate the Otherworld - The monsters and animals of folklore - The myths and legends that have been passed down orally to future generations and the world for centuries ...And a plus to discover. What will it be? To discover this and more, scroll up and click on "Buy with 1 click"!

Download or read book A Gathering of Spirits Japan s Ghost Story Tradition written by Patrick Drazen and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-07-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Prepare for a sampling of Japanese ghosts and spirits, from sources that include the worlds oldest novel, the urban legends of contemporary Japanese schoolchildren, movies both classic and modern, anime, manga, and more." For hundreds of years Japan has lived in a reality consisting of the real world and the spirit world; sometimes the wall between the two worlds gets thin enough for spirits to cross over. In such a reality, ghost stories have been popular for centuries. Patrick Drazen, author of "Anime Explosion", looks at these stories: old and new, scary or funny or sad, looking at common themes and the reasons for their popularity. This book uses one Japanese ghost story tradition: the "hyaku monogatari" (hundred stories). In the old tradition, people tell each other one hundred ghost stories in one sitting. These hundred tales run from folklore to cartoons, but all are designed to send chills up the spine ...

Download or read book Japanese Horror Cinema and Deleuze written by Rachel Elizabeth Barraclough and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2022-01-13 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using theories of national, transnational and world cinema, and genre theories and psychoanlaysis as the basis of its argument, Japanese Horror Cinema and Deleuze argues that these understandings of Japanese horror films can be extended in new ways through the philosophy of Deleuze. In particular, the complexities and nuances of how films like Ju-On: The Grudge (2002), Audition (1999) and Kairo (2001) (and beyond) form dynamic, transformative global networks between industries, directors and audiences can be considered. Furthermore, understandings of how key horror tropes and motifs apply to these films (and others more broadly), such as the idea of the “monstrous-feminine”, can be transformed, allowing these models to become more flexible.

Download or read book Ghost in the Well written by Michael Crandol and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-05-20 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ghost in the Well is the first study to provide a full history of the horror genre in Japanese cinema, from the silent era to Classical period movies such as Nakagawa Nobuo's Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (1959) to the contemporary global popularity of J-horror pictures like the Ring and Ju-on franchises. Michael Crandol draws on a wide range of Japanese language sources, including magazines, posters and interviews with directors such as Kurosawa Kiyoshi, to consider the development of kaiki eiga, the Japanese phrase meaning "weird" or "bizarre" films that most closely corresponds to Western understandings of "horror". He traces the origins of kaika eiga in Japanese kabuki theatre and traditions of the monstrous feminine, showing how these traditional forms were combined with the style and conventions of Hollywood horror to produce an aesthetic that was both transnational and peculiarly Japanese. Ghost in the Well sheds new light on one of Japanese cinema's best-known genres, while also serving as a fascinating case study of how popular film genres are re-imagined across cultural divides.

Download or read book Contemporary Asian Artistic Expressions and Tourism written by Paolo Mura and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-07-09 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the relationship between tourism/tourists and expressions of contemporary Asian art (for example, artists, objects, intangible artistic productions, digital manifestations, etc) in Asian and non-Asian tourist spaces/experiences. Although the nexus between art and tourism has not been neglected in the literature, work on contemporary art and tourism is lacking, and this is particularly true within the context of non-Western societies. This volume creates a timely counterpoint to the existing dominance of a Western-centric body of knowledge in the area. The book considers how encounters between tourists and expressions of Asian contemporary art may produce possibilities for challenging, re-evaluating or reasserting crystallized frames of understanding and, as such, is of value to a multi-disciplinary audience.

Download or read book Eight Million Gods written by Wen Spencer and published by Baen Publishing Enterprises. This book was released on 2013-06-15 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A contemporary fantasy of mystery and death as American expats battle Japanese gods and monsters to retrieve an ancient artifact that can destroy the world. On Saturday afternoon, Nikki Delany thought, "George Wilson, in the kitchen, with a blender." By dinner, she had killed George and posted his gory murder to her blog. The next day, she put on her mourning clothes and went out to meet her best friend for lunch to discuss finding a replacement for her love interest. Nikki is a horror novelist. Her choice of career is dictated by an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that forces her to write stories of death and destruction. She can't control it, doesn't understand it, but can use it to make money anywhere in the world. Currently "anywhere" is in Japan, hiding from her mother who sees Nikki's OCD as proof she's mentally unstable. Nikki's fragile peace starts to fall apart when the police arrest her for the murder of an American expatriate. Someone killed him with a blender. Reality starts to unravel around Nikki. She's attacked by a raccoon in a business suit. After a series of blackouts, shes accompanied by a boy that no one else can see, a boy who claims to be a god. Is she really being pursued by Japanese myths¾or is she simply going insane? What Nikki does know for sure is that the bodies are piling up, her mother has arrived in Japan to lock her up for the rest of her life¾and her novels always end with everyone dead. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Download or read book The Complete Idiot s Guide to the Paranormal written by Nathan Robert Brown and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An otherworldly examination of the unknown that will keep fright fans reading all night From any strange experience that can't be defined by science to psychic phenomena to monsters and weird creatures, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the Paranormal focuses on the most interesting and bone-chilling aspects of the paranormal the supernatural including: • Ghosts and spirits • Angels, demons, and spellcasters • Unexplained phenomena