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The Japanese share superstitions with other Asian cultures, particularly the Chinese, with whom they share significant historical and cultural ties. The unluckiness of the number four is one such example, as the Japanese word for "four" 四 romaji: shi is a homophone for "death" kanji : 死.
Superstitions of Japan, any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown.
A Japanese chimera with the features of the beasts from the Chinese Zodiac: a rat's head, rabbit ears, ox horns, a horse's mane, a rooster's comb, a sheep's beard, a dragon's neck, a back like that of a boar, a tiger's shoulders and belly, monkey arms, a dog's hindquarters, and a snake's tail.
[1]: 108 [2]: 198 The yakudoshi superstitions may also be related to indigenous traditional Japanese beliefs regarding ritual purification and affinity by age. In some rural communities, it was thought necessary to avoid exchange yakudoshi gifts with, or attending the yakudoshi festivities of, one's age-mates during an unlucky year.
Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term minkan denshō (民間伝承, "transmissions among the folk") is used to describe folklore. The academic study of folklore is known as minzokugaku ...
In Japanese folklore, heroes like Momotaro rescue women from violent kami and oni. Although the exploits of heroes are well known, Japanese mythology also featured heroines. [ 1 ] Ototachibana, the wife of Yamato Takeru, threw herself into the sea to save her husband's ship and quell the wrath of the storm that threatened them. [ 1 ]
[2] [1] From around the 9th century during the Heian period, Onmyōdō interacted with Shinto and Goryō worship (御霊信仰) in Japan, and developed into a system unique to Japan. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Abe no Seimei , who was active during the Heian period, is the most famous onmyōji ( Onmyōdō practitioner) in Japanese history and has appeared in ...
Like many monsters of Japanese folklore, malicious yūrei are repelled by ofuda (御札), holy Shinto writings containing the name of a kami. The ofuda must generally be placed on the yūrei ' s forehead to banish the spirit, although they can be attached to a house's entry ways to prevent the yūrei from entering.