It was believed that there were a few means of escape if one was confronted with a kappa. ĭefense against kappa: repelling with flatulence. Even today, signs warning about kappa appear by bodies of water in some Japanese towns and villages. Kappa have been used to warn children of the dangers lurking in rivers and lakes, as kappa have been often said to try to lure people to water and pull them in. They are sometimes said to take their victims for the purpose of drinking their blood, eating their livers, or gaining power by taking their shirikodama ( 尻子玉), a mythical ball said to contain the soul, which is located inside the anus. As a menace Īs water monsters, kappa have been blamed for drownings, and are often said to try to lure people into water and pull them in with their great skill at wrestling. Ī cucumber-filled sushi roll is known as a kappamaki. In some regions, it was customary to eat cucumbers before swimming as protection, but in others it was believed that this act would guarantee an attack. In Edo (old Tokyo), there used to be a tradition where people would write the names of their family members on cucumbers and send them afloat into the streams to mollify the kappa and prevent the family from coming to harm in the streams. Sometimes the kappa is said to have other favorite foods, such as the Japanese eggplant, soba (buckwheat noodles), nattō (fermented soybeans), or kabocha(Japanese pumpkin). At festivals, offerings of cucumber are frequently made to the kappa. Cucumber įolk beliefs claim the cucumber as their traditional favorite meal. However, it is common for kappa to befriend other yōkai and sometimes even people. While younger kappa are frequently found in family groups, adult kappa live solitary lives. Though sometimes menacing, they may also behave amicably towards humans. Their actions range from comparatively minor misdemeanors, such as looking up women's kimono if they venture too near to water, to outright malevolence, such as drowning people and animals, kidnapping children, raping women and at times eating human flesh. Kappa are usually seen as kami of the water. When they do, the "dish" on their head can be covered with a metal cap for protection. While they are primarily water creatures, they do on occasion venture onto land. The kappa are sometimes said to smell like fish, and they can swim like them.Īccording to some accounts, a kappa's arms are connected to each other through the torso and can slide from one side to the other. Despite their small stature they are physically stronger than a grown man. Inhuman traits include three anuses that allow them to pass three times as much gas as humans. They are typically greenish in color (or yellow-blue ), and either scaly or slimy skinned, with webbed hands and feet, and a turtle-like carapace on their back. Clumsy on land, they are at home in the water, and thrive during the warm months. Kappa are said to be roughly humanoid in form and about the size of a child, inhabiting the ponds and rivers of Japan. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Kappa (かはつは) from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c.
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