Image of Prospero

Scientific Revolution

This era, named for a rapid accumulation of knowledge, saw groundbreaking work published on electricity, optics, mechanical calculation, and the human body. The “science heroes” Copernicus in 1543, Kepler in 1609, Galileo in 1610, and Newton in 1687 explained the heliocentric model, displacing our world from the center of the universe. Early science fiction/fantasy included Bacon’s New Atlantis in 1627, Kepler’s Somnium in 1634, and Cavendish’s The Blazing World in 1666. The First Folio, a posthumous collection of Shakespeare’s dramas, was published in 1623. At the same time, during Japan’s Edo period (1603–1868), woodblock printing was widely adopted.
Era Scientific Revolution (1543 – 1687)
Alternative Names 17th Century Early Modern Theater and Print Cultures, Baroque Era, Early Edo Period, Dutch Golden Age
Total Entries 85
Articles
Scientific Revolution – Wikipedia
Woodblock printing in Japan – Wikipedia
History of science fiction – Wikipedia
Description This era, named for a rapid accumulation of knowledge, saw groundbreaking work published on electricity, optics, mechanical calculation, and the human body. The “science heroes” Copernicus in 1543, Kepler in 1609, Galileo in 1610, and Newton in 1687 explained the heliocentric model, displacing our world from the center of the universe. Early science fiction/fantasy included Bacon’s New Atlantis in 1627, Kepler’s Somnium in 1634, and Cavendish’s The Blazing World in 1666. The First Folio, a posthumous collection of Shakespeare’s dramas, was published in 1623. At the same time, during Japan’s Edo period (1603–1868), woodblock printing was widely adopted.

The Scientific Revolution was a series of events that marked the emergence of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology (including human anatomy) and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature. The Scientific Revolution took place in Europe in the second half of the Renaissance period, with the 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus publication De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) often cited as its beginning. The Scientific Revolution has been called “the most important transformation in human history” since the Neolithic Revolution. The era of the Scientific Renaissance focused to some degree on recovering the knowledge of the ancients and is considered to have culminated in Isaac Newton’s 1687 publication Principia which formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, thereby completing the synthesis of a new cosmology. The subsequent Age of Enlightenment saw the concept of a scientific revolution emerge in the 18th-century work of Jean Sylvain Bailly, who described a two-stage process of sweeping away the old and establishing the new. There continues to be scholarly engagement regarding the boundaries of the Scientific Revolution and its chronology… ~ Scientific Revolution – Wikipedia
The Plays of William Shakespeare (1864-68) via Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive | H. C. Selous
The Plays of William Shakespeare (1864-68) via Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive | H. C. Selous

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Akaguchi

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Category Akaguchi
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Akaguchi is a yōkai from the northwestern region of Aomori prefecture. This yōkai resides in an amorphous black cloud, baring visibly its komainu (Japanese lion-dog) face and large claws. Its face and claws are covered […]

Entry Akaguchi
Description 

Akaguchi is a yōkai from the northwestern region of Aomori prefecture. This yōkai resides in an amorphous black cloud, baring visibly its komainu (Japanese lion-dog) face and large claws. Its face and claws are covered […]

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Antonio (The Tempest)

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Category Antonio (The Tempest)
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In William Shakespeare’s comedy The Tempest (believed to have been written and performed circa 1610, but not published until 1623), Antonio is the brother of the wizard Prospero and is notable for having usurped his […]

Entry Antonio (The Tempest)
Description 

In William Shakespeare’s comedy The Tempest (believed to have been written and performed circa 1610, but not published until 1623), Antonio is the brother of the wizard Prospero and is notable for having usurped his […]

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Aramis

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Category Aramis
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René d’Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, […]

Entry Aramis
Description 

René d’Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, […]

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Ariel

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Category Ariel
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Ariel is an elemental air spirit who inhabited the island where the wizard Prospero was exiled in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Prior to Prospero’s arrival, Ariel was enslaved by the evil witch Sycorax, who had […]

Entry Ariel
Description 

Ariel is an elemental air spirit who inhabited the island where the wizard Prospero was exiled in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Prior to Prospero’s arrival, Ariel was enslaved by the evil witch Sycorax, who had […]

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Athos

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Category Athos
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Athos, Count de la Fère, is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845) and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He is a highly fictionalized […]

Entry Athos
Description 

Athos, Count de la Fère, is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845) and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He is a highly fictionalized […]

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Bak Mei

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Bak Mei (Chinese: literally: “White Eyebrows”) is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders, survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), who, according to some accounts, […]

Entry Bak Mei
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Bak Mei (Chinese: literally: “White Eyebrows”) is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders, survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), who, according to some accounts, […]

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Banzuiin Chobei

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Banzuiin Chōbei (1622–1657) was a historical street tough of Japan’s Edo period who, according to later fictionalized portrayals of his life in literature and drama, fought against injustices, and to protect the common people from […]

Entry Banzuiin Chobei
Description 

Banzuiin Chōbei (1622–1657) was a historical street tough of Japan’s Edo period who, according to later fictionalized portrayals of his life in literature and drama, fought against injustices, and to protect the common people from […]

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Blackbeard

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Blackbeard (c. 1680) is probably the most notorious pirate in history, well known for his ruthlessness. He was an Englishman who operated primarily in the West Indies and the Caribbean. He captured a French ship […]

Entry Blackbeard
Description 

Blackbeard (c. 1680) is probably the most notorious pirate in history, well known for his ruthlessness. He was an Englishman who operated primarily in the West Indies and the Caribbean. He captured a French ship […]

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Bluebeard

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Bluebeard is a wealthy aristocrat, feared and shunned because of his ugly, blue beard. He has been married several times, but no one knows what became of his wives. He is therefore avoided by the […]

Entry Bluebeard
Description 

Bluebeard is a wealthy aristocrat, feared and shunned because of his ugly, blue beard. He has been married several times, but no one knows what became of his wives. He is therefore avoided by the […]

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Caliban

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Caliban was a deformed beast, son of the witch Sycorax, who had lived in exile on a small remote island. After Sycorax died, Caliban lived alone on the island, until the day Prospero and his […]

Entry Caliban
Description 

Caliban was a deformed beast, son of the witch Sycorax, who had lived in exile on a small remote island. After Sycorax died, Caliban lived alone on the island, until the day Prospero and his […]

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Captain Blood

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Category Captain Blood
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Peter Blood was an Irish physician in the late 17th Century who served as a soldier, sailor, and eventually, one of the most feared pirate captains in the Caribbean. After attending the wounded during a […]

Entry Captain Blood
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Peter Blood was an Irish physician in the late 17th Century who served as a soldier, sailor, and eventually, one of the most feared pirate captains in the Caribbean. After attending the wounded during a […]

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Captain Kidd (Pirate)

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Captain Kidd is a notorious pirate, originally from Scotland, who commanded a ship called the Adventure Galley. Although he became notorious after he was hung for his crimes, Kidd was not necessarily the most destructive […]

Entry Captain Kidd (Pirate)
Description 

Captain Kidd is a notorious pirate, originally from Scotland, who commanded a ship called the Adventure Galley. Although he became notorious after he was hung for his crimes, Kidd was not necessarily the most destructive […]

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Cyrano de Bergerac

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Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French dramatist and duelist. In fictional works about his life he is featured with an overly large nose, which people would […]

Entry Cyrano de Bergerac
Description 

Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French dramatist and duelist. In fictional works about his life he is featured with an overly large nose, which people would […]

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D’Artagnan

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D’Artagnan is initially portrayed by Dumas as a hotheaded youth, who tries to engage the Comte de Rochefort and the Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis in single combat. He quickly becomes friends with the […]

Entry D’Artagnan
Description 

D’Artagnan is initially portrayed by Dumas as a hotheaded youth, who tries to engage the Comte de Rochefort and the Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis in single combat. He quickly becomes friends with the […]

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Daichiuchi

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A mallet-wielding yōkai appears in many of the earliest picture scrolls of the night parade of one hundred demons. In its oldest depictions, kanazuchibō appears with no name or description. Names like kanazuchibō and daichiuchi […]

Entry Daichiuchi
Description 

A mallet-wielding yōkai appears in many of the earliest picture scrolls of the night parade of one hundred demons. In its oldest depictions, kanazuchibō appears with no name or description. Names like kanazuchibō and daichiuchi […]

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Deutscher Michel

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Der Deutsche Michel (literally: “The German Micheal”) is a figure representing the national character of the German people, rather as John Bull represents the British and Uncle Sam represent the Americans. Such figures differ from […]

Entry Deutscher Michel
Description 

Der Deutsche Michel (literally: “The German Micheal”) is a figure representing the national character of the German people, rather as John Bull represents the British and Uncle Sam represent the Americans. Such figures differ from […]

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Domokomo

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Dōmokōmo are mysterious, two-faced yōkai who wear kimono. They appear in numerous yōkai scrolls, however there are no folk tales detailing their history or origins. No story or explanation was written when dōmokōmo was first […]

Entry Domokomo
Description 

Dōmokōmo are mysterious, two-faced yōkai who wear kimono. They appear in numerous yōkai scrolls, however there are no folk tales detailing their history or origins. No story or explanation was written when dōmokōmo was first […]

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Don Quixote

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After reading one too many chivalric novels, Alonso Quijano, citizen of a small town in La Mancha, Spain, is inspired to take the name Don Quixote and become a knight, a new champion of honor […]

Entry Don Quixote
Description 

After reading one too many chivalric novels, Alonso Quijano, citizen of a small town in La Mancha, Spain, is inspired to take the name Don Quixote and become a knight, a new champion of honor […]

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Fong Sai-yuk

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Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional Chinese martial artist and folk hero from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province of the Qing dynasty. Fong was also associated with Hung Hei-gun and the Five Elders of […]

Entry Fong Sai-yuk
Description 

Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional Chinese martial artist and folk hero from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province of the Qing dynasty. Fong was also associated with Hung Hei-gun and the Five Elders of […]

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Furaribi

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The furaribi is a fire yōkai that appears in Japanese classical yōkai pictures such as in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama, the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi, and the Bakemonozukushi by an unknown […]

Entry Furaribi
Description 

The furaribi is a fire yōkai that appears in Japanese classical yōkai pictures such as in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama, the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi, and the Bakemonozukushi by an unknown […]

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Gagoze

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Gagō or Gagoze is a reiki, or demon ghost, which according to legend inhabited the bell tower of Gangō-ji, a temple in Nara Prefecture from which its name is derived. It wears a robe and […]

Entry Gagoze
Description 

Gagō or Gagoze is a reiki, or demon ghost, which according to legend inhabited the bell tower of Gangō-ji, a temple in Nara Prefecture from which its name is derived. It wears a robe and […]

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Ghost of Anne Boleyn

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Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading […]

Entry Ghost of Anne Boleyn
Description 

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading […]

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Ghost of Kiyotaka

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The ghost of Kiyotaka (a traitor to the emperor who had been ordered to commit seppuku) haunted the Imperial Palace at Yoshino. He terrorized the courtiers until the lady-in-waiting Iga-no Tsubone faced the ghost and […]

Entry Ghost of Kiyotaka
Description 

The ghost of Kiyotaka (a traitor to the emperor who had been ordered to commit seppuku) haunted the Imperial Palace at Yoshino. He terrorized the courtiers until the lady-in-waiting Iga-no Tsubone faced the ghost and […]

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Golden Flower

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The Secret of the Golden Flower is a Chinese Taoist book on neidan (inner alchemy) meditation, which also mixes Buddhist teachings with some Confucian thoughts. It was written by means of the spirit-writing (fuji) technique, […]

Entry Golden Flower
Description 

The Secret of the Golden Flower is a Chinese Taoist book on neidan (inner alchemy) meditation, which also mixes Buddhist teachings with some Confucian thoughts. It was written by means of the spirit-writing (fuji) technique, […]

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Hajikkaki

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Hajikkaki are pathetic looking yōkai with plump, white, hairless blobby bodies. They have round eyes and protruding fangs. They frequently cover their heads with their hands in a display of shame or embarrassment. Hajikkaki appear […]

Entry Hajikkaki
Description 

Hajikkaki are pathetic looking yōkai with plump, white, hairless blobby bodies. They have round eyes and protruding fangs. They frequently cover their heads with their hands in a display of shame or embarrassment. Hajikkaki appear […]

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Hell Courtesan

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The Hell Courtesan is usually depicted in a dress with the images of hell, the souls of those she condemned, Emma-Ō (one of the kings of hell), horned demons, and bodhissatvas. Kawanabe Kyōsai is depicted […]

Entry Hell Courtesan
Description 

The Hell Courtesan is usually depicted in a dress with the images of hell, the souls of those she condemned, Emma-Ō (one of the kings of hell), horned demons, and bodhissatvas. Kawanabe Kyōsai is depicted […]

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Heron Maiden

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The sweet visage of the Heron Maiden is emphasized by the radiating spires of the umbrella that she carries against the falling snow. She reaches out in greeting towards two herons that cross in front […]

Entry Heron Maiden
Description 

The sweet visage of the Heron Maiden is emphasized by the radiating spires of the umbrella that she carries against the falling snow. She reaches out in greeting towards two herons that cross in front […]

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Hibernia

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Hibernia as a national personification representing Ireland appeared in numerous cartoons and drawings, especially in the nineteenth century. As depicted in frequent cartoons in Punch, a magazine outspokenly hostile to Irish nationalism, Hibernia was shown […]

Entry Hibernia
Description 

Hibernia as a national personification representing Ireland appeared in numerous cartoons and drawings, especially in the nineteenth century. As depicted in frequent cartoons in Punch, a magazine outspokenly hostile to Irish nationalism, Hibernia was shown […]

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Hyosube

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Hyōsube is a Japanese yōkai. It is a child-sized river monster from Kyūshū that lives in underwater caves. It prefers to come out at night and loves to eat eggplants. It is a cousin of […]

Entry Hyosube
Description 

Hyōsube is a Japanese yōkai. It is a child-sized river monster from Kyūshū that lives in underwater caves. It prefers to come out at night and loves to eat eggplants. It is a cousin of […]

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Inugami

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Category Inugami
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Inugami, like kitsunetsuki, is a spiritual possession by the spirit of a dog, widely known about in western Japan. The phenomenon of inugami spiritual possession was a kojutsu (also called “kodō” or “kodoku”, a greatly […]

Entry Inugami
Description 

Inugami, like kitsunetsuki, is a spiritual possession by the spirit of a dog, widely known about in western Japan. The phenomenon of inugami spiritual possession was a kojutsu (also called “kodō” or “kodoku”, a greatly […]

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Jiraiya

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Category Jiraiya
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Jiraiya (自来也 or 児雷也, literally “Young Thunder”), originally known as Ogata Shuma Hiroyuki (尾形周馬寛行), is the toad-riding protagonist of the Japanese folk tale Katakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari (報仇奇談自来也説話) “The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya”). Jiraiya’s […]

Entry Jiraiya
Description 

Jiraiya (自来也 or 児雷也, literally “Young Thunder”), originally known as Ogata Shuma Hiroyuki (尾形周馬寛行), is the toad-riding protagonist of the Japanese folk tale Katakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari (報仇奇談自来也説話) “The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya”). Jiraiya’s […]

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Jorogumo

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Category Jorogumo
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Jorōgumo is a type of yōkai, a creature of Japanese folklore. It can shapeshift into a beautiful woman, so the kanji that represent its actual meaning are 女郎蜘蛛 (lit. ’woman-spider’); the kanji which are used to […]

Entry Jorogumo
Description 

Jorōgumo is a type of yōkai, a creature of Japanese folklore. It can shapeshift into a beautiful woman, so the kanji that represent its actual meaning are 女郎蜘蛛 (lit. ’woman-spider’); the kanji which are used to […]

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Kamikiri

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Kamikiri, the “hair-cutter”, is a Japanese yōkai said to secretly cut people’s hair on the head. They were rumored from time to time in the urban areas of the Edo Period, and can sporadically be […]

Entry Kamikiri
Description 

Kamikiri, the “hair-cutter”, is a Japanese yōkai said to secretly cut people’s hair on the head. They were rumored from time to time in the urban areas of the Edo Period, and can sporadically be […]

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Kappa

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In traditional Japanese folklore a kappa, “river-child”… is a reptiloid kami with similarities to yōkai. Kappa can become harmful when not respected as gods. Accounts typically depict them as green, human-like beings with webbed hands […]

Entry Kappa
Description 

In traditional Japanese folklore a kappa, “river-child”… is a reptiloid kami with similarities to yōkai. Kappa can become harmful when not respected as gods. Accounts typically depict them as green, human-like beings with webbed hands […]

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Kasha

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The kasha is a Japanese yōkai that steals the corpses of those who have died as a result of accumulating evil deeds. Kasha are yōkai that would steal corpses from funerals and cemeteries, and what […]

Entry Kasha
Description 

The kasha is a Japanese yōkai that steals the corpses of those who have died as a result of accumulating evil deeds. Kasha are yōkai that would steal corpses from funerals and cemeteries, and what […]

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Kirigakure Saizō

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Category Kirigakure Saizō
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Kirigakure Saizō (霧隠才蔵) was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Sengoku period of Japan. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is […]

Entry Kirigakure Saizō
Description 

Kirigakure Saizō (霧隠才蔵) was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Sengoku period of Japan. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is […]

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Konaki-jijii

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Konaki jijii are mountain-dwelling spirits who look like old human men. They carry walking sticks and wear straw raincoats on top of over-sized baby clothes. Konaki jijii get their name from their distinctive habit of […]

Entry Konaki-jijii
Description 

Konaki jijii are mountain-dwelling spirits who look like old human men. They carry walking sticks and wear straw raincoats on top of over-sized baby clothes. Konaki jijii get their name from their distinctive habit of […]

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Loogaroo

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Category Loogaroo
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The soucouyant or soucriant in Dominica, St. Lucian, Trinidadian, Guadeloupean folklore, also known as Loogaroo or Lougarou in Haiti, Louisiana, Grenada and elsewhere in the Caribbean, or Ole-Higue (also Ole Haig) in Guyana, Belize, and […]

Entry Loogaroo
Description 

The soucouyant or soucriant in Dominica, St. Lucian, Trinidadian, Guadeloupean folklore, also known as Loogaroo or Lougarou in Haiti, Louisiana, Grenada and elsewhere in the Caribbean, or Ole-Higue (also Ole Haig) in Guyana, Belize, and […]

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Mehitotsubo

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Mehitotsubō means “Buddhist priest with one eye”. Everything about his appearance is like a normal priest, except for the one eye in the middle of his face. He wears the black-and-white robes of a priest. […]

Entry Mehitotsubo
Description 

Mehitotsubō means “Buddhist priest with one eye”. Everything about his appearance is like a normal priest, except for the one eye in the middle of his face. He wears the black-and-white robes of a priest. […]

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Mi-no-kedachi

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Minokedachi are ugly spirits which resemble hairy old men. Their bodies are covered in short, bristly hairs which stand up on end–the feature which this yōkai is named for. Their backs are hunched over, their […]

Entry Mi-no-kedachi
Description 

Minokedachi are ugly spirits which resemble hairy old men. Their bodies are covered in short, bristly hairs which stand up on end–the feature which this yōkai is named for. Their backs are hunched over, their […]

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Miranda

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Category Miranda
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Miranda is one of the principal characters of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. She is the only female character to appear on stage. Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, another of the main characters of The […]

Entry Miranda
Description 

Miranda is one of the principal characters of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. She is the only female character to appear on stage. Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, another of the main characters of The […]

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Miyamoto Musashi

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Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵, c. 1584 – 13 June 1645) was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto […]

Entry Miyamoto Musashi
Description 

Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵, c. 1584 – 13 June 1645) was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto […]

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Nekomata

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Nekomata are Japanese yōkai said to have transformed from old and large cats. Some of the defining physical characteristics of the nekomata are that when these cats transform from ordinary animals into yōkai, their tails […]

Entry Nekomata
Description 

Nekomata are Japanese yōkai said to have transformed from old and large cats. Some of the defining physical characteristics of the nekomata are that when these cats transform from ordinary animals into yōkai, their tails […]

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Nikki Danjo

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Actor portraying Nikki Danjō, a villain from the kabuki play Sendai Hagi. Shown with hands in a kuji-in seal, which allows him to transform into a giant rat. Woodblock print on paper. Kunisada, 1857. Alias […]

Entry Nikki Danjo
Description 

Actor portraying Nikki Danjō, a villain from the kabuki play Sendai Hagi. Shown with hands in a kuji-in seal, which allows him to transform into a giant rat. Woodblock print on paper. Kunisada, 1857. Alias […]

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Nobusuma

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A bat which lives to a very old age develops magical powers and changes into a yōkai known as a nobusuma. They look almost identical to musasabi, or Japanese giant flying squirrels, although they are […]

Entry Nobusuma
Description 

A bat which lives to a very old age develops magical powers and changes into a yōkai known as a nobusuma. They look almost identical to musasabi, or Japanese giant flying squirrels, although they are […]

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Nuppeppo

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The nuppeppō is a yōkai that appears in Edo Period yōkai emaki such as the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō and the Hyakkai Zukan. It is depicted with indistinguishable wrinkles on its face and body as a […]

Entry Nuppeppo
Description 

The nuppeppō is a yōkai that appears in Edo Period yōkai emaki such as the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō and the Hyakkai Zukan. It is depicted with indistinguishable wrinkles on its face and body as a […]

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Nurarihyon

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Category Nurarihyon
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Nurarihyon is a Japanese yōkai. Generally, like the hyōtannamazu, they are considered a monster that cannot be caught. One can find that it often appears in the yōkai emaki of the Edo Period, but any […]

Entry Nurarihyon
Description 

Nurarihyon is a Japanese yōkai. Generally, like the hyōtannamazu, they are considered a monster that cannot be caught. One can find that it often appears in the yōkai emaki of the Edo Period, but any […]

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Nure-onna

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Category Nure-onna
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Nure-onna, a “wet woman”, looks like a reptile with a snake-like body and a woman’s head. Nure-onna tends to be a combination of sea serpent and vampire. She roams open waters such as oceans, rivers, […]

Entry Nure-onna
Description 

Nure-onna, a “wet woman”, looks like a reptile with a snake-like body and a woman’s head. Nure-onna tends to be a combination of sea serpent and vampire. She roams open waters such as oceans, rivers, […]

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Nuribotoke

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Category Nuribotoke
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The Nuribotoke is a yōkai found in Japanese yōkai emaki such as the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi. They are also depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien. They are depicted as an […]

Entry Nuribotoke
Description 

The Nuribotoke is a yōkai found in Japanese yōkai emaki such as the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi. They are also depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien. They are depicted as an […]

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Nurikabe

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Category Nurikabe
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The nurikabe is a yōkai, or spirit, from Japanese folklore. Its name translates to “plaster wall”, and it is said to manifest as an invisible wall that impedes or misdirects travelers walking at night. Sometimes […]

Entry Nurikabe
Description 

The nurikabe is a yōkai, or spirit, from Japanese folklore. Its name translates to “plaster wall”, and it is said to manifest as an invisible wall that impedes or misdirects travelers walking at night. Sometimes […]

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Obake

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Category Obake
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Obake and bakemono are a class of yōkai, preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean a thing that changes, referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. These words are often translated as […]

Entry Obake
Description 

Obake and bakemono are a class of yōkai, preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean a thing that changes, referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. These words are often translated as […]

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Oni

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Category Oni
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An oni (鬼) is a kind of yōkai, demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in the hell. Oni are known […]

Entry Oni
Description 

An oni (鬼) is a kind of yōkai, demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in the hell. Oni are known […]

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Orochimaru

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Category Orochimaru
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Orochimaru (大蛇丸), featured in the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari (The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya), is the archenemy of the ninja Jiraiya. He was once named Yashagorō (夜叉五郎) and was one of Jiraiya’s followers, […]

Entry Orochimaru
Description 

Orochimaru (大蛇丸), featured in the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari (The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya), is the archenemy of the ninja Jiraiya. He was once named Yashagorō (夜叉五郎) and was one of Jiraiya’s followers, […]

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Otsuji

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In the Kabuki version of the story, Gentazaemon arranged for Botaro to be sent to a remote temple where he intended to have him killed. Botaro’s nurse, Otsuji, was aware of the danger but could […]

Entry Otsuji
Description 

In the Kabuki version of the story, Gentazaemon arranged for Botaro to be sent to a remote temple where he intended to have him killed. Botaro’s nurse, Otsuji, was aware of the danger but could […]

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Otsuyu

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Category Otsuyu
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In the Kabuki version of a Japanese ghost story (kaidan), a young student named Saburo falls in love with a beautiful woman named Otsuyu, the daughter of his father’s best friend. They meet secretly, and […]

Entry Otsuyu
Description 

In the Kabuki version of a Japanese ghost story (kaidan), a young student named Saburo falls in love with a beautiful woman named Otsuyu, the daughter of his father’s best friend. They meet secretly, and […]

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Ouni

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Category Ouni
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Ouni looks like an ugly old woman with an angry face and a body covered in long, black hair. She is a kind of yamauba, or mountain hag. She lives deep in the mountains, away […]

Entry Ouni
Description 

Ouni looks like an ugly old woman with an angry face and a body covered in long, black hair. She is a kind of yamauba, or mountain hag. She lives deep in the mountains, away […]

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Oyajirome

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Category Oyajirome
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Remember back in elementary school when your teacher used to say that she had eyes in the back of her head? Well, you might not be surprised by this, but there’s a yokai for that! […]

Entry Oyajirome
Description 

Remember back in elementary school when your teacher used to say that she had eyes in the back of her head? Well, you might not be surprised by this, but there’s a yokai for that! […]

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Porthos

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Category Porthos
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Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and […]

Entry Porthos
Description 

Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and […]

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Prospero

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Category Prospero
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Prospero is the protagonist of William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea on a “rotten carcass” […]

Entry Prospero
Description 

Prospero is the protagonist of William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea on a “rotten carcass” […]

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Rokurokubi

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Category Rokurokubi
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Rokurokubi 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 […]

Entry Rokurokubi
Description 

Rokurokubi 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 […]

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Sakabashira

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Category Sakabashira
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Sakabashira is a folk belief about wooden structures in Japan, and it refers to reversing the vertical direction of a tree from its original direction of growth when using it to make a pillar in […]

Entry Sakabashira
Description 

Sakabashira is a folk belief about wooden structures in Japan, and it refers to reversing the vertical direction of a tree from its original direction of growth when using it to make a pillar in […]

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Sanada Yukimura

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Category Sanada Yukimura
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Sanada Nobushige (真田 信繁, 1567 – June 3, 1615), also known as Sanada Yukimura (真田 幸村), was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the […]

Entry Sanada Yukimura
Description 

Sanada Nobushige (真田 信繁, 1567 – June 3, 1615), also known as Sanada Yukimura (真田 幸村), was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the […]

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Sancho Panza

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Category Sancho Panza
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Before a fit of madness turned Alonso Quijano into Don Quixote, Sancho Panza was indeed his servant. When the novel begins, Sancho has been married for a long time to a woman named Teresa Cascajo […]

Entry Sancho Panza
Description 

Before a fit of madness turned Alonso Quijano into Don Quixote, Sancho Panza was indeed his servant. When the novel begins, Sancho has been married for a long time to a woman named Teresa Cascajo […]

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Sarutobi Sasuke

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Category Sarutobi Sasuke
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Sarutobi Sasuke is a ninja who appears in kōdan narrative art and fictional writings. The nickname is generally believed to have been concocted sometime between the Meiji to the Taishō periods. Some argue he is […]

Entry Sarutobi Sasuke
Description 

Sarutobi Sasuke is a ninja who appears in kōdan narrative art and fictional writings. The nickname is generally believed to have been concocted sometime between the Meiji to the Taishō periods. Some argue he is […]

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Shokera

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Category Shokera
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The shōkera is a large, dark-skinned, three-toed demon which spends most of its time lurking about on rooftops. Not much is known about this fearsome beast aside from its hunting practices. The shōkera is believed […]

Entry Shokera
Description 

The shōkera is a large, dark-skinned, three-toed demon which spends most of its time lurking about on rooftops. Not much is known about this fearsome beast aside from its hunting practices. The shōkera is believed […]

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Stingy Jack

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Category Stingy Jack
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Stingy Jack O’Lantern, also known as Jack the Smith, Drunk Jack, Flaky Jack or Jack-o’-lantern, is a mythical character sometimes associated with All Hallows Eve while also acting as the mascot of the holiday. The […]

Entry Stingy Jack
Description 

Stingy Jack O’Lantern, also known as Jack the Smith, Drunk Jack, Flaky Jack or Jack-o’-lantern, is a mythical character sometimes associated with All Hallows Eve while also acting as the mascot of the holiday. The […]

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Sycorax

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Category Sycorax
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Sycorax is an unseen character in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest (1611). She was a vicious, powerful witch, the now-deceased mother of Caliban, one of the few native inhabitants of the island on which Prospero […]

Entry Sycorax
Description 

Sycorax is an unseen character in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest (1611). She was a vicious, powerful witch, the now-deceased mother of Caliban, one of the few native inhabitants of the island on which Prospero […]

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Three Musketeers

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Category Three Musketeers
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Set between 1625 and 1628, Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 The Three Musketeers recounts the adventures of a young man named d’Artagnan (a character based on Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan) after he leaves home to travel to […]

Entry Three Musketeers
Description 

Set between 1625 and 1628, Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 The Three Musketeers recounts the adventures of a young man named d’Artagnan (a character based on Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan) after he leaves home to travel to […]

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Tsuchigumo

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Category Tsuchigumo
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Tsuchigumo is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore. The name Tsuchigumo is believed to be derived from tuchigomori (土隠); […]

Entry Tsuchigumo
Description 

Tsuchigumo is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore. The name Tsuchigumo is believed to be derived from tuchigomori (土隠); […]

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Tsunade

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Category Tsunade
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Jiraiya’s father was a castle laird in Kisushiu but is killed when he is young. Jiraiya becomes a bandit who uses his frog magic arts to help the poor and needy. Jiraiya fell in love […]

Entry Tsunade
Description 

Jiraiya’s father was a castle laird in Kisushiu but is killed when he is young. Jiraiya becomes a bandit who uses his frog magic arts to help the poor and needy. Jiraiya fell in love […]

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Tsurubebi

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Category Tsurubebi
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The tsurubebi is a fire yōkai that appears in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien. The illustration does not give any explanatory text, but according to Toriyama Sekien Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, (editor-in-chief, the literary […]

Entry Tsurubebi
Description 

The tsurubebi is a fire yōkai that appears in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien. The illustration does not give any explanatory text, but according to Toriyama Sekien Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, (editor-in-chief, the literary […]

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Ubagabi

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Category Ubagabi
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The ubagabi is an atmospheric ghost light in legends of Kawachi Province (now Osaka Prefecture) and Tanba Province (now northern Kyoto Prefecture). They are mentioned in old literature, such as the Tenpō period book the […]

Entry Ubagabi
Description 

The ubagabi is an atmospheric ghost light in legends of Kawachi Province (now Osaka Prefecture) and Tanba Province (now northern Kyoto Prefecture). They are mentioned in old literature, such as the Tenpō period book the […]

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Ubume

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Category Ubume
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Ubume are Japanese yōkai of pregnant women. Throughout folk stories and literature the identity and appearance of ubume varies. However, she is most commonly depicted as the spirit of a woman who has died during […]

Entry Ubume
Description 

Ubume are Japanese yōkai of pregnant women. Throughout folk stories and literature the identity and appearance of ubume varies. However, she is most commonly depicted as the spirit of a woman who has died during […]

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Uma-shika

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Category Uma-shika
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Mumashika are comical-looking yōkai with the body of a deer and the head of a horse. They have only one eye. A single horn sprouts from the back of their skull while fangs protrude from […]

Entry Uma-shika
Description 

Mumashika are comical-looking yōkai with the body of a deer and the head of a horse. They have only one eye. A single horn sprouts from the back of their skull while fangs protrude from […]

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Umibozu

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Category Umibozu
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Umibōzu is a giant, black, human-like being and is the figure of a yōkai from Japanese folklore. Little is known of the origin of umibōzu but it is a mythical sea-spirit creature and as such […]

Entry Umibozu
Description 

Umibōzu is a giant, black, human-like being and is the figure of a yōkai from Japanese folklore. Little is known of the origin of umibōzu but it is a mythical sea-spirit creature and as such […]

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Uwan

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Category Uwan
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An uwan is a Japanese yōkai depicted in Edo Period pictures such as the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi and the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama. They were depicted to be a teeth-blackened yōkai […]

Entry Uwan
Description 

An uwan is a Japanese yōkai depicted in Edo Period pictures such as the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi and the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama. They were depicted to be a teeth-blackened yōkai […]

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Waira

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The waira is a Japanese yōkai from Japanese emaki… depicted with the body of a giant ox and thick sharp claws growing on each of its front legs. Each of these emaki have no explanatory […]

Entry Waira
Description 

The waira is a Japanese yōkai from Japanese emaki… depicted with the body of a giant ox and thick sharp claws growing on each of its front legs. Each of these emaki have no explanatory […]

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Wendigo

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Category Wendigo
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Wendigo is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of […]

Entry Wendigo
Description 

Wendigo is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of […]

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Yako

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Category Yako
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Yako or nogitsune is a type of kitsune (fox spirit), as told in Kyūshū. To be possessed by it is called “yako-tsuki”. The word 野狐, lit. ’field fox’ or ‘wild fox’, is also used for foxes […]

Entry Yako
Description 

Yako or nogitsune is a type of kitsune (fox spirit), as told in Kyūshū. To be possessed by it is called “yako-tsuki”. The word 野狐, lit. ’field fox’ or ‘wild fox’, is also used for foxes […]

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Yama-uba

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Category Yama-uba
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Mostly said to resemble women, yamauba may be depicted as predatory monsters or benevolent beings. Depending on the text and translator, the yamauba often appears as a monstrous crone, “her unkempt hair long and golden […]

Entry Yama-uba
Description 

Mostly said to resemble women, yamauba may be depicted as predatory monsters or benevolent beings. Depending on the text and translator, the yamauba often appears as a monstrous crone, “her unkempt hair long and golden […]

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Yamabiko

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Category Yamabiko
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Yamabiko is a mountain god, spirit, and yōkai in Japanese folklore; the term “yamabiko” also refers to the echo that occurs in mountains, after which the yōkai is named. Literally translated, the term means “mountain […]

Entry Yamabiko
Description 

Yamabiko is a mountain god, spirit, and yōkai in Japanese folklore; the term “yamabiko” also refers to the echo that occurs in mountains, after which the yōkai is named. Literally translated, the term means “mountain […]

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Yamawaro

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Category Yamawaro
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Yamawaro is a yōkai (spirit) said to appear in mountains in Western Japan, starting in the Kyūshū region. According to mythology, it is sometimes said that they are kappa that have come to dwell in […]

Entry Yamawaro
Description 

Yamawaro is a yōkai (spirit) said to appear in mountains in Western Japan, starting in the Kyūshū region. According to mythology, it is sometimes said that they are kappa that have come to dwell in […]

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Yuki-onna

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Category Yuki-onna
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Yuki-onna, “snow woman”, is a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore that is often depicted in Japanese literature, films, or animation. In legends from the Ojiya region of Niigata Prefecture, a beautiful woman came to […]

Entry Yuki-onna
Description 

Yuki-onna, “snow woman”, is a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore that is often depicted in Japanese literature, films, or animation. In legends from the Ojiya region of Niigata Prefecture, a beautiful woman came to […]

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Yume-no-seirei

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Category Yume-no-seirei
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Yume-no-seirei is a mysterious yōkai in Japanese mythology believed to cause nightmares. Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the Heian and Edo periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the […]

Entry Yume-no-seirei
Description 

Yume-no-seirei is a mysterious yōkai in Japanese mythology believed to cause nightmares. Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the Heian and Edo periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the […]

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Yurei

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Category Yurei
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Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. Like their Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife. According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans […]

Entry Yurei
Description 

Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. Like their Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife. According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans […]