Japanese Folklore and Yokai - Daija

By kevin tembouret

The Daija. This mythological creature found in Japan is well unknown to Westerners. And yet! Its influence in Japanese culture and in the education of children is all the more important. Sometimes capable of metamorphosing into a beautiful young woman, sometimes looking like a huge monstrous creature, the Daija is feared and respected at the same time.

With this book, discover the most influential Japanese stories about these unusual yokai. From the Daija that terrifies villagers to the one who decorates his lake with iris to please a human, don't miss the opportunity to discover a world hidden from the general public.

A total of 200 unusual Japanese legends never compiled in France to understand how our own reality merges with the world of the yokai.

• Language: English
• Publisher: kevin tembouret
• Release date: Nov 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393565796

Book preview

Preface

This book is dedicated to the giant snakes of Japanese folklore. Through numerous myths and legends, it is here a question of discovering a formerly oral tradition that has spread throughout Japan.

The Daija, this gigantic snake capable of transforming itself into a human, can sometimes be benevolent while it is originally evil. Many tales inform us about the origin of this creature: disappointed woman who transforms herself, unjust sentence, forced sacrifice, ...

Daija is also a form of seduction. The snake, of phallic form, represents the handsome man or the seductive woman. This is how it achieves its purpose: to reproduce. Daija's children often have physical peculiarities that you will discover in the following pages.

Let's not forget either that the snake, in the popular belief of ancient Japan, is synonymous with rich and stable agriculture. Offering a woman to a giant snake to ensure that it avoids starvation is therefore a reasonable sacrifice.

With this book, you will discover various Daija and sometimes several stories that are the origin of only one. According to the customs and the times, the purpose sought is different: protection or curse in particular.

This giant snake is therefore part of Japanese folklore, among the Kitsune, Yuurei and other creatures that we will discover together in future books.

Preface

Onsen Daija

Akagi Myojin

The Farmer's Prayer

The Daija, the wolf and the white rat

The rain snakes from Jōhana

The lord of Annaka Ike

Arahitogami

The Lord of Babafuchi

The Lord of Bentenjima

History of a Bijo

Creatures of the Byakko

The blood cherry tree

The veneration of Daigongen

Common Daija

The mockery of the snake

Daija stopped by Bishamon

The sentence of Asakusa Kannon

The will under the waterfall

Amida Butsu and the Daija

The backlash

Daija under surveillance

The Ghost and the Daija

The handling of Daija

The fangs of love

The cherry tree in tears

Lightning death

The Unhappy Daija

An impossible love

The breath of Daija

The battle of the titans

The messenger of the Dragon King

The discretion of the Daija

The Daija of the Dark Woods

The warrior and the princess

The cursed doctor

The consequences of sacrifice

The Girl Challenge

The end of Daija

A child's wish

Daija fetishism

The justice of the samurai

The fall of the giant snake

A stealthy appearance

A major enemy

The disappearance of O-Tora

The courage of the merchant's daughters

The rainy silhouette

The Iwagami Festival

The Frog Offensive

The old lady's plan

The end of the drought

A tempestuous Daija

The rest of the Daija

The fidelity of the crab

The anger of a love glimpse

Ishigami's sword

The two brothers

The Flaming Death

The repulsive sutra

A moment of happiness

Hunger at any time

Strength in numbers

The Appearance of a Silk Dragon

The Daija, the Masho and the Hunter

The cursed house

The Daija of the river

4/4/4

The voice of reason

Hachiro's Revenge

The Poisoned Gift

Daija and the cat

The sacrifice of the child

The Nogami Festival

Daija with sharp fangs

The master of the marsh

Wisdom in the face of terror

The Daija soporific

Wealth for the ingenious

The reproduction of Daija

Daija in 9 pieces

The History of the Dirty Creek

The incarnation of Bishamonten

To each his own reality

The single ear

The Cedar Boat

The noisy Daija

The Secret of Rain

Bait fishermen

He who crawls and flies

Misunderstood love

The Daija that went unnoticed

The double face of a mother

The benevolence of Shinran

The bewitched cake

Common peace

The Revenge of the Daija

The punishment of the giant snake

The benevolent Ujigami

The Daija of the rice fields

The curse of the gods

The 3 dorsal scales

Lightning fast Daija

The maid with the petrifying gaze

Loyalty to the master

The end of the floods

An arrow has two consequences

Daija out of the water

The Daija of the mountains

The bag with 1000 needles

Miso forbidden

Sacrifice in vain

The Daija of the castle

The Daija's descendants

The Daija of dreams

Wife's replacement

Daija with blue smoke

The Daija of the temple

A Daija in compost

A village like no other

The inevitable destiny of the Daija

The Daija of Laziness

Daija's bait

The predator of the 14 villages

Toyone's Daija

The Daija of carp and bamboo

The migration of a Daija

The Nembutsu protectors

The Daija's look

The ravages of hunting

Daija among men

The lagoon of Hachiro

The Tailless Daija

The Daija's retreat

The mother of ten snakes

The Yam Daija

The Daija of 1981

Obako's comb

The migration of the Daija of Hachiro

The Daija of the lock

The 3 Daija of Sando

Standing up to anything

The Unexpected Death of a Daija

The attacker in prey

The little sister in rescue

The Lord of the Shrine Hachiman

The snake of the abyss

Autumn Daija

The monk's revenge

The unsuspected meeting

The duality of Good and Evil

The two ponds

The eye of the snake

Daija in spite of herself

The Daija not very daring

The Daija of the clouds

A well hidden Daija

Unexpected pregnancy

The double family sacrifice

The Daija of the mist

Death as an example

The blue stones of Shekou

Romance by the pond

A Daija in panic

Bad grip

The Samurai Walk

The Daija Prison

Whoever laughs last will laugh last!

Those who were smarter than a Daija

The history of Osenga Shrine

The Daija of Namie

Relics of Ryuzawa Temple

The patience of the Daija

The roar of Yamasachi Shrine

Drunk with love

A mother's escape

The Daija of Iitate

The end of an innocent Daija

The promise of a peasant

Ishikawa's disturbing disappearances

The golden snakes

Daija with silver reflections

Fear of the children of Minami Aizu

From bank to bank

The giant snake of