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Tōfu-kozō
''Tōfu-kozō'' (, literally "tofu boy") is a ''yōkai'' of Japan that takes on the appearance of a child possessing a tray with ''tōfu'' on it. It frequently appears in the ''kusazōshi'', ''kibyōshi'' and ''Kaidan (parapsychology), kaidan'' books from the Edo period, and from the ''Bakumatsu'' to the Meiji period, people have become familiar with them as a character illustrated on toys such as kites, ''sugoroku'', and ''karuta''. They can also be seen in ''senryū'', ''kyōka'', ''e-hon banzuke'' (pamphlets that introduce the contents of a ''shibai''), and ''nishiki-e'', etc. Summary They are generally depicted wearing bamboo and ''kasa (hat), kasa'' on their heads, and possessing a round tray with a ''momiji-dōfu'' on it (a ''tōfu'' with a ''momiji'' (autumn leaf) shape pressed into it). The patterns on the clothing they wear, for the sake of warding off smallpox, include lucky charms such as ''harukoma'' (春駒), daruma doll, ''daruma'' dolls, horned owls, swinging drums, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yōkai
are a class of supernatural entities and Spirit (supernatural entity) , spirits in Japanese folklore. The kanji representation of the word comprises two characters that both mean "suspicious, doubtful", and while the Japanese name is simply the Japanese transliteration or pronunciation of the Chinese term ''yaoguai, yāoguài'' (which designates similarly strange creatures), some Japanese commentators argue that the word ''yōkai'' has taken on many different meanings in Japanese culture, including referring to a large number of uniquely Japanese creatures. are also referred to as , or . However, most Japanese generally think of the two loose classes of spirits as highly different, although some academics and Shinto practitioners acknowledge similarities within the seeming dichotomy between the natures of them and most ''kami'', which are generally regarded as relatively beneficent in comparison, and class the two as ultimately the same type of spirits of nature or of a m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natsuhiko Kyogoku
is a Japanese mystery writer, who is a member of Ōsawa Office. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of Japan and the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. Three of his novels have been turned into feature films; '' Mōryō no Hako'', which won the 1996 Mystery Writers of Japan Award, was also made into an anime television series, as was Kosetsu Hyaku Monogatari, and his book '' Loups=Garous'' was adapted into an anime feature film. Vertical have published his debut novel as '' The Summer of the Ubume''. Background Kyogoku was born in Otaru, Hokkaido. After dropping out of Kuwasawa Design School, he worked as a publicity agent and established a design company. In 1994, Kodansha published his first novel . He has since written many novels, and received two Japanese literary prizes; Kyogoku won the 16th Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize for ''Nozoki Koheiji'' (覘き小平次) in 2003, and won the 130th Naoki Prize for ''Nochi no Kōsetsu Hyaku Monogatari'' (後巷説百物語) in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mold (fungus)
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures that certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not all fungi form molds. Some fungi form mushrooms; others grow as single cells and are called microfungi (for example yeasts). A large and taxonomically diverse number of fungal species form molds. The growth of hyphae results in discoloration and a fuzzy appearance, especially on food. The network of these tubular branching hyphae, called a mycelium, is considered a single organism. The hyphae are generally transparent, so the mycelium appears like very fine, fluffy white threads over the surface. Cross-walls (septa) may delimit connected compartments along the hyphae, each containing one or multiple, genetically identical nuclei. The dusty texture of many molds is caused by profuse production of asexual spores (conidia) form ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shōwa Period
Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Shōwa may also refer to: Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian period) (承和), alternatively read as Shōwa, from 834 to 848 * Shōwa (Kamakura period) (正和), from 1312 to 1317 Japanese places * Shōwa, Akita, a former town in Akita Prefecture * Shōwa, Yamanashi, a town in Yamanashi Prefecture * Shōwa, a former town in Tokyo, now part of Akishima, Tokyo * Shōwa-ku, a ward of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture * Shōwa, Fukushima, a village in Fukushima Prefecture * Shōwa, Gunma, a village in Gunma Prefecture * Shōwa, Saitama, a dissolved town in Saitama Prefecture * Showa Station (Antarctica), a Japanese research station located in Antarctica * Shōwa Station (Kanagawa), a Japanese railway station in Kana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rokurokubi
''Rokurokubi'' (ろくろ首, 轆轤首) is a type of Japanese ''yōkai'' (apparition). They look almost completely like humans with some differences. There is a type whose neck stretches and another whose head detaches and flies around freely (''nukekubi''). The ''Rokurokubi'' appear in classical ''kaidan'' (spirit tales) and in ''yōkai'' works. Etymology The word ''rokurokubi'' may have derived from the word ''rokuro'' which refers to a potter's wheel, a water well's pulley (since it elongates) Yahoo Japan, ヤフー株式会社 Accessed 22 January 2008. or an umbrella handle (which also elongates). Head flight The nukekubi are rokurokubi whose heads come off and float about. These were the last of the rokurokubi whereas the other kind came before. Nukekubi sometimes perform bad deeds such as attacking at night and drinking their victims' blood. It is theorized that the nukekubi has a weakness when it is sleeping and the head is floating around: if the body moves, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikoshi-nyūdō
''Mikoshi-nyūdō'' (見越し入道 or 見越入道) is a type of bald-headed ''yōkai'' "goblin" with an ever-extending neck. In Japanese folklore and Edo period (1603–1868) ''Kaidan (parapsychology), kaidan'' "ghost story" texts, ''mikoshi-nyūdō'' will frighten people who look over the top of things such as ''byōbu'' folding screens. The name combines ''mikoshi'' wikt:見越し, 見越し (lit. "see over") "looking over the top (of a fence); anticipation; expectation" and ''nyūdō'' wikt:入道, 入道 (lit. "enter the Way") "a (Buddhist) priest; a bonze; a tonsured monster". Summary When walking to the end of a road at night or a hill road, something the shape of a monk would suddenly appear, and if one looks up, it becomes taller the further one looks up. They are so big that one would look up at them, and thus are given the name "." Sometimes, if one just looks at them like that, one might die, but they can be made to disappear by saying "." They most frequently appe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bodies and short legs. The family Mustelidae, or mustelids (which also includes badgers, otters, and wolverines), is often referred to as the "weasel family". In the UK, the term "weasel" usually refers to the smallest species, the least weasel (''M. nivalis''), the smallest carnivoran species. Least weasels vary in length from , females being smaller than the males, and usually have red or brown upper coats and white bellies; some populations of some species moult to a wholly white coat in winter. They have long, slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows. Their tails may be from long. Weasels feed on small mammals and have from time to time been considered vermin because some species took poultry fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
An'ei
was a after '' Meiwa'' and before ''Tenmei.'' This period spanned the years November 1772 through March 1781. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1772 : The era name was changed to ''An'ei'' (meaning "peaceful eternity") to mark the enthronement of Emperor Go-Momozono and in hopes of turning attention from the serial catastrophic devastation from fires and storms in ''Meiwa'' 9. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in the 11th month of ''Meiwa'' 9. Events of the ''An'ei'' era * 1775 (''An'ei 4''): Epidemic diseases spread across the country – in Edo alone, an estimated 190,000 perished.Hall, John Whitney. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719-1788: Forerunner of Modern Japan, '' p. 121. * 1775 (''An'ei 4''): Swedish physician and botanist Carl Peter Thunberg arrives at VOC outpost or "factory" in Nagasaki bay; and ultimately, his scientific activities will result in the first detailed, descriptive survey of the flora and fauna of the Japanese archipel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heisei
The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when his son, Akihito, acceded to the throne as the 125th Emperor. In accordance with Japanese customs, Hirohito was posthumously renamed "Emperor Shōwa" on 31 January 1989. Thus, 1989 corresponds to Shōwa 64 up until 7 January and from 8 January. The Heisei era ended on 30 April 2019 (Heisei 31), with the abdication of Akihito from the Chrysanthemum Throne. It was succeeded by the Reiwa era as then-crown prince Naruhito ascended the throne on 1 May midnight local time. History and meaning Shortly after the death of Emperor Hirohito on 7 January 1989, Keizō Obuchi, then- Chief Cabinet Secretary and later Prime Minister of Japan, hosted a press conference to announce the new era name "Heisei" for Emperor Akihito, and explained its m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
