Yokai is a term used throughout Japanese folklore to refer to supernatural creatures and spirits. Roughly translating to ‘suspicious’ or ‘doubtful’, yokai are beings whose nature is often malicious, seeking to deceive or harm humans, though this is not always the case, and some yokai are even known to be benevolent to humans, when treated with the proper respect. They come in many forms, ranging from closely resembling common animals, such as the nekomata being almost indistinguishable from a regular cat, to the chochin-obake, yokais which grow mouths and long tongues that spill out of Japanese lanterns.
These creatures have made their way into Japanese tattooing culture, so let’s go through a few of them, and see if there are any that catch your eye!
The nekomata, previously mentioned above, can have multiple origins. Many believe that these malicious animals are domesticated house-cats that have suffered abuse and, more importantly, lived longer than they were supposed to. Due to this old age, they grow larger and develop a second tail, as well as a taste for human flesh. Said to abduct humans who have wronged them to the mountains at night, these creatures are considered quite dangerous, and are often confused with their much more playful counterpart: bakeneko, a more docile, but still mischievous cat yokai. Nekomata have been depicted multiple times throughout stories as being exceptional at impersonating humans, particularly ones that they have consumed. Any cat-lovers looking for a tattoo relating to Japanese mythology, this is the one for you!
The Tsuchigumo, translating to ‘earth/mountain spider’ is a large, distorted spider-like creature, said to grow up to 60 metres in length. Harbouring deep ill-intent toward humans, this creature will trap and eat them whole, their digestive system leaving only their victim’s heads intact. In a folklore tale depicting the extermination of these creatures, a Tsuchigumo was slain and cut open, ad 1990 heads of the dead spilled from its belly. After being slain, these creatures must be buried with their head, legs and body separate, so their grudges do not harm the living. If you’ve been considering a spider tattoo, but think that most of them are just too plain, a Tsuchigumo is an interesting alternative that should definitely be considered!
A much less dangerous yokai, the Chochin-obake, is often found depicted in the backgrounds of Japanese tattoos. Chochin-obake spawn when a Japanese paper lantern has grown old and brittle enough for the paper to split; from this split, a mouth and long tongue will grow, along with two eyes. Older chochin-obake have the potential to grow limbs and even wings. Unlike the previous yokai, these creatures have no malice toward people, and only wish to play harmless practical jokes, such as masking their human-like features, and then suddenly revealing themselves to frighten passer-by’s. A mischievous creature, these make great tattoos for people looking to include a more light-hearted reference to Japanese folklore.
The Kappa, turtle-like creatures with the bodily proportions of human children and what looks to be a bowl filled with water always carried on their head, are a mark of Japanese etiquette. Although these creatures can sometimes be unruly and malicious, extending to the point where they will drown both children and adults that linger in their ponds and lakes too much, they can be easily defeated with nothing more than a deep, polite bow. Upon seeing a human make this gesture, they can’t help but return it. In doing so, the kappa will spill the water collected in the dish on its head, rendering it immobile until this dish is re-filled with the water from its home lake or pond. The kappa will be forever indebted to the person who refills their dish for them, performing favours such as irrigating farm-land, teaching medicine and bringing fresh fish. They’re not the prettiest, but make for a great story when put on the body as a tattoo.
The Baku, while it is a chimera-like beast with confusing looks, having the head of an elephant, ears of a rhinoceros, tail of a cow, body of a bear and paws of a tiger, it is generally regarded as one of the most well-natured and friendly of the yokai. Generally regarded as a caretaker and protector against nightmares, Baku can be called upon by children in the night. Once summoned, the creature will eat the nightmares of the child, allowing them to go back to sleep peacefully. Though, this must be done sparingly, as if a Baku is not satisfied with solely the nightmare, it may accidentally consume the child’s hopes and dreams as well, leaving them without direction and purpose. If you’re one prone to nightmares, a Baku tattoo could be the fix for you, imitating the way that Japanese children would keep talismans depicting Bakus by their bedside.
These are just a couple of the many Japanese yokai depicted throughout thousands of years of culture and history. If you’re interested in learing more about different types of yokai, Authentink’s head apprentice, Bonzai, makes informative videos on his Instagram!
If you have an idea fora tattoo and are interested in getting it off the ground, don’t hesitate to reach out to us over email, phone, or submit booking inquiry form. We’re keen to hear what you have in mind!