Myths and realities

 monsters of Japan and the reality behind them

     Japan is a fascinating nation, known for its culture in various aspects and for its relevance worldwide, This country being the example of how to maintain a balance between ancient tradition and modern technology.

The most striking thing about Japan for connoisseurs and historians is its rich culture and history, especially the legends of the yokai, very varied spectral beings, representing multiple mysterious and everyday Japanese aspects, from the simple and satirical to playing with the deepest emotions and fears of the human being.

These beings also have very varied forms and according to their worldview they end up fulfilling the roles of ghosts, monsters, demons, semi-gods and even minor Gods, but why didn't they know that there are a small handful of these, who could be real scientifically speaking, we begin.

Raiju, the thunder beast

This is a being from the legends of Shintoism, being a creature according to legends composed of electricity, which takes the forms of animals such as cats, dogs, badgers, mongooses or weasels, but above all a white and blue wolf, which comes down to earth to cause disasters during storms.

Raiju is the companion of Raijin, Shinto god of lightning and thunder, being a calm and harmless being until the appearance of storms, which is when he It becomes extremely wild and jumps, causing destruction. It is said that if a tree shows the marks of lightning, people say that Raiju's claws have scratched it.

Before you start complaining, I can say that this being seems to have a real basis, since there are actually 2 supposed bodies of raiju specimens in Shinto temples.

The first was recorded in 1960, at the Yūzanji temple in Iwate prefecture, being a mummy gifted by a parishioner, the origin of the mummy, as well as the way in which the donor obtained it, is a mystery, here is the photograph.

Likewise, the second copy is currently on display at the Saishōji temple, in Niigata prefecture.

But the question is, what are these beings? At first glance we could see a feline appearance, or even think that they are cats, but they are Observers will notice that the head, size and length of the limbs do not match any known feline, in addition to the pronounced fangs.

Perhaps it was a strange variety of ancient cat or a species that inhabited the Japanese region in ancient times, but that it is now extinct, it is a shame, but due to the cult nature of mummies, we may never know what they really are.

Personally, I like to think that it was a type of feline similar to the serval, which lived in ancient times in Japan, but today it is extinct due to the hunting that may have been given to it.

Kappa, the river monster

   These are grotesque creatures with the appearance of a turtle, being seen in different ways, Shintoists consider them as a suijin, a minor water deity, while Japanese Buddhism regards them as hungry monsters.

It is said that these live near rivers and sewers, where they hunt human beings, described as beings with the appearance of humanoid and grotesque turtles, these were greatly feared in ancient times.

But, there may be something more behind the myth, there is a lot of false evidence and joke figurines and taxidermy, but there is one, which does not seem to be so.

For a time in 2014, the remains of an alleged Kappa's arm and leg were displayed at the Miyakonojo Shimazu Residence museum in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu, being according to remains of one of these creatures shot to death around the year 1818 by the ancestor of the family.

From here we can note that these remains seem authentic, being mummified, sadly there was no interest from scientists to study them, due to the religious beliefs of that country and out of respect for the possessing family.

From my point of view and seeing the morphology, they remind me of the legs of an Otter or a platypus, maybe and only maybe the Kappa existed, and was nothing more than an ancient monotreme-like animal, some others theorize that this could have been a type of giant tortoise, but Maybe we will never know and these beings are already extinct. 

Tengu, the wind demon 

   Tengu are a very strange and terrifying type of yokai, represented in Shintoism as wind demons and in Buddhism as disturbing demons., aggressive and heralds of war, represented as enormous humanoids with red skin and bird-like features, although gradually their figure softened to become one of the protective spirits of the mountains and forests, but, there is something that could suggest that these "demons" could have a real basis.

There is an urban legend, which is practically unknown and which almost no one has talked about in the West, but which today I will show here:

Large crow-like birds, said to prowl rural areas of Japan, are described as similar to conventional crows, only these are more aggressive and larger, measuring 2 meters long in their wingspan, except that these are more shy and have almost semi-diurnal behavior, since they are more active at dusk and at night.

Some say that they are just larger and more aggressive crows than normal and others have the idea that they could be a new species, the truth is that no entity has been interested in the case and The physical evidence that exists could only be found in those rural towns, until interest is shown, this cannot be proven or denied, but since ancient tengu descriptions match more with a bird than a humanoid monster perhaps that is where the origin of the myth lies, as well as other mythical beings from folklore such as Yatagarasu.

Tsuchinoko, the elusive reptile

  This is an ancient legend, it is not known where it came from, but it describes a small reptile.

According to legend, the Tsuchinoko is described as being approximately 30 to 80 centimeters long, similar in appearance to a snake, but with a central thickness much wider than its head or tail, it has poisonous fangs similar to those of a viper, in some stories it is even attributed the ability to jump great distances and even be able to vocalize words.

But, there have been multiple alleged reports and sightings that would suggest the existence of these reptiles as real flesh and blood beings, ranging from photographs, even supposed videos, however, according to scientific criteria, almost all of this evidence is or has been false, except for 2 cases.

The first occurred in 2000 and was a trend in those years, where it shows us a photo of the corpse of a strange creature that was seen by residents on a mountain slope in the city of Akaiwa, Okayama prefecture, which after being analyzed by biologists it was known that it was a real photo, below we have the photograph:

The second comes from a case in Yogo Prefecture, in the city of Shisha, where an old man claimed to have the body of a tsuchinoko stored away, this was subjected to extensive analysis and investigation, but due to much it remained unfinished, here is a recent photo of the corpse:

Both cases remained uninvestigated, the first because the animal's remains were never heard of again.

And the second, because the owner of the mummy did not want to hand it over, since he considered it too valuable a specimen, and that it deserved better to remain in his hands, to prevent something from happening to it or ending the legend, (I leave a link in case you like to read below).

Be that as it may, it is not unreasonable to think that the tsuchinoko is real, morphologically speaking its anatomy is very possible that it exists, perhaps not as an ophidian, but as a relative of lizards.

 In short, it is curious to see how legends come to life and become real when you discover that these are not such fantastical legends, and that there are possibly real animals behind them, demonstrating that our planet and historical past is still very difficult to understand

[Read the link]

https://web-mu.jp/paranormal/10484/

https://web-mu.jp/history/8290/

https://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/national/life_topic/20140527000073