curious ordinary
@curiousordinary.bsky.social
▪️Folklore▪️Myth▪️Magic▪️Art▪️
Sharing Japanese and supernatural folklore, mythology, yokai, culture and art. Also love books, cats, crows and trees.
http://linktr.ee/curiousordinary
Sharing Japanese and supernatural folklore, mythology, yokai, culture and art. Also love books, cats, crows and trees.
http://linktr.ee/curiousordinary
The cover of an e-hon (picture book) from a series of books titled 'Yamato Bunko.' This 1861 cover print is by Utagawa Kunisada and depicts a cat on a kotatsu (foot warmer).
#Caturday #JapaneseArt
#Caturday #JapaneseArt
November 8, 2025 at 12:55 AM
The cover of an e-hon (picture book) from a series of books titled 'Yamato Bunko.' This 1861 cover print is by Utagawa Kunisada and depicts a cat on a kotatsu (foot warmer).
#Caturday #JapaneseArt
#Caturday #JapaneseArt
In Japan there is a famous tale about Oiwa whose husband disfigured her so he could remarry. This ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1852) shows the vengeful ghost of Oiwa squeezing blood from her hair, watched by her terrified husband who she endlessly haunted.
#FolkyFriday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
#FolkyFriday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
November 7, 2025 at 12:30 PM
In Japan there is a famous tale about Oiwa whose husband disfigured her so he could remarry. This ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1852) shows the vengeful ghost of Oiwa squeezing blood from her hair, watched by her terrified husband who she endlessly haunted.
#FolkyFriday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
#FolkyFriday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
'Two Women in a Gusty Autumn Landscape' from the series 'The Six Immortal Poets' - Katsukawa Shunsho, ca. 1771. From the Art Institute of Chicago collection.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
November 7, 2025 at 12:28 AM
'Two Women in a Gusty Autumn Landscape' from the series 'The Six Immortal Poets' - Katsukawa Shunsho, ca. 1771. From the Art Institute of Chicago collection.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
November 7, 2025 at 12:24 AM
...tales of being shot. If a regular Buddhist exorcism was unsuccessful, a visit to a wolf shrine was required as apparently foxes are terrified of wolves. Otora gitsune was eventually killed by a hunter but its descendants continued to possess people to tell his story.
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🎨Iman Joy El Shami-Mader
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🎨Iman Joy El Shami-Mader
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
...tales of being shot. If a regular Buddhist exorcism was unsuccessful, a visit to a wolf shrine was required as apparently foxes are terrified of wolves. Otora gitsune was eventually killed by a hunter but its descendants continued to possess people to tell his story.
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🎨Iman Joy El Shami-Mader
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🎨Iman Joy El Shami-Mader
Today I learnt about a three-legged, one-eyed shapeshifting kitsune ( #yokai fox) known as Otora gitsune who possesses humans and talks about its wartime experiences. Those possessed suffer from discharge from their left eye, an aching left leg, and they recount...
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🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Today I learnt about a three-legged, one-eyed shapeshifting kitsune ( #yokai fox) known as Otora gitsune who possesses humans and talks about its wartime experiences. Those possessed suffer from discharge from their left eye, an aching left leg, and they recount...
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🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
'Moon and Lake Biwa' from the series 'The Scenic Places of Tokaido' - Utagawa Yoshitsuya, 1863.
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
November 5, 2025 at 12:41 PM
'Moon and Lake Biwa' from the series 'The Scenic Places of Tokaido' - Utagawa Yoshitsuya, 1863.
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
November 5, 2025 at 12:34 PM
November 3, 2025 at 12:13 AM
October 31, 2025 at 8:52 AM
...in the terror they cause. When a victim runs from one faceless #yokai they find themselves confronted with yet another. Sometimes nopperabo even take the form of family members or friends to really freak their victims out. It is believed that these yokai are actually shapeshifting tanuki,...
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October 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
...in the terror they cause. When a victim runs from one faceless #yokai they find themselves confronted with yet another. Sometimes nopperabo even take the form of family members or friends to really freak their victims out. It is believed that these yokai are actually shapeshifting tanuki,...
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...around on dark streets, often keeping their backs turned until people get close, whereupon it turns to reveal a featureless face. In some cases it will initially appear with a face, but use one hand to wipe it away, revealing a featureless orb instead. Nopperabo work in groups, delighting...
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October 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
...around on dark streets, often keeping their backs turned until people get close, whereupon it turns to reveal a featureless face. In some cases it will initially appear with a face, but use one hand to wipe it away, revealing a featureless orb instead. Nopperabo work in groups, delighting...
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Nopperabo is a strange supernatural phenomenon from #JapaneseFolklore. This yokai appears just like any normal human, but it is far from ordinary because it has no face. Generally nopperabo aim to scare unsuspecting victims out of their wits. They lurk...
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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October 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Nopperabo is a strange supernatural phenomenon from #JapaneseFolklore. This yokai appears just like any normal human, but it is far from ordinary because it has no face. Generally nopperabo aim to scare unsuspecting victims out of their wits. They lurk...
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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... broom which will cause her to scurry away and hide under the floorboards. In the past there was a belief that each part of the house had a guardian spirit and nando baba may once have been one of these. Over time the custom evolved and she became known as a yokai instead.
🎨Shigeru Mizuki
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🎨Shigeru Mizuki
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October 29, 2025 at 8:59 AM
... broom which will cause her to scurry away and hide under the floorboards. In the past there was a belief that each part of the house had a guardian spirit and nando baba may once have been one of these. Over time the custom evolved and she became known as a yokai instead.
🎨Shigeru Mizuki
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🎨Shigeru Mizuki
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In #JapaneseFolklore nando baba is the storeroom hag who lurks inside closets. Appearing as a ragged old woman this #yokai is fairly harmless but is known to leap out screaming and chase you. It seems the best defence is to hit her over the head with a...
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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October 29, 2025 at 8:59 AM
In #JapaneseFolklore nando baba is the storeroom hag who lurks inside closets. Appearing as a ragged old woman this #yokai is fairly harmless but is known to leap out screaming and chase you. It seems the best defence is to hit her over the head with a...
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
1/2
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
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Torii marking the entrance to Awata Shrine, a small hilltop shrine in northern Higashiyama, Kyoto.
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #Japan
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #Japan
October 28, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Torii marking the entrance to Awata Shrine, a small hilltop shrine in northern Higashiyama, Kyoto.
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #Japan
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #Japan
'Torii at Itsukushima' from the series 'Views of the Famous Sights of Japan' - Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1896.
#ToriiTuesday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
#ToriiTuesday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
October 28, 2025 at 12:57 AM
'Torii at Itsukushima' from the series 'Views of the Famous Sights of Japan' - Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1896.
#ToriiTuesday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
#ToriiTuesday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
The final print in this thread is 'Wolf Tattoo' by Toyohara Kunichika, 1863. It apparently shows kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon with a (possibly #yokai) wolf tattoo on his arm.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
The final print in this thread is 'Wolf Tattoo' by Toyohara Kunichika, 1863. It apparently shows kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon with a (possibly #yokai) wolf tattoo on his arm.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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Here are two more #ukiyoe prints, the first is 'Dragon Tattoo' by Utagawa Kunisada, 1863. The second is 'Thistle Tattoo' by Toyohara Kunichika, 1865.
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Here are two more #ukiyoe prints, the first is 'Dragon Tattoo' by Utagawa Kunisada, 1863. The second is 'Thistle Tattoo' by Toyohara Kunichika, 1865.
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The triptych print below by
Utagawa Kunisada shows three tattooed men. The one on the left has a large dragon Tattoo and the others have intricate floral designs and depictions of heroes.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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Utagawa Kunisada shows three tattooed men. The one on the left has a large dragon Tattoo and the others have intricate floral designs and depictions of heroes.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
The triptych print below by
Utagawa Kunisada shows three tattooed men. The one on the left has a large dragon Tattoo and the others have intricate floral designs and depictions of heroes.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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Utagawa Kunisada shows three tattooed men. The one on the left has a large dragon Tattoo and the others have intricate floral designs and depictions of heroes.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
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...the Chinese novel Suikoden. Apparently he had nine dragon tattoos, and was therefore known as 'Kumonryu' (Nine Dragons). The print below by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1885) is titled 'The Village of the Shi Clan on a Moonlit Night' and also depicts Shi Jin and his dragon tattoos.
#JapaneseArt
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#JapaneseArt
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
...the Chinese novel Suikoden. Apparently he had nine dragon tattoos, and was therefore known as 'Kumonryu' (Nine Dragons). The print below by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1885) is titled 'The Village of the Shi Clan on a Moonlit Night' and also depicts Shi Jin and his dragon tattoos.
#JapaneseArt
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#JapaneseArt
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...actors with tattoos showing the heroes from the novels. As a result, demand increased for this kind of tattooing. Some woodblock print artists also became tattoo artists. The print below is by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1855) and depicts the hero Shi Jin who was one of the 108 bandit heroes of...
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
...actors with tattoos showing the heroes from the novels. As a result, demand increased for this kind of tattooing. Some woodblock print artists also became tattoo artists. The print below is by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1855) and depicts the hero Shi Jin who was one of the 108 bandit heroes of...
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...decorative tattooing began. In 1757 the Chinese novel Suikoden was released in Japanese and became very popular. Ukiyo-e woodblock prints began depicting scenes from the book with heroes whose bodies were decorated with tattoos. The prints also depicted kabuki...
🎨Utagawa Kunisada, 1856.
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🎨Utagawa Kunisada, 1856.
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
...decorative tattooing began. In 1757 the Chinese novel Suikoden was released in Japanese and became very popular. Ukiyo-e woodblock prints began depicting scenes from the book with heroes whose bodies were decorated with tattoos. The prints also depicted kabuki...
🎨Utagawa Kunisada, 1856.
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🎨Utagawa Kunisada, 1856.
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In Japan the role of tattoos, known as irezumi, has varied throughout history. At times they were used as a criminal punishment and later they were banned and came to be connected with organised crime. During the Edo period (1603–1867) the era of...
#MythologyMonday
🎨Toyohara Kunichika, 1862.
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#MythologyMonday
🎨Toyohara Kunichika, 1862.
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October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
In Japan the role of tattoos, known as irezumi, has varied throughout history. At times they were used as a criminal punishment and later they were banned and came to be connected with organised crime. During the Edo period (1603–1867) the era of...
#MythologyMonday
🎨Toyohara Kunichika, 1862.
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#MythologyMonday
🎨Toyohara Kunichika, 1862.
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October 26, 2025 at 11:51 PM