community Service means Business!

17 October 2009

Glimpse the Ghastly Innards of Japan's Folkloric Monsters [Monster Anatomy]

jim reid
community resource creative
412-567-1196-mobile


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: james reid <jimuleda@msn.com>
Date: 2009/10/17
Subject: FW: Glimpse the Ghastly Innards of Japan's Folkloric Monsters [Monster Anatomy]
To: jim reid <jimuleda@gmail.com>


jreid
creative resource
412-418-0609 mobile
plan2planet.blogspot.com


Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:48:53 +0000
Subject: Glimpse the Ghastly Innards of Japan's Folkloric Monsters [Monster Anatomy]
From: jimuleda@gmail.com
To: jimuleda@msn.com

 
 

Sent to you by jimuleda via Google Reader:

 
 

via io9 by Lauren Davis on 10/14/09

We've gotten an anatomy lesson in the giant monsters of Japanese cinema, now we get to see what makes Japan's supernatural creatures tick. A series of illustrated cross-sections reveal the fearsome anatomical features of hair-eating, soul-stealing beasties.
These illustrations come from manga artist Shigeru Mizuki's book Yōkai Daizukai, which details the inner workings of 85 yōkai, the traditional demons and spirits from Japanese folklore. More illustrations are available at Pink Tentacle.

The Kuro-kamikiri ("black hair cutter") is a large, black-haired creature that sneaks up on women in the street at night and surreptitiously cuts off their hair. Anatomical features include a brain wired for stealth and trickery, razor-sharp claws, a long, coiling tongue covered in tiny hair-grabbing spines, and a sac for storing sleeping powder used to knock out victims. The digestive system includes an organ that produces a hair-dissolving fluid, as well as an organ with finger-like projections that thump the sides of the intestines to aid digestion.

The Makura-gaeshi ("pillow-mover") is a soul-stealing prankster known for moving pillows around while people sleep. The creature is invisible to adults and can only be seen by children. Anatomical features include an organ for storing souls stolen from children, another for converting the souls to energy and supplying it to the rest of the body, and a pouch containing magical sand that puts people to sleep when it gets in the eyes. In addition, the monster has two brains - one for devising pranks, and one for creating rainbow-colored light that it emits through its eyes.

Kasha, a messenger of hell, is a fiery monster known for causing typhoons at funerals. Anatomical features include powerful lungs for generating typhoon-force winds that can lift coffins and carry the deceased away, as well as a nose for sniffing out funerals, a tongue that can detect wind direction, and a pouch containing ice from hell. To create rain, the Kasha spits chunks of this ice through its curtain of perpetual fire.

The Bisha-ga-tsuku is a soul-stealing creature encountered on dark snowy nights in northern Japan. The monster - which maintains a body temperature of -150 degrees Celsius - is constantly hidden behind a fog of condensation, but its presence can be detected by the characteristic wet, slushy sound ("bisha-bisha") it makes. Anatomical features include feelers that inhale human souls and cold air, a sac for storing the sounds of beating human hearts, and a brain that emits a fear-inducing aura. The Bisha-ga-tsuku reproduces by combining the stolen human souls with the cold air it inhales.

The Mannen-dake ("10,000-year bamboo") is a bamboo-like monster that feeds on the souls of lost travelers camping in the woods. Anatomical features include a series of tubes that produce air that causes travelers to lose their way, syringe-like fingers the monster inserts into victims to suck out their souls, and a sac that holds the stolen souls.

The Kijimunaa is a playful forest sprite inhabiting the tops of Okinawan banyan trees. Anatomical features include eye sockets equipped with ball bearings that enable the eyeballs to spin freely, strong teeth for devouring crabs and ripping out the eyeballs of fish (a favorite snack), a coat of fur made from tree fibers, and a nervous system adapted for carrying out pranks. The Kijimunaa's brain contains vivid memories of being captured by an octopus - the only thing it fears and hates.


 
 

Posted via email from jimuleda's posterous

No comments:

Talk2Me

be here-Now!

into the Gaping Void

My Friend Flickr

Talk Gone Wrong

Drop-off Box

drop.io: simple private sharing
Powered By Blogger

plan2planet

Blog Archive