japanese folklore
Sep 25, 2026
The Boy Who Brings the Rain
A journal entry on Amefurikozō, the straw-cloaked yōkai said to walk the roads of Japan on rainy nights, and the uncertain business of blaming a child-sized spirit for the weather.
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Sep 12, 2026
The Laughter on the Ridge
A journal entry on the tengu, the long-nosed mountain spirits of Japan, recorded among the cedars of Mount Kurama where they are said to still watch the paths after dark.
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Sep 9, 2026
The Lantern That Walks Itself
A survey of the tanuki, Japan's shapeshifting raccoon dog, and the strange lantern-lights said to follow lonely mountain roads at dusk.
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Aug 14, 2026
The Line Nothing Crosses
A short account of the salt circle, a protective boundary drawn against unwelcome spirits, and why so many unrelated traditions arrived at the same substance and the same shape.
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Aug 4, 2026
The Crane That Carries Souls
In the snow-fields of Hokkaido, the red-crowned crane is read as more than a bird: a creature of thousand-year age, marital constancy, and passage between the living and the dead.
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Jul 28, 2026
The Nine-Tailed Fires
A visit to the vermillion gates of Fushimi Inari leads into the older, wilder lore of the kitsune: the fox spirit whose age is counted in tails and whose lanterns still walk the mountain roads at night.
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