List of legendary creatures from Japan

A

Abumi-guchi – A furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander who worked for Yamata no Orochi.

Abura-akago – An infant ghost who licks the oil out of andon lamps.

Abura-sumashi – A spirit with a large head who lives on a mountain pass in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Akabeko – A red cow involved in the construction of Enzō-ji in Yanaizu, Fukushima.

Akaname – A spirit who licks off filth in untidy bathrooms.

Akashita – A creature that looms in a black cloud over a floodgate.

Akateko – A red hand dangling out of a tree.

Akkorokamui – An Ainu monster resembling a fish or octopus.

Akurojin-no-hi – A ghostly fire from Mie Prefecture.

Amabie – A Japanese mermaid yokai.

Amaburakosagi – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Shikoku.

Amamehagi – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Hokuriku.

Amanojaku – A small demon that instigates people into wickedness.

Amanozako – A monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki.

Amazake-babaa – An old woman who asks for sweet sake and brings disease.

Amefurikozō – A little boy spirit who plays in the rain.

Amemasu – An Ainu creature resembling a fish or whale.

Ameonna – A rain-making female spirit.

Amikiri – A net-cutting bird-headed, crustacean-armed, snake-bodied spirit.

Amorōnagu – A Tennyo from the island of Amami Ōshima.

Amaterasu – A sun goddess.

Anmo – A ritual-disciplinary demon from Iwate Prefecture.

Aoandon – The demonic spirit which arises from an andon lamp at the end of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.

Aobōzu – The blue monk who kidnaps children.

Aonyōbō – A female ghost who lurks in an abandoned imperial palace.

Aosaginohi – A luminescent heron.

Arikura-no-baba – An old woman with magical powers.

Ashimagari – A spirit which entangles the legs of travelers.

Ashinagatenaga – A pair of characters, one with long legs and the other with long arms.

Ayakashi (yōkai) – A phenomenon considered to be the funayurei.

Azukiarai (or Azukitogi) – A spirit that washes azuki beans.

B

Bake-kujira – A ghostly whale skeleton that drifts along the coastline of Shimane Prefecture.

Bakeneko – A shape-shifting cat.

Bakezōri – A zori straw sandal spirit.

Baku (spirit) – Supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.

Basan – A large fire-breathing chicken monster.

Bashōnosei

Betobeto-san – Invisible spirit which follows people at night, making the sound of footsteps.

Binbōgami – The spirit of poverty.

Biwa-bokuboku- Animated biwa lute.

Buruburu

Byakko – Japanese version of the Chinese White Tiger.

Byōbunozoki

C

Chōchinobake – A possessed chōchin lantern.

Chōchinbi – Demonic flames which appear in footpaths between rice-fields.

D

Daidarabotchi – A giant responsible for creating the geographical features of Japan.

Daitengu – The most powerful tengu, each of whom lives on a separate mountain.

Danzaburou-danuki – a tanuki from Sado Island.

Datsue-ba – An old woman in the Underworld who removes clothes (or skin if unclothed) of the dead.

Dodomeki – A hundred-eyed demon.

E

Enenra – A monster made of smoke.

Enkō – Kappa of Shikoku and western Honshū.

F

Fūjin – The wind god.

Fūri – A monkey-like yokai.

Funayūrei – Ghosts of people who died at sea.

Furaribi – A creature engulfed in flames that flies aimlessly.

Furutsubaki-no-rei – A soul-sucking plant.

Furu-utsubo – An animated jar.

Futakuchi-onna – The two-mouthed woman.

G

Gagoze – A demon who attacked young priests at Gangō-ji temple.

Gaki – Starving ghosts of especially greedy people.

Gashadokuro – A giant skeleton that is the spirit of the unburied dead. Also known as Gaikotsu.

Genbu – Japanese version of the Chinese Black Tortoise.

Goryō – The vengeful spirits of the dead.

Gozu and Mezu – Underworld guards.

Guhin – Another name for tengu.

Gyūki – Another name for Ushi-oni.

H

Hakanohi

Hakuja no Myojin – A white serpent God.

Hakutaku – A beast which handed down knowledge on harmful spirits.

Hanako-san – A spirit of a young World War II–era girl who haunts school restrooms.

Hannya – A noh mask representing a jealous female demon.

Harionago – A woman with a thorn-like barb on the tip of each strand of her hair.

Hashihime – A woman-turned-spirit associated with the bridge at Uji.

Heikegani – Crabs with human-faced shells. They are the spirits of the warriors killed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.

Hibagon – The Japanese version of the Bigfoot or the Yeti.

Hiderigami – The spirit of drought.

Hihi – A baboon-like Chinese yokai.

Hikeshibaba – An old woman who extinguishes lanterns.

Hinode

Hitodama – A fireball ghost that appears when someone dies, signifying the dead person's spirit.

Hitotsume-kozō – A one-eyed child spirit.

Hitotsume-nyūdō – A one-eyed monk spirit.

Hiyoribō – The spirit which stops rainfall.

Hoji – The wicked spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.

Hone-onna – A skeleton-woman.

Hō-ō – The legendary Fenghuang bird of China.

Hoshi-no-Tama – A ball guarded by a Kitsune (fox) which can give the one who obtains it power to force the Kitsune to help them. It is said to hold some reserves of the Kitsune's power.

Hōsōshi – A ritual exorcist.

Hotoke – A deceased person.

Hyakki Yakō – The demons' night parade.

Hyōsube – A kind of hair-covered Kappa.

I

Ibaraki-doji – Offspring of an oni.

Ichiren-Bozu – Animated prayer beads.

Ikiryō – Essentially a living ghost, as it is a living person's soul outside of their body.

Ikuchi – Sea-serpent that travels over boats in an arc while dripping oil.

Inugami – A dog-spirit created, worshipped, and employed by a family via sorcery.

Inugami Gyoubu – A type of tanuki.

Isonade – A fish-like sea monster with a barb-covered tail.

Issie – A lake monster.

Itsumade – A fire-breathing bird-like monster.

Ittan-momen – A possessed roll of cotton that attempts to smother people by wrapping itself around their faces.

Iyaya – A woman whose face is reflected as an old man.

J

Jami - A wicked mountain spirit.

Janjanbi – A soul in the form of a ball of fire, named for the sound it makes.

Jibakurei – A spirit that protects a specific place.

Jikininki – Ghosts that eats human corpses.

Jinmenju – A tree with human-faced fruits.

Jishin-namazu – The giant catfish that causes earthquakes and tsunami. It was blamed during the Ansei quake & tsunami.

Jorōgumo – A spider-woman.

Jatai – Animated folding screen cloth.

Jubokko – A vampiric tree.

K

Kahaku (河伯) – Another name for a Kappa.

Kakurezato

Kamaitachi – The slashing sickle-clawed weasel that haunts the mountains.

Kambarinyōdō – A monk spirit that spies on people using the toilet.

Kōtahi (コタヒ) - A Manawa Bradford, a spirit monkey that is very hairy and gets engulfed in rage. The "Kotahi" is also commonly referred to as "カノト"

Kameosa – A possessed sake jar.

Kanedama – A spirit that carries money.

Kappa – A famous water monster with a water-filled head and a love of cucumbers.

Karasu-tengu – Crow demon.

Karura – Anthropomorphic eagle akin to the Hindu Garuda.

Kasa-obake – A possessed paper umbrella monster.

Kasha – A cat-like demon that descends from the sky and carries away corpses.

Katawaguruma – A type of Wanyudo, with an anguished woman instead of a monk's head in a burning wheel.

Kawauso – River otters.

Kawaakago – A river spirit that pretends to be a crying baby.

Kechibi – Fireballs with human faces inside.

Keneō – An old man seated in the underworld who weighs the clothes given to him by Datsue-ba.

Keseran Paseran – Creature from folklore that resembles a ball of fluff floating in the air.

Keukegen – A small dog-like creature covered entirely in long hair.

Kijimuna – A tree sprite from Okinawa.

Kirin – The Japanese version of the Qilin of China, which is part dragon and part deer with antlers, fish scales and an ox's tail. Said to be a protective creature and the guardian of the metal element.

Kitsune – A fox spirit.

Kitsunebi – Flames created by the Kitsune.

Kitsune no yomeiri

Kiyohime – A woman who transformed into a serpent demon out of the rage of unrequited love.

Kodama – A spirit that lives in a tree.

Kodama Nezumi - A spherical Japanese dormouse, would swell up and explode at the approach of humans, the Matagi saw it as an omen and would not hunt that day if one was seen.

Kokakuchō – The Ubume bird.

Komainu – The pair of lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.

Konaki-jiji – This yokai disguises itself as an abandoned baby then cries until someone picks it up.

Konoha-tengu – A bird-like Tengu.

Koropokkuru – A little person from Ainu folklore.

Kosenjōbi – Fireballs that float over former battlefields.

Kosode-no-te – A possessed kosode.

Kubikajiri – Female corpse-chewing graveyard spirit.

Kuchisake-onna – The slit-mouthed woman.

Kuda-gitsune – A small fox-like animal used in sorcery.

Kudan - A cow with a human face.

Kyonshī – The Japanese version of the Chinese hopping vampire, known as "jiangshi".

Kumo Yōkai – A Japanese spider demon.

Kyōkotsu – A skeletal figure that emerges from a well.

Kyōrinrin – Possessed scrolls or papers.

M

Mekurabe – The multiplying skulls that menaced Taira no Kiyomori in his courtyard.

Miage-nyūdō – A spirit that grows as fast as you can look up at it.

Mikaribaba – A one-eyed old woman.

Mikoshi-nyūdō – A bald goblin with an extending neck.

Misaki – High-ranking divine spirits.

Mizuchi – A dangerous water dragon.

Mokumokuren – A swarm of eyes that appear on a paper sliding door in an old building.

Momonjī

Mononoke – Any mischievous and troublesome creature/entity of uncertain origin.

Morinji-no-kama – Another name for Bunbuku Chagama, the tanuki teakettle.

Mōryō

Mujina – A shapeshifting badger.

Mu-onna – The nothing woman.

Myōbu – A title sometimes given to a fox.

N

Namahage – A ritual-disciplinary demon from the Oga Peninsula.

Namazu – A giant catfish that causes earthquakes.

Nekomata – A cat yokai.

Nuppeppō - A genderless blob of flesh with a hint of a face in the folds of fat.

Ningyo – A fish person or "mermaid".

Nobusuma – A flying squirrel-like monster.

Noderabō – Strange creatures that stand near a temple bell.

Noppera-bō – A faceless ghost.

Nozuchi – A fat snake-like creature.

Nogitsune – A dangerous kitsune.

Nue – A monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake-headed tail. It plagued the emperor with nightmares in the Heike Monogatari.

Nukekubi – A vicious human-like monster whose head detaches from its body, often confused with the Rokurokubi.

Nuppeppo – An animated lump of decaying human flesh.

Nure-onna – A female snake-like monster who appears on the shore.

Nuribotoke – An animated corpse with blackened flesh and dangling eyeballs.

Nurikabe – A ghostly wall that traps a traveler at night.

Nurarihyon – A strange character who sneaks into houses on busy evenings.

Nyūdō-bōzu – A yokai that grows larger the further one looks up.

Nyūnaisuzume

O

Obake (or Bakemono) – Shapeshifting spirits.

Obariyon – Yokai which rides piggyback on a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy.

Oboroguruma – An oxen cart with a face in its carriage.

Oiwa – The ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband. One of the most famous onryō.

Ōkaburo

Ōgama - A giant toad which breathes rainbow-like smoke and wields a giant spear against whoever attacks it.

Okami – A powerful wolf spirit that either takes your life or protects it.

Okiku – The plate-counting ghost of a servant girl.

Ōkubi – The huge face of a woman which appears in the sky.

Okuri-inu – A spectral dog which follows lone travellers, attacking them if they trip. Similar to the Black dog of English folklore.

Ōmagatoki – Dusk.

Ōmukade – Giant, human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains.

Oni – The classic Japanese demon. It is an ogre-like creature which often has horns.

Oni of Rashomon

Onibaba – The demonic hag of Adachigahara.

Onibi – A demonic flame which can suck out life if they come too near.

Onihitokuchi – One-eyed oni that kill and eat humans.

Onikuma - Bear yokai.

Onmoraki – Bird-demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses.

Ōnyūdō – Wastebasket taxon for all 'priestly' demons.

Onryō – A vengeful ghost formed from powerful feelings like rage or sorrow.

Otoroshi – A hairy creature that perches on the torii gates to shrines and temples.

Onmyoji – A human who has powers like a yokai's.

Osakabe

R

Raijin – The God of Thunder.

Raijū – A beast that falls to earth in a lightning bolt.

Rōjinbi – A ghostly fire that appears with an old person.

Rokurokubi – A person, usually female, whose neck can stretch indefinitely.

Ryuu – The Japanese dragon.

S

Sa Gojō – The water-monster Sha Wujing from Journey to the West, often interpreted in Japan as a Kappa.

Samebito – A shark-man from the undersea Dragon Palace.

Sankai – Amorphous afterbirth spirit.

Sansei

Sarakazoe

Satori – An ape-like creature that can read one's thoughts.

Sazae-oni – A turban snail that turns into a woman.

Sesshō-seki – The poisonous "killing stones" which Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into.

Seiryū – Japanese version of the Chinese Azure Dragon.

Shachihoko – A tiger-headed fish whose image is often used in architecture.

Shibaemon-tanuki – A tanuki from Awaji Island.

Shichinin misaki – A group of 7 ghosts who sicken the living.

Shidaidaka – A humanoid yokai that appears above roads.

Shikigami – A spirit summoned to do the bidding of an Onmyōji.

Shikome – Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.

Shinigami – The Japanese Grim Reaper.

Shiranui – A mysterious flame seen over the seas in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Shirime (尻目) – An apparition in the shape of a man having an eye in the place of his anus.

Shirōneri – Possessed mosquito nettings or dust clothes.

Shiryō – The souls of the dead, the opposite of ikiryo.

Shisa – The Okinawan version of the Shishi.

Shishi – The paired lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.

Shōjō – Red-haired sea sprites who love alcohol.

Shōkera – Is a creature which peeks in through the skylight of an old house.

Sōjōbō – The famous Daitengu of Mount Kurama.

Suiko – Another name for Kappa.

Son Gokū – The monkey king Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.

Sunakake Baba – A witch who uses sand.

Sunekosuri – A dog-like yokai that rubs up against people's legs when it is raining.

Shuten-doji

Suzaku – Japanese version of the Chinese Vermilion Bird.

Suzuri-no-tamashii

T

Taka-onna – A female monster that can stretch its waist to peer inside buildings.

Tamamo-no-Mae – A wicked nine-tailed fox who appeared as a courtesan.

Tanuki – A shape-shifting raccoon dog.

Teke Teke – A vengeful spirit of a school girl, with a half upper torso body, who goes around killing people by slicing them in half with a scythe, mimicking her own disfigurement.

Ten

Tengu – A wise demon with two variants: a red man with a long nose, or a bird-like demon.

Tenjōkudari

Tenka (kaika)

Tenko (fox)

Tennin – A heavenly being.

Te-no-me – A ghost of a blind man with his eyes on his hands.

Teratsutsuki

Tesso – A priest who was snubbed by the emperor and became a swarm of rats which laid waste to a rival temple.

Tōfu-kozō – A yokai that appears as a young boy carrying a plate of tofu.

Tsuchigumo – A clan of spider-like yokai.

Tsuchinoko – A legendary serpentine monster. It is now a cryptid resembling a fat snake.

Tsukinowaguma – A legendary bear.

Tsukuyomi – A moon god.

Tsukumogami – An animated tea caddy that Matsunaga Hisahide used to bargain a peace with Oda Nobunaga. It is now understood to mean any 100-year-old inanimate object that has come to life.

Tsurube-otoshi – A monster that drops out of the tops of trees.

Tomoe(fox)

U

Ubume – The spirit of a woman who died in childbirth.

Uma-no-ashi – A horse's leg which dangles from a tree and kicks passersby.

Umibōzu – A giant monster appearing on the surface of the sea.

Umi-nyōbō – A female sea monster who steals fish.

Ungaikyo – A possessed mirror.

Ushi-no-tokimairi

Ushi-oni – A name given to an assortment of ox-headed monsters.

Ushi-onna - A kimono-clad woman with a cow head.

Ushirogami

Uwan – A spirit named for the sound it shouts when surprising people.

W

Waira – A large beast that lurks in the mountains, about which little is known.

Wani – A water monster comparable to an alligator or crocodile. A related word has been applied to the Saltwater crocodile.

Wanyūdō – A flaming wheel with a man's head in the center, that sucks out the soul of anyone who sees it.

Y

Yadōkai – Monks who have turned to mischief.

Yama-biko – Small creatures that create echoes.

Yamajijii – An old man with one eye and one leg.

Yamako

Yamaoroshi – A possessed vegetable grater, almost porcupine-like in appearance.

Yamata no Orochi – The eight-headed dragon/serpent monster slain by the god Susanoo.

Yama-inu – Dog-like mountain spirit, that may appear to travelers on mountain roads; may be friendly, or may attack and kill the traveler, depending on the tale, (also see the Japanese wolf).

Yama-uba – A Crone-like yōkai.

Yashima no Hage-tanuki – A tanuki that protects the Taira clan.

Yatagarasu – The three-legged crow of Amaterasu.

Yato-no-kami – Deadly Snake Gods which infested a field.

Yobuko – A mountain-dwelling spirit.

Yōkai/Youkai – A class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. They can also be called ayakashi (妖?), mononoke (物の怪?), or mamono (魔物?).

Yomotsu-shikome – The hags of the underworld.

Yonakinoishi

Yōsei – The Japanese word for "fairy".

Yosuzume – A mysterious bird that sings at night, sometimes indicating that the okuri-inu is near.

Yuki-onna – The snow woman.

Yurei – Ghosts in a more Western sense.

Z

Zashiki-warashi – A protective childlike house spirit.

Zennyo Ryūō – A rain-making dragon.

Zorigami – An animated clock.

Zuijin – A tutelary spirit.

Zunbera-bō – Another name for the Noppera-bō.