Category Archives: Monkey
Sun Wu Kong
Etymology: Son, Wu (“Awareness”), Kong (“Vacuity”)
Alternate Spellings: 孫悟空 (traditional Chinese pinyin), 孙悟空 (simplified Chinese pinyin), Sun Wukong, Sun-Wukong, Sun-Wu-K’ung, Sun-Wu-Kong, Suen Ng-hung (Cantonese), Son Goku (Japanese), Son Oh Gong (Korean), Son Oh Gong (Minnan), Son Oh Gong (Vietnamese), Sung Ghokong or Sung Gokhong (Javanese), Sun Ngokong (Thai), “Wu Khone” (Arakanese), Sun Gokong (Indonesian and Malay)
Also Known As: The Monkey King, Handsome Monkey King (Mei Hou Wang), The Great Sage of Heaven (Qi Tian Da Sheng), Heaven’s Equal, Monkey (English), Traveling Monk (Xing Zhe), Hun Yuan Yi Qi Shang Fang Tai Yi San Xian, Bi Ma Wen (Keeper of Heavenly Horses), Buddha of Victorious Battles (Dou Zhan Sheng Fo), Sun Hou Zi (Stone Monkey), Líng-míngdàn-hóu (Intelligent Stone Monkey), Sūn Zhǎnglǎo (An honorific for a Monk)
A monkey born from stone on Hua Guo Shan, which translates to English as Flower Fruit Mountain or Spring Mountain. Sun Wu Kong would go from a nameless monkey to the stable hand of the Jade Emperor of Heaven, to a holy terror that couldn’t be contained until the Buddha traps him for some 500 years beneath a mountain and then released by the goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin to serve, on condition of a crown enforcing his obedience to the monk Tripitaka for his Journey West to retrieve the Buddha Scrolls. There are numerous adventures and retellings of these adventures that Sun Wu Kong has had over the centuries. Graphic Novels like American Born Chinese and numerous animes and movies continue to explore and expand on these legendary stories and adventures.
What’s In A Name?
Sun Wu Kong’s name is derived from the pinyin 孫 for “grandson,” 悟 for “awakened,” and 空 for space.” While the pinyin Sun 孫 usually refers to grandsons, in this context, it means monkeys. That way, Sun’s name translates to “monkey awakened by the emptiness.” His entire name alludes to his journey from a brash, arrogant, and ignorant monkey with a temper to a benevolent, enlightened being.
Another take on the meaning of Sun’s name is from Pu Ti Zu Shi names him Sun Wu Kong as in Chinese, Sun is a Surname and will come first in contrast to many European names where the surname will come last. In Chinese, “hu sun” is the word for monkey. The prefix “hu” is made up of the pinyin or characters “gu” which means “old” and “yue’ which means “moon.” The words “old” and “moon” carry a negative connotation with them as the moon symbolizes yin or receptiveness and negativity. Given that information, Pu Ti Zu Shi settles on the surname of Sun as this word can also mean “grandchildren” Sun is comprised of the pinyin “zi” meaning “child” or “children” and “xiao” which means “little” or “small.”
Description
In the novel Journey to the West, Sun Wu Kong is described as being a macaque type of monkey. Aside from his fur, Sun is naked as a nameless monkey until the others name him Stone Monkey. Later on, Sun Wu Kong is usually shown wearing a full warrior’s gear with golden chainmail, a phoenix feather cap, cloud-walking boots, and his famous eight-ton staff that can grow or shrink to the size of a needle that Sun Wu Kong will hide behind his ear.
After joining the monk Tang San Zang, Sun Wu Kong will wear more simpler traveling robes and a tiger skin belt.
Ru Yi Jin Gu Bang
Or the Golden-Clasped Rod, is Sun Wu Kong’s famous staff that he got or took from the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. Before taking this staff, it was one of the pillars holding up the heavens. In Sun Wu Kong’s hands, this staff is extremely heaving, weighing about 13500 catties (8100kg), making it a weapon only Sun Wu Kong can wield. This magical staff is also capable of increasing in size to reach the sky or shrink down to the size of a needle that Sun Wu Kong typically keeps hidden in his ear while not in use.
Powers & Abilities
Under Pu Ti Zu Shi’s tutelage, Sun Wu Kong learned and mastered a variety of powers and abilities.
72 Transformations – Mastering these, Wu Kong is able to transform himself into anyone or anything and he makes extensive use of this power throughout Journey to the West.
Among these transformations is to change his hair into any object, person or animal and then back into hair. By the same token, Sun Wu Kong can also create an army of monkeys that look like him to fight. Complementing this, Sun Wu Kong is able to multiply his staff into thousands and use those for attacking multiple foes.
Sun Wu Kong can also change one object into another by chanting a spell and spitting blood on it. In the event that it is an object into a person, this is merely an illusion with the most rudiment of speech and movement. Sun Wu Kong has created a duplicate of himself that has true self autonomy and is capable of acting on it’s own.
In combat, Sun Wu Kong has used this ability to multiply his heads, arms and hands so that he has three heads and six arms, even multiplying his staff.
Bi Huo Jue – The Fire Avoidance charm, this allows Sun Wu Kong to essentially be invulnerable to fire.
Bi Ma Wen – The glorified stable hand of Heaven, Sun Wu Kong learned quite a bit about handling horses, such that many horses tend to obey him willingly. This position and appointment would also cost the Jade Emperor once Sun Wu Kong found out the position as stable boy was a lowly position meant to keep him busy and out of trouble.
Bi Shui Jue – The Water Avoidance charm, this allows Sun Wu Kong to survive deep depths in the water. A notable drawback is that he can’t fight while using this charm.
Body Freezing Spell – With one syllable spoken and a point of his finger, Sun Wu Kong is able to freeze anyone in their tracks. Usually, this power is used on seemingly lesser demons and foes. Stronger foes are just that, more powerful.
Huo Yan Jin Jing – Fiery Golden Eyes, when Sun Wu Kong was burned alive in Lao Zi’s furnace for 49 days, he was able to develop the ability to see as far as a thousand li and six hundred li at night along with the ability to see through any disguise, illusion, or transformation.
Immortality – Thanks to Sun Wu Kong learning the 72 Transformations, those give him more lives than a cat, 72 to be exact. Add to this Sun Wu Kong’s theft of the peaches of immortality and the golden pills of immortality, he is nigh-invulnerable to all attacks.
Intelligence & Knowledge – Seeking a master, Sun Wu Kong spent many years under Pu Ti Zu Shi where he learned a lot about magic, everything from the energy changes with the phases of the moon, demonic influences, Yin & Yang, the five elements and the eight symbols to name a few.
Jie Suo Fa – Lock-Breaking Spell, just as it says, this allows Sun Wu Kong to magically undo any lock.
Jin Dou Yun – Sun Wu Kong’s Flying or Somersault Cloud that he’s known to fly on. This is another technique that Sun Wu Kong learned from Pu Ti Zu Shi. It would allow him to fly or leap great distances, specifically 108000 li (0.5 km).
Protective Circle – Using his staff to draw a circle on the ground, Sun Wu Kong is able to create a protective circle so long as no one leaves the bounds.
Skilled Healer and Medicine – part of the skills that Sun Wu Kong learned under Pu Ti Zu Shi’s tutelage, this display of knowledge is only ever used once when curing an Emperor’s illness.
Super Strength & Agility – Combined together, this makes Sun Wu Kong a formidable foe in combat. He is able to lift an 8100 kg metal rod that becomes his magic staff.
Wind – It makes sense that if Sun Wu Kong learned how to summon a cloud to ride on, he can also summon great gusts of winds and windstorms.
Journey to the West
This is a 16th-century novel and epic attributed to Wu Cheng’en, a poet, scholar and politician during the Ming Dynasty. Journey to the West is one of the four great Classic Chinese Novels and is very popular. It comprises 100 chapters of which many are a series of Chinese folktales. The main story is that of the monk Tang Sanzang’s pilgrimage to India in the West to obtain the Buddha scrolls or sutras. The character of Tang Sanzang is based on the real-life monk Xuanzang’s journey to Gandhara (modern Pakistan) to get better translations for the Buddha scriptures in 629 C.E. against Emperor Taizong’s travel ban. Folktale versions of Xuanzang’s journey have appeared as early as the Song dynasty in 960 to 1279 C.E. featuring a monkey protagonist.
While there are more recent disputes about authorship, Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West is considered the definitive and authoritative work when referencing these folktales.
For over 400 years, this novel has been a huge influence on Chinese culture, politics, and even religious life. Some have seen within the text a religious allegory between China’s two longest-running, main religions of Buddhism and Daoism. Even today, stretching into the modern era, the influence of The Journey West and Sun Wu Kong continues with operas, dance, art, poems, plays, movies, T.V. series, cartoons, books, and graphic novels. There is even a monkey-style martial arts named in Sun Wu Kong’s honor.
During the Boxer Rebellion between 1899 and 1901, many citizen soldiers would “channel” the spirit of Sun Wu Kong along with other martial spirits. Such is Sun Wu Kong’s influence, that there are people in southern China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan who worship him as a patron deity.
Birth Of The Stone Monkey
As simply as possible, this tells of a nameless monkey born from a stone on Flower Fruit Mountain on the Eastern Continent. His life with the other monkeys who lived there and how one day the discovery of a cave behind a waterfall and all the monkeys made him their king, becoming the Handsome Monkey King.
Life was good and three hundred years passed until one day when the Handsome Monkey King decided to build a raft and left in search of immortality. He sailed his raft across the sea to the Southern Continent where he would learn to speak and walk like a human. About nine years later, Monkey traveled across the seas again, this time to the Western Continent where he finally found a master, Pu Ti Zu Shi from whom he learned the 72 Transformations, various magical powers, and immortality. After twelve years, with a new name of Sun Wu Kong from his master, he returned home to Flower Fruit Mountain but not after getting expelled from the school after showing off his powers to the other students.
Home, Sun Wu Kong discovered that a demon had taken over in his absence. After dispatching this monster and freeing the other monkeys, Sun Wu Kong realized that he needed a weapon worthy of his power. After asking one of his advisers, Sun Wu Kong headed down to the undersea palace of Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea to get such a weapon. After trying out several weapons, Sun Wu Kong settled on a massive iron pillar reputed to have been used by Yu the Great, a mythical king of the Xia Dynasty.
With this iron staff or cudgel known as Ruyi Jingu Bang, Sun Wu Kong could shrink or grow it in size as needed. Deciding this was the weapon for him, Sun Wu Kong also set about bullying the Dragon King’s other brothers into giving him a set of magical armor, notably a gold chainmail shirt, phoenix cap, and cloud-walking boots.
On his return to Flower Fruit Mountain, Sun Wu Kong showed off his wonderful new weapon and armor. The excitement even got the attention of others like Niu Mo Wang, the Demon Bull King, the Roc Demon King, the Saurian Demon King, and the Snub-nosed Monkey Spirit King. There was quite a drunken party and one could say that Sun Wu Kong drank himself to death when he passed out.
This is when two psychopomps arrive to drag Sun Wu Kong’s soul down to Diyu, the Chinese Underworld in chains. It is there, that Sun Wu Kong learned from the Ledgers of Life and Death, that it is his time to die.
Like any reasonable person who doesn’t want to die yet, this enraged Sun Wu Kong as he believes that he is no longer subjected to the laws of heaven, he had achieved immortality. Plucking his newly acquired staff from behind his ear, Sun Wu Kong began to duke it out with the Lords of Hell and their underlings. Terrified, the Lords of Hell begged Sun Wu Kong to cease his rampage. Taking advantage of the situation, Sun Wu Kong demanded that the ledger with his information be brought forward, and he proceeded to not only cross out his own name with ink, but all the names of the other monkeys on earth. With that, Sun Wu Kong awoke back in the mortal world.
Havoc In Heaven
It wouldn’t take long for the complaints of the Dragon Kings and the Kings of Hell to reach Heaven. Tai Bai Jin Xing, the God of Venus stepped in and asked the Jade Emperor to instead pardon Sun Wu Kong and to give him an official post in Heaven.
This post is Bi Ma Wen, that of Stable Hand and Sun Wu Kong loved it, he excelled at it. All that changed when he realized it was a post with no rank and meant only to keep him busy. This infuriated Sun Wu Kong to no end and he caused quite the havoc in heaven. The Jade Emperor sent his Heavenly Troops to stop Sun Wu Kong to no avail. Sun Wu Kong beat them all easily. Finally, Tai Bai Jin Xing stepped back in and asked the Jade Emperor to pardon Sun Wu Kong again and this time, let him have the post of the Great Sage Equal of Heaven.
Sun Wu Kong was then put in charge of the peach orchard to give him something to do that was more meaningful than the busy work of a stable hand. We are talking about delicious peaches though and Sun Wu Kong couldn’t help himself and he ate them all. This would be the first in a series of mischief and trouble. The next incident came when Sun Wu Kong learned that he hadn’t been invited to the Peach Banquet by the Empress. Sun Wu Kong arrived before anyone else arrived and ate up all of the food. Then, in a drunken stupor from all the wine he’d drunk, Sun Wu Kong broke into Tai Shang Lao Jun’s home and ate all the golden pills of immortality.
Realizing what he had done on sobering up, Sun Wu Kong fled back toward Flower Fruit Mountain. It wouldn’t take long for the Jade Emperor to find out and to send his 100,000 Heavenly Celestial Warriors against Flower Fruit Mountain to wage war. The 28 constellations, four heavenly kings, Nezha and even Erlang Shen got involved. Eventually, Sun Wu Kong would be captured and brought back to the Heavens for punishment.
In the custody of the Heavens, it was found that no weapon would hurt Sun Wu Kong and when Tai Shang Lao Jun burned him in his furnace for 49 days, that didn’t work either. Sun Wu Kong not only survived but escaped to wreak havoc in the Heavens. Finally, the Lord Buddha was called in and crushed Sun Wu Kong beneath his palm, becoming the Mountain of Five Elements or Wu Xing Shan. It is there, that Sun Wu Kong would be imprisoned for 500 years.
The Journey
Five hundred years had passed since Sun Wu Kong’s imprisonment beneath the Mountain of Five Elements. One day, the monk Tang San Zang (or Tripitaka depending on the translation) was starting out on his quest to retrieve the scriptures of Buddha, the goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin (Kuan Shi-Yin depending on the translations used) arranged for Sun Wu Kong’s release to accompany Tang San Zang as a bodyguard as the monk would an all too tempting meal for demons who wanted his purified, holy flesh to gain immortality.
Sun Wu Kong agreed to the terms of the release and after defeating a group of bandits, thought that he would be able to quickly take his leave. Not so fast! For Kwan Yin in her wisdom had also placed a golden headband on Sun Wu Kong and gave Tang San the commands to punish the mischievous monkey king and keep them in line. Forced to comply or face a head-splitting headache, Kwan Yin told Sun Wu Kong that the headband would be removed after the completion of Tang San’s journey west.
It would take a few times for Sun Wu Kong to get the message, but he wasn’t going to get let go from the Mountain and run away so easily.
During this epic Journey, Sun Wu Kong and Tang San Zang would be joined by other companions. Zhu Bajie (or Pigsy), Sha Wu Jing (or Sandy), and Bailongma (White Dragon Horse) a dragon prince who takes the form of Tang San’s horse.
There are numerous episodes and chapters as Sun Wu Kong and his companions protect Tang San from various demons trying to eat him. Some 81 tribulations before the group makes it to India to get the scriptures, that Sun Wu Kong is granted Buddhahood for his exemplary services and strength.
Xyoubu
This is a brief satirical novel that is essentially a supplement to the Journey to the West. In this novel, Sun Wu Kong has become trapped in a magical dream world created by the Qing Fish Demon, the embodiment of desire.
Sun Wu Kong travels back and forth through during, serving as the adjunct King of Hell to judge the soul of the recently deceased traitor Qin Hui during the Song Dynasty. Sun Wu Kong also takes on the appearance of a beautiful concubine to cause the downfall of the Qin Dynasty. Next, he faces off against King Paramita, one of Princess Iron Fan’s five sons in battle during the Tang Dynasty.
This supplemental novel is attributed to Tong Yue who places the events between chapters 61 and 62 as a means to provide Sun Wu Kong with an opponent and challenge that couldn’t be beaten with his great strength or military prowess.
Monkey King Festival
This sounds exciting!
This festival is celebrated in the eighth lunar month on the 16th day, roughly corresponding with the month of September. This would be a day after the Mid-Autumn Festival and is greatly inspired by the Journey West novel.
Typical observations for the festival are the burning of incense and paper offerings. The Taoists will celebrate the festival by performing acrobatics such as the hurricane-whirl kick.
At the Monkey King Temple found at Sau Mau Ping, Kowloon, a medium recreates Sun Wu Kong’s battle with the other gods in heaven from the novel. The medium becomes possessed by the spirit of Sun Wu Kong and will run barefoot across a bed of hot coals before climbing up a ladder of knives. Sun Wu Kong is said to have a bronze head and iron shoulders, so the medium performing these feats will be unharmed.
New Year’s Day – Happy Birthday!
As Sun Wu Kong entered into the folklore and beliefs of China, temples were built for him. Along with a biography that established Sun Wu Kong in both Taoism and Buddhism.
A big one is that Sun Wu Kong’s birthday came to be seen as the Lunar New Year’s Day, a Trickster’s Day for his immense talent and vast cunning.
Son Goku – Japan
Copies of Journey West were found in Japan in a 17th-century catalog of books in the Kozanji Temple. A complete Ming edition of the novel arrived in Japan during the late 18th-century and over the course of seventy years, would be translated. Sun Wu Kong as Son Goku would not become popular until the first complete translations in four parts between 1806 and 1839. Woodblock art would be used to illustrate the book, some by Taito II, a noted student of Kokusai, and other artists such as Kubo Shunman and Yoshitoshi.
Of course, the character of Son Goku is a popular anime character from the Dragon Ball series and is based on Sun Wu Kong.
Speaking of anime, there are numerous anime, manga, and video games that feature Sun Wu Kong or characters inspired by him. Such is his popularity, that Sun Wu Kong is becoming more of a household name even in the West and Western Culture.
Syno-Deities & Entities
Gibbons – It is thought that the worshipping of gibbons during the Chu Kingdom which spanned from 700 B.C.E. to 223 B.C.E. is a source of inspiration for the figure of Sun Wu Kong. There are many Taoist legends and stories involving monkeys that continued into the Han Dynasty.
Hanuman – A Hindu monkey god from India. While Sun Wu Kong and Hanuman are very similar in that they’re both monkey gods, neither should be confused as being the same deity. Much as some like Hu Shih want to point out the potential influence, others like Lu Xun point out that there’s no proof that the Ramayana had been translated into Chinese and accessible to Wu Cheng’en.
Monkey Saints – From the local folk religion of the Fuzhou province, there are three Monkey Saints of Lin Shui Palace that were once fiends until the goddess Chen Jinggu, the Empress Lin Shui subdued them. These three Monkey Saints are Dan Xia Da Sheng, the Red Face Monkey Sage, Tong Tian Da Sheng, the Black Face Monkey Sage, and Shuang Shuang San Lang, the White Face Monkey Sage. These Monkey Saints are thought to have influenced the development of the character Sun Wu Kong.
Wuzhiqi – A monkey-like aquatic demon who dates from the 9th-century Tang Dynasty has been pointed to by various scholars as a likely inspiration for the figure of Sun Wu Kong.
Khromandai
Alternate Spelling: Chromandae (Latin), Chromandi, Χρομανδαι
The Khromandai are mentioned in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History VII, 25 as a tribe of monkey-like folk who live in the jungles of India. There is a brief section where the Greek writer, Tauron describes these people as having no voices yet capable of making a horrible scream. Their bodies are covered with fur or hair, and they have blue-gray eyes and teeth like those of dogs.
From the Theoi.com site, there is a suggestion that the name may have a connection to the ancient kingdom of Mandi near the foothills of the Himalayas.
Under the spelling Chromandi or Chromandae, they are mentioned in Medieval Bestiaries as hairy savages with dog teeth.
Similar Entities
Chimpanzees – My curiosity wonders if Tauron and Pliny were describing this species of primate. It wouldn’t have to be this species specifically, but just about any. But the very prominent canines that chimpanzees have comes to mind.
Vanara – In Indian or Hindi legends, there is a race of monkey folk who are mentioned. They are mentioned in the Ramayana where they help Rama against the Ravana and they have mention in the Mahabharata.
Raiju
Etymology: Rai (“Thunder”) and Ju (“Animal” or “Beast”)
Pronunciation: Rye-Gin
Other Names and Epithets: 雷獣, らいじゅ, Raijuu
Raiju is a curious mythical creature from Japanese mythology sometimes viewed as a type of demon or yokai. It’s best known for being a companion animal to Raijin, the god of storms and lightning.
Description
The descriptions of Raiju vary greatly in description as it is sometimes described as having a body made of electricity and resembles either a badger, cat, monkey, tanuki, weasel or even a wolf. Sometimes Raiju flies about as a ball of lightning. The cries of a Raiju are said to sound like thunder.
Thunderstorms
Normally peaceful, Raiju becomes agitated and active during thunderstorms, leaping from one tree to another. After a storm is over, any lightning marks on the tree were believed to have been caused by Raiju ripping it open.
Raiju! I Choose You!
That sounds like the name of a pokemon. There are a couple, Raichu and Raikou, a legendary pokemon who is based on Raiju and other thunder gods.
In Japanese mythology, raiju is the name of Raijin’s animal companion that is described as a blue and white wolf or a wolf wrapped in lightning.
It doesn’t stop there as Raiju is referenced in a number of different Japanese animes, manga and video games.
More Than One?
That might seem to be the case with some of the articles that I looked up and likely an evolution to the mythology of Raiju. Instead of one animal companion, that there are multiple of this creature. It could serve too to explain why the descriptions of Raiju and what animal it really looks like varies so much.
Raikiri – Lightning Cutter
As legend holds, a samurai by the name of Tachibana Dōsetsu was taking shelter beneath a tree during a storm. When lightning struck the tree, Dōsetsu drew his sword swiftly enough to block being hit by the bolt. Once the smoke cleared, Dōsetsu saw that there was a dead raiju laying on the ground. Dōsetsu named his sword Raikiri or “Lightning Cutter.”
Possible Reality Behind The Myths
That’s very typical of human nature to try and explain the universe around us and to try to make sense of events and occurrences. Especially with natural phenomenon, like lightning strikes, that they’re caused by the gods or oh, this tree looks like it has scratch marks where the lightning hit it. Must have been a beast of some sort.
Ball Lightning – A ball lightning, when they’re reported, are balls of lightning or electricity that occur during thunderstorms. Given how rare these are, the science behind what causes them and what’s being seen is and can be disputed. Some reports say the ball lighting glows like a 100-watt lightbulb with tendrils of electricity. The balls vary in color from yellow, orange, blue and red and size from a grapefruit to a beachball. Other reports say the ball lightning explodes, leaving behind a sulfurous smell.
Traveling Shows – During the Edo period of Japan, reportedly “real raiju” would be caught and put on display as sideshow attractions. Much like “real kappa” and the mummified remains of mermaids, the mummified and stuffed taxidermy of animals ranging from cats to badges, tanuki and monkeys would-be put-on display for people to view. The descriptions of caged raiju would match those of other captive animals during a thunderstorm as they get agitated and try to flee the confines of their cage.
As scientific knowledge and advances progressed in the Meiji period, as people better understood what was going on with lightning and electricity, the belief in raiju began to taper off, becoming a rather minor figure that still shows up in pop culture references.
Hide Your Navel!
It’s believed that Raijin is found of eating human navels. It was common practice for Japanese parents to tell their children to hide their belly buttons during a thunderstorm lest Raijin come eat it.
If it’s any minor consolation, according to some beliefs, it’s not really Raijin who eats children’s belly buttons, but his animal companion Raiju who actually does. Or if Raiju isn’t eating your navel, he’ll curl up inside to sleep during a thunderstorm. Of course, you only manage to get Raiju sleeping in your navel if you were sleeping outside. If you must sleep outside during a storm, try sleeping on your stomach to keep Raiju from curling up in your belly button. Raijin is said to hurl to shoot arrows at Raiju to wake up, which getting hit by arrows or lightning will hurt.
Okay then…
Kappa
Also Called: Gataro (“River Boy”), Kawako (“River Child”), Kawataro (“River Boy” or “River Tiger”), Komahiki (“Horse Puller”), Suiko (“Water Tiger”)
There are some eighty names for kappa depending on the region they’re found in. Next to the oni and tengu, kappa are some of the best known yokai found in Japan.
Some of these other names are: Dangame (“Soft-Shelled Turtle”), Enko (“monkey”), Gawappa, Kawappa, Kawaso (“otter”), Kogo, Mizuchi, Mizushi, and Suitengu.
Etymology – “River-Child” from the words kawa for “river” and wappo, an inflection of waraba meaning “child.”
In the Shinto Religion of Japan, Kappa are mischievous water spirits or yokai who will pull young children and the unwary into the river and ponds where they live and drown them. Kappa are also known for attacking travelers and animals. Even today, many towns and villages keep signs out warning of the dangers of kappa near a river.
Some of the less deadly pranks that kappa will pull are passing gas loudly and looking up women’s kimonos. They will also steal crops, flat out kidnap children and rape women.
The kappa are curious about human culture, they are not mindlessly aggressive and many can be appealed or reasoned with as they do speak Japanese. Wisemen were known to befriend kappa and learn the art of setting bones from them. It’s thought that somehow, kappa were once wise monkeys.
Kappa will also sometimes challenge people to different tests of skill such as shogi or sumo wrestling. People have been known to befriend kappa by giving gifts and offerings, often of food and especially cucumbers.
The kappa are a major folkloric figure that people have reported seeing for centuries. They have remained a staple of literature and even the tourist industry in some towns will tell visitors to be wary of kappa and to be careful.
Suijin
In Shinto, the Kappa are viewed as one of many types of Suijin or water people or even water deities. Many of these water deities or spirits are often depicted as snakes, dragons, eels, fish, turtles and kappa. It is believed that belief in kappa can be traced back to China, though much of the kappa lore is native to Japan.
With the arrival of Chinese and Koreans during the 2nd century C.E. along with the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, the imagery of kappa would be begin to take on these attributes.
While the name for the most powerful Suijin in Japan is Mizu no Kamisama or Goddess or God of Water, the kappa are more accurately referred to as Kawa no Kami or River Deity reflecting a less powerful status.
The offering of cucumbers to kappa may have come from a tradition of giving the year’s first crop of cucumbers and eggplants to the local river to either appease local water deities or hungry ghosts.
Festivals – There are still some festivals held in places, twice a year during the equinoxes to placate the kappa and ensure a good harvest. These festivals also mark the time of the year when the kappa travel down from the mountains to the rivers and back up.
Kappa Odori Dance – This is a sacred Shinto dance used to pray for abundant crops. Young boys dress up as kappa and jump and bounce around in time to the humorous music as it’s played.
Jozankei Hot Springs – A local spa near the Toyohiragawa River to the southwest of Sapporo. Named after the monk who found the place, the kappa are local guardian spirits. Some 23 kappa statues stand around the area. The Kappa Pool becomes very lively in early August during the Kappa Festival. A local legend holds that the story of the Kappa Buchi occurred here.
Ancient Origins?
Ainu Folklore – The Ainu are Japan’s earliest inhabitants who live mostly on the northern island of Hokkaido. The connection here is very tentative as some believe that the kappa come from Ainu folklore. There’s just not enough known of their mythology to really make a concrete connection. What does get cited is that near the main city Sapporo on Hokkaido is an area known as Jozankei where the legends for the “Great Kappa King” and the “Kappa Buchi Legend” can be found, though these stories are not likely to be of Ainu origin and mythology.
Nihon Shoki – Chronicles of Japan – One of Japan’s earliest and official records, it was compiled sometime around 720 C.E. It is the first text to refer to kappa where it is called Kawa no Kami or River Deity in this text.
Wakan Sansaizue – Kappa don’t really take on popularity until around Japan’s medieval era, during the Edo period. The Wakan Sansaizue is a 105-volume encyclopedia dating to about 1713 C.E. and is the first to depict a kappa.
Gazu Hyakkiyagyō – Or the “Night Procession of One Hundred Demons” is a four volume text that next shows and depicts kappa within it.
From here, the popularity of kappa in continues in the Edo Period, appearing in a serial called Kasshiyawa where the kappa called Kawataro. Another document is the Mimibukuro, a 10-volume text written by Negishi Yasumori.
Portuguese Monks – When Portuguese monks arrived in Japan during the 16th century, their appearance of cloaks that hung down in back like a kappa’s shell and their shaven heads resulting in a bald head crowned with hair known as a Capa for the Portuguese word for this hair style would easily become absorbed into Japan’s Kappa lore…. After all a homophone of words Kappa and Capa sound very alike.
Drowned Monkeys – Some legends will hold that the first kappa come from monkeys. Yanagida Kunio records a story where he notes that some regions of Japan referred to kappa as enko or monkeys.
There is a famous Buddhist story from China in which a group of monkeys tried to capture the moon’s reflection. For their trouble and efforts, the monkeys were drowned.
The Monkey King Versus The Water Demon – There are a number of tales for the Indian collection of Buddha stories called Jataka. Dating from the 3rd century B.C.E. India and Sri Lanka, the story in question features the monkey kingdom under attack from a monkey-eating water demon. The wise monkey king outwitted the demon with bamboo.
So, what’s the connection? In Sanskrit, the word Kapi translates to monkey. It’s possible that Kappa is a distorted form of Kapi. It would explain some of the descriptions of kappa being monkey-like is a carry over of this distortion. Further, there is a kapi jembawan, a monkey sage in Indonesian folklore based on the Dwarka kingdom where Lord Krishna ruled. The famous Hindi poet, Tulsidas who wrote the Ramayana some 500 years ago, uses the word kapi in place of the Vanara or monkey folk in the South who help Rama defeat Ravana.
If we’re looking at linguist connections, that could all hold up.
Description
Kappa look like child-sized humanoid turtles or more often monkeys with scaly limbs and thick tortoise shells. Some kappa are depicted with ape-like faces while others are more beaked. Skin coloration ranges from green to yellow and even blue.
The most distinguishing feature of kappa are the bowl or saucer-shaped depressions on the top of their heads called a sara (meaning “dish,” “bowl,” or “plate.”) When leaving the water, kappa makes sure that the sara is kept filled with water. The sara is surrounded with scraggly hair in a bobbed hair style known as okappa-atama. Should the kappa loose this water, it loses its strength and powers, possibly even dying in this weakened state if water isn’t refilled. Some kappa are reputed to have taken to wearing a metal plate or cap to cover their sara so the water doesn’t pour or dry out, thus weakening them.
Depending on the story, the arms of a kappa are said to be connected to each such, that the kappa can slide their arm from one side to the other. I can see that trick, the kappa is wearing a shell, pull one arm in and stuff it out the other arm hole, much like a person does when wearing a t-shirt. I’m sure it’s a simple enough illusion and magic trick to pull off.
Aquatic creatures who live in ponds and rivers, Kappa also possess webbed hands and feet. People have commented that Kappa smell like fish. Some of the legends involving kappa have them spending spring and summer down in the water during autumn and winter, heading up to the Yama-no-Kami (“Mountain Deities”) mountains. While kappa can be found throughout much of Japan, they’re often found in the Saga Prefecture.
Hyosube – This is the name for the kappa’s hairy cousin. The two are identical otherwise in terms of physical attributes and what they do. The biggest distinction of the two aside from hair, is that kappa are more prone to staying outside. The Hyosube are more likely to sneak into people’s homes to cause mischief, namely to take a bath. Being so hairsute, the hyosube are known to shed hair which is deadly to those who encounter it in Japanese folklore.
Shibaten – Also called Shibatengu, is a more turtle-like kappa where the kappa can be more ape or monkey like in appearance.
Diet
The kappa feed on a diet of blood and cucumbers.
Blood – Young children are told to be wary when playing near the water’s edge of ponds and rivers. Children are a kappa’s favored meal though they’re not above eating an adult.
Eww… so what makes humans so appealing to a kappa is a shirikodama that they will suck out of a person’s anus. Alrighty then.
And the shirikodama? Depending on the source and legend, that’s a mystical ball containing a person’s life force or soul that’s found near the anus, entrails, in the blood or liver.
Cucumbers – The only thing that kappa love more than small children. Its customary for some Japanese parents to write the names of their children or themselves on a cucumber and toss it into a pond or river where the kappa are believed to dwell.
Other Food Offerings – Cucumbers aren’t the only food item a kappa will accept. Offerings of eggplant, soba noodles, natto (fermented soybeans) and kabocha (winter squash) are accepted by kappa.
Powers
Being an aquatic yokai, it goes without saying that kappa are master swimmers with a vast knowledge of water and it’s importance.
Strength – Much of a kappa’s strength is tied to the waters of the pond or river it calls home. The water that a kappa keeps in the depression on its head is a source of its strength and even life.
Flatulence – I’m not sure that I would call this a power. Suffice to say that a kappa can use a particularly noxious gas attack in self-defense much like skunks do. A kappa is known to release this gas not just as a prank but to get someone like fishermen to let it go.
Flight – So those cucumbers offered to the kappa, not only do they eat the cucumbers, the kappa uses them to fly around on like dragonflies. Okay….
Weaknesses
So how does one manage to thwart and defeat a Kappa you might ask?
Arms – If we go off the idea that the arms of a kappa are connected to each other, they can be easily pulled off. If a person manages to get a kappa’s arm, they will perform a task in order to get it back. Assuming the arm can be reattached.
Challenges – Kappa aren’t mindlessly aggressive, and a person can reason with them. If they don’t have an offering of cucumbers to give, a person can try challenging the kappa. Most challenges usually take the form of feats of strength with wrestling matches.
One challenge found in a folktale sees a Farmer’s daughter get promised to a kappa in marriage in exchange for the yokai to irrigate his land. The daughter challenged the kappa to submerge several gourds in water. When the kappa failed at this task, the daughter was freed from the marital arrangement.
Fire – Being water creatures, it stands to reason that Kappa are held to be afraid of fire and loud noises. Some villages in Japan will have fireworks festivals each year to try and scare away spirits.
Land – Kappa can’t survive for long on the land and must always keep their heads wet, especially the sara filled with water.
Etiquette – That in mind, the kappa are overly found of etiquette, so if you bow deeply to them in greeting, they will bow as well, spilling the water from their sara. With this water spilled, the kappa loses its strength and any powers, becoming weakened and possibly die if this water isn’t refilled. It must be water from their home river or pond that is poured back in. If a human is the one who refills this water, it is believed that the kappa would the human in question for the rest of eternity.
Cucumbers – Offering the Kappa a nice tasty cucumber is sure to do the trick and placate them instead of trying to haul you into the river to drown.
Instead of offering the cucumber, a person would the vegetable themselves as a means of protection before swimming. Though some will say this is sure to guarantee an attack.
Miscellaneous – There’s a variety of other items that supposedly drive away kappa. These items include ginger, iron and sesame.
A Friend For Life
Those who have successfully befriended a kappa find that they truly have a friend for life. Kappa are known to help farmers in any number of ways such as irrigating fields. The kappa are very knowledgeable in the way of medicine and have been known to teach the art of bone setting to humans.
There are shrines to kappa that have been established, especially of a particularly helpful kappa. You could trick a kappa into service via the bowing and refilling the bowl on their head with water. He’s not likely to be so nice about the help he gives then.
The kappa, like the European Fae won’t break an oath as their sense of etiquette and decorum is such, they just won’t. So yeah, a human can trick a kappa into service and get one to swear an oath to them, the kappa’s sense of honor says they will follow it through to the end.
Japanese Expressions
There are a few expressions associated with kappa.
Kappa Maki – A cucumber sushi roll named for kappa.
“Kappa-no-kawa-nagare” – This phrase translates to “A kappa drowning in a river” is used to mean that even an expert can make mistakes.
“Kappa no He” – Much ado about nothing, the literal translation is water-imp fart. This is my new favorite.
Okappa – the bobbed hairstyles that look like those kappa sport.
Koppojutsu
This is a martial arts style invented by Kappa who will sometimes teach it to humans. The name of koppojutsu translates as “attacks against bones.” It is a hard-martial art compared to another, koshijutsu that is a soft-martial art that targets an opponent’s muscles.
Kappa-Buchi
The Kappa Pool is a legend found in the Jozankei region of Japan.
A young man was out fishing in a deep pool and he ended up falling in. He never surfaced. Some months later, as his father slept, the son came to him in a dream and told his father that he was living happily with the Kappa, that he even had a kappa wife and child. Shortly after, the pool came to be known as the Kappa Buchi.
Kappa Bashi
The Kappa bridge found in Tokyo used to be farmland that was surrounded by canals prone to flooding. During the late Edo period, a raincoat dealer, Kappaya Kihachi spent his entire fortune on building a better drainage system. The work proved more difficult than expect and taking longer to complete.
Falling into despair and about to give up, the man was visited by a kappa whose life he had saved many years before. The kappa had arrived to help and in no time at all, the new drainage system was completed. Further, the story goes that those who saw the kappa were blessed with good fortune. Shortly after, the Kappa Temple was built to honor and enshrine the kappa as a local deity.
Saiyuki – Journey West
When the Chinese epic of Journey to the West arrived in Japan, the character of Sha Wujing’s name is changed to Sangojo or Sagojo. Where Sha Wujing or Sandy is often depicted as a Water Buffalo or some kind of water demon, in Japan, he is frequently identified as a kappa.
Horses & Livestock & Monkeys!
Continuing a connection of Kappa to the Journey West story, in which kappa come from drown monkeys. In Chinese lore, monkeys are shown riding horses and in Journey West, the Jade Emperor appoints Monkey or Son Goku to a position of a Stable Hand or Protector of Horses.
This connection could explain a few different folktales and stories of kappa harassing people’s horse and cattle. There is a story recorded by Lafcadio Hearn in Kawachimura where a horse-stealing kappa was captured and forced to sign an agreement never to harm any people or steal from them again. The kappa even went so far as to swear he would get his fellow kappa to swear to the oath of leaving humans alone.
Of course, it could be too much of a stretch and horses were just one of many animals and objects that kappa would try to steal from humans.
Possible Reality Behind The Myths
Drowning – It’s likely stories of kappa developed as a means to scare and warn children from wandering too close to the water’s edge at any pond or river.
Kappa are even blamed for drowning deaths and signs are still posted near bodies of water that warn of kappa dangers.
Giant Salamanders – It makes sense, that inspiration for the kappa could come from the Japanese giant salamander or hanzaki. It is a large, aggressive salamander that grow up to five feet in length that will grab its prey with powerful jaws.
Miscarriages & Leech Babies – Touching back on that idea of kappa rapping women. There is an 18th century Ukiyo-e picture by Utamaro showing a kappa rapping an ama diver while underwater. That’s a bit unpleasant. More relevant might be a belief found in Kunio Yanagita’s Tono Monogatari, in which women who were raped by kappa and became pregnant often had repulsive babies born. These babies, called Leech Babies, would be buried shortly after.
Sometimes these stillborn babies would be tossed into a river and children would be warned to stay away from the water’s edge to avoid seeing these dead babies. Sadly, sometimes a poor family might have tossed an unwanted baby into the river if they couldn’t afford to care for it.
It’s possible a woman might say she had been raped by a kappa in order to try and explain why a baby was born deformed and likely stillborn. It would provide a way of saving face to explain a stillborn and deformities. That’s my take after reading in Celtic folklore and comparing it the myths regarding Changelings and parents who have a child that dies of SIDs, you just say the fairies came and took your baby and that the one isn’t real. Because somewhere, your real baby is still alive.
Similar Folkloric Figures
There are a few other, similar figures found in other cultures from around the world that have been used to scare young children from straying too close to the water’s edge.
Kelpie – A fearsome water horse in Scottish folklore known to drown those who try to ride it.
Näkki – A water monster from Finnish folklore.
Neck – Also called Nix or Nixie, a similar shapeshifting creature to the Näkki, only from Germanic and Scandinavian folklore.
Shui Gui – Water Ghost or Water Monkey is a similar creature found in Chinese folklore.
Siyokoy – Found in the Philippin islands and known for kidnapping children. Their description is very similar to those of kappa.
Vodyanoy – A frog-like water spirit found in Slavic folklore.
Vodnik – A green humanoid spirit or creature found in western Slavic folklore, particularly in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Brickthology 