Ashinaga-Tenaga are a pair of monsters in Japanese folklore. One has extremely long legs, while the other has extremely long arms. The two work together as a team to hunt fish and small animals. The sighting of these monsters is said to bring bad weather.

They are usually sight near streams or rivers and it seems that they have a deep connection with the water, able to commune with the water around them to turn the land into a sea of mud. These yokai (supernatural monsters/creatures), long a lege...

Onryō (vengeful spirit, sometimes translated as wrathful spirit) are extremely malevolent and bloodthirsty spirits. However, they have a set goal and –usually— will only harm those who have wronged them. Nonetheless, some  powerful and angry Onryōs linger and continue hurting people even after they have achieved their revenge.

There are many examples of Onryō vengeance. One of them is the story of a samurai who promised his dying wife that he would never remarry. He...

In Japanese folklore, the Nyoijizai is a spirit that has the ability to scratch that itchy spot on your back which you can't just seem to reach, no matter how hard you try. Its name, Nyoijizai, is a pun meaning both “free staff” and “exactly as you please.”

Nyoijizai is a kind of priest’s staff (a bit like a wizard staff) that has turned into a yokai (or supernatural monster) after serving its master (the priest) for many many years.

It bears a very strong resemblance to a mago-no-te, a backscratc...

The Hidarugami, also known as The Hunger Gods, are spirits of people who starved to death in the mountains. And because they died alone there's no marker for their grave and no ceremony, so their spirits become evil and seek to take revenge on hikers.

They are found almost exclusively on mountain trails and passes. Hikers and travelers in the presence of the Hidarugami are suddenly overcome with acute hunger, fatigue, and numbness of the limbs. The feeling is said to be that of actual starvation....