Yōkai Daizukai, an illustrated guide to yōkai authored by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, features a collection of cutaway diagrams showing the anatomy of 85 traditional monsters from Japanese folklore.
The Mannen-dake (”10,000-year bamboo”) is a bamboo-like monster that feeds on the souls of lost travelers camping in the woods.
Read on to find out more about the Mannen-dake, as well as:
- the Kuro-kamikiri (Black Hair Cutter – it has the black hair, I don’t believe it has a preference as to the colour it cuts)
- the Makura-gaeshi (Pillow Mover – rather worryingly the fact that it steals souls seems to be glossed over with greater focus put on its pranksome pillow-moving)
- the Doro-ta-bō (Muddy Rice Field Man)
- the Hyōsube
- the Yanagi-baba (Willow Witch – fairly easy going compared to the rest)
- the Fukuro-sage (a type of Tanuki, complete with prominent scrotum – something they failed to include in Super Mario)
- Kasha (possible the rock-hardest of the bunch)
- Bisha-ga-tsuku (named for it’s slusky snow sound – snow bunnies watch out)
- and finally the would-be-cute-were-it-not-for-its-big-sharp-teeth, octopus-fearing Kijimunaa – hard wired for pranks
(via rocketboom)
