Yokai project
pt 1
A series of illustrations exploring some of my favorite characters from Japanese folklore.
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Rokurokubi (ろくろ首) — one of the yokai spirits in Japanese folklore. Gained popularity in tales with the start of the Edo period.
Ordinary people in general, they have been given an enormously long and flexible neck as a punishment (or on a whim of fate). The neck elongates at night, during a sleep, so some people might even be unaware of themselves being a rokurokubi. The more self-aware and mischievous ones, however, enjoy scaring people or playing pranks of different level of harm. In the morning the only things reminding of demonic metamorphosis are bruises and stretch marks on the neck.
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Nukekubi (抜け首) — an intriguing yokai, similar to rokurokubi. Unlike their long-necked counterparts, nukekubi’s heads detach completely when sleeping.
Unburdened with a neck, nukekubi are much faster and more free in movement. Also much more violent. At night nukekubi’s head attacks people and animals, shrieks, drinks blood. However, if you harm of hide the body, in the morning the head would smash itself on the floor. In daytime nukekubi live like ordinary people, sometimes having no idea about the nighttime revelry of their own heads.
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Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女) — a yokai from one of the most famous Japanese urban legends. “Slit-mouthed woman”, as any urban folklore, has numerous tellings and stories of origin.
The story itself is always the same — a woman, covering the mutilated part of her face, asks a stranger whether she is beautiful. Depending on an answer, she either slits the throat of a victim or cuts the corners of their mouth to resemble hers. The ways to survive wildly vary from story to story and include giving ambiguous answers, bribing with candy, or excusing yourself by running late for a meeting.
The story itself is always the same — a woman, covering the mutilated part of her face, asks a stranger whether she is beautiful. Depending on an answer, she either slits the throat of a victim or cuts the corners of their mouth to resemble hers. The ways to survive wildly vary from story to story and include giving ambiguous answers, bribing with candy, or excusing yourself by running late for a meeting.
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Thank you!
