The original Japanese title of a short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa is Kappa, which refers to an amphibian in Japanese folklore with a tiger-like face and scales on its body, resembling a four- or five-year-old child. The author made a note under the original title: Please read it as kappa. It may be thought that kappa is kappa.

The legend of kappa in Japan

There is a small lake near Inagawa Shrine in Japan, named Lake Sushen. Kappa often appear in the lake. Because kappa is a household name in Japan, there is There are many sayings, the more common one is: the bird-headed man wears a turtle shell, and has a bowl-shaped concave mirror on his head, which is filled with water. If there is no water, he will die. His hands are connected and can be stretched, and he can fly into the sky with the power of farts. It is recorded in "Hundred Ghosts at Night", "Hundred Things Chronicle", "Ten Thousand Ghosts Record", "Monster Sayings"... which are common in folklore books.

The origin of kappa

It is said that "kappa" live in rivers or ponds all over Japan. According to the research data of folklorist Junichiro Ishikawa, the legend of kappa is widely distributed, including in Japan. The Tohoku region, the Chubu region, the Kinki region, Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures in the Kansai region, the Chugoku region, the Shikoku region, the Kitakyushu region, the Saga and Miyazaki prefectures of Kyushu, the Amami Islands and Okinawa prefecture, depending on the local dialect, kappa's The titles are also different.

***The common point is "children living in rivers", so it is called "Kappa" (KAPPA). Originally, kappa were spirits in the water and were worshiped as river gods by the people. There is also a saying that kappas are messengers of the water god, transformed from the frost dropped by the water god.

As for the origin of kappa, there are two theories for reference:

1. Kappa crossing

The legend of kappa first originated in the Yellow River Basin of China The upper reaches of the river were called "Water Tiger" in ancient times, also known as "He Bo". In the early Warring States Period, in Ye County, Wei State. Every year when the rainy season comes, the river surges and floods, often claiming many lives and property. The local witches use the excuse of "He Bo to marry a wife" to collude with officials to make money, and must sacrifice young women to please He Bo. It wasn't until a new magistrate named Ximen Bao came to Ye County that the superstition of "He Bo marrying a wife" was eradicated. The later mention of "He Bo marrying a wife" naturally reminds people of the story of resisting tyranny by outsmarting them. typical.

After "Kappa" spread to Japan, it became a well-known "kappa". It is said that a leader named Kuzenbo led the kappa clan from China to live in the Kuma River Unzen Hot Spring area in Kyushu. He often appears in the village with his men and causes a lot of trouble. Because he has the power to pull the horse to the river, no one in the village can resist him. Kato Kiyomasa, the lord of Kumamoto Castle, was extremely angry when he learned about this. He used the kappa's most hated ape to teach the kappa a lesson for harming the people. From then on, the kappa had to live obediently in the Chikugo River in Kumamoto Prefecture. Later, he became the envoy of Suitengu Shrine, and its branch was located at Arima's residence on the bank of the Akabane River in Edo. (His Royal Highness Kurume) later moved to near Nihonbashi.

It is said that in order to defeat Kuzenbo, Kato Kiyomasa led the kappa to Hell Valley, which spewed sulfur gas. He not only poisoned the river, but also threw hot stones into the pool, and finally gathered them. He captured the mountain ape that the kappa hated most, and attacked him in groups. Because of the heat of sulfur, the water in the plate above Jiuqianfang gradually disappeared. With his magical power, he was finally able to capture him. He had to ask the city lord to let him go and promised not to harm him again. place, this is one of the legends of Kappa. (Note: Kato Kiyomasa was a Japanese military commander in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He followed Toyotomi Hideyoshi when he was young. During the desperate battle with Shibata Katsuie, he showed his superb martial arts skills. He defected to Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Hara and became the leader after the war. The city of Kumamoto Castle is famous for its bravery and castle architecture)

2. The theory of kappa humanoidization

Legends of Sa Jingoro in the Edo period, Banshou of ancient Takeda, and Nara. , the Hida craftsmen of the Heian period. When these craftsmen built shrines, temples or cities, there was a kind of curse that was passed down. They wrote people's names on slips of paper, and then stuffed the slips into gaps in the wood or This action is called "soul-calling" in the case of grass-cut human figures (i.e. dolls), and it is said that the buildings will be stronger and more reliable.

After completion, the unused humanoids will be thrown into the river. Later, these cursed humanoids will transform into kappas, causing chaos everywhere and posing a threat to humans and animals. In addition, Abe Seimei, who is famous as an onmyoji, used paper dolls (shikigami) attached to the gods to help him perform his work. Later, some people were afraid of the shikigami, so Abe Seimei had to seal the shikigami in a monastery in Kyoto. Under the bridge, it is said that kappa are the descendants of these shikigami.

Similar to the way an onmyoji uses shikigami, sorcerers can cause illness or even death if they do something to the victim's name, hair or clothing. And he can also steal his soul essence and make it serve himself. In the Qing Dynasty of China, there was also a "soul-calling" sorcery incident: In order to build a bridge in Deqing County, Zhejiang Province, wooden piles needed to be driven into the bottom of the river, so the masons borrowed the names of living people and wrote them on pieces of paper and pasted them on the prepared paper. The tops of the wooden piles that are to be the base of the bridge are then hammered down hard with a mallet, which will add a certain spiritual force to the impact of the sledgehammer. Since it was difficult to drive wooden piles to the bottom of the river, rumors spread that the bridge piers could be stabilized and lasting if the soul-calling technique was used, causing great panic among the people in the south of the Yangtze River. Everyone was in danger and vowed to kill those who spread sorcery. The local officials during Emperor Long's era spent a lot of effort to suppress the panic incidents that disturbed people's hearts. (Please refer to "Calling the Soul" published by Shiying)

Characteristics of Kappa

Full body: Height is about 60 cm to 1 meter tall, weight is only about 45 kg, he is thin The body shape looks like that of a child between 3 and 10 years old, looking both human and ape-like. Their bodies smell bad and are covered in mucus, making them difficult to catch. Kappa seen in some places are said to be covered in hair.

Hands and feet: The arms can move flexibly left and right. If they are cut off, they will grow back. They have strong regeneration ability. (The amputated arms can be made into special medicine for bruises.) The hands and feet grow like It's like a human, but it's very slender. It can be used for paddling, but it only has four fingers, and its hands and feet can be retracted into the turtle shell.

Head: disheveled hair. There is a disc-shaped depression in the center of the head. When filled with water, it becomes extremely powerful. If the water is poured out, the magic power will disappear. Some people say that his head is red. Others say it is dark blue.

Eyes: The eyes are round, glowing, and have sharp eyes.

Nose: The nose is as prominent as a dog and has a keen sense of smell.

Mouth: It looks like a human mouth, or some looks like a bird's beak. There are four fangs on the top and bottom of the mouth, which can tear food apart very quickly.

Turtle Shell: A carapace like a turtle's back is carried on its back.

Butt: It is said that there are three buttholes. I wonder what they are used for?

In ancient Japan, the image of the water god was accepted by beliefs in many places. Later, when people no longer believed in the water god, it gradually evolved into the image of the monster kappa we know today. Although kappas distributed throughout Japan have slightly different appearances, their most common feature is that they have a plate filled with water on their heads. If the water in the plate is gone, their magic power will disappear. I heard that kappas also like He is a youkai who likes to play sumo wrestling with others or touch their butts. He is a monster who likes to play pranks.

The kappa is about one meter tall, about the same height as a child. It has a beak on its face and a carapace on its back. It is a dark green protective color. It is very hard and can be said to be invulnerable. They have webbed fingers and can swim at amazing speeds in the water. It is said that older kappas have supernatural powers and can use telepathy to understand people's inner thoughts.

Kappa in ancient Chinese books

To the Chinese, kappa is like a water ghost-like creature. According to the ancient book "Youming Lu", this creature is called " "Water bug", also known as "bug boy" or "water spirit", has a naked body with different sizes, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and lips. It wears a basin on its head and receives three to five feet of water. If it gets water, it will be strong. If it loses water, it will be strong. No courage. According to the research results of Japanese folklorists, this creature should be a kappa who is patriotic and protects taxes.

Japanese folklorist Kunio Yanagida also wrote a study of "Kappa Komahiki" (the legend of a kappa pulling a horse into the river) in "Yamashima Folk Tales Collection", saying that its body is like a blue-black monkey, and its hands and feet are It looks like a duck's paw, and the depression on the top of the head is like holding a saucer. Whether in water or on land, as long as the water in the saucer does not dry up, it is so powerful that it can compete with humans or horses. Therefore, there is a saying in Japan that describes the sky. The disaster is called "The Kappa is wiped out."

Kappa in Japanese Literature

Through the brilliant writing of Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa, kappa (published in 1927) are no longer scary water ghosts. The image, in turn, becomes a humorous typical character who can lead people into a magical utopian world. This story is about a madman recalling what he saw and heard in the kappa country. It uses the eyes of a madman to pull the reader away from reality and review the world we live in from a third-party perspective, thereby forcing the reader to We reflect on our current lives. The novel describes the appearance of kappas in great detail: they have a saucer on their head, and they often make frog jumping postures, or climb trees to watch people. The body is slightly transparent and can change color according to the environment (it feels like a tree frog or tree frog). In the Kappa Kingdom, all concepts are mocking people in real society. They even understand humans better than they understand themselves. Once you master their unique language and accept their weird thoughts, after leaving this utopia, you will immediately fall into the trouble of extremely disgusting human beings. In the last chapter of the novel, the protagonist finally returns to the human world. Because he can no longer adapt to human life, he is treated as a madman. If coming to the Kappa symbolizes human consciousness and spiritual strength, then returning to the human world is tantamount to an act of self-will and depravity, which will ultimately lead to tragedy, because such people are destined to be unable to continue to survive in the real world. Perhaps this is the main reason why the author Ryunosuke Akutagawa finally chose to commit suicide.

The discovery of kappa mummies

The places where kappa mummies are found are mostly concentrated in Kyushu. The kappa mummy collected by Matsuura Shuzo in Imari, Saga Prefecture is the most famous. It is about 40 centimeters in length and is exactly the same as the kappa described by Mr. Yanagida Kunio. It looks like an ape with a saucer-shaped depression on the top of its head. There is a kappa that looks like a monster. However, after verification by the TV station, the mummy specimen is probably fake. In addition, Zuiryuji Temple in Osaka also has photos of the kappa mummy specimen, but it refuses to be interviewed by the outside world. In addition, Yellow Sakura Shuzo located in Fushimi, Kyoto, claims to be committed to promoting kappa culture, but it is actually a publicity stunt. They use kappa patterns as their trademarks. There is a local kappa museum near the Okura Okura Memorial Hall, but there is no such thing in it. Kappa specimens, what a pity! Are kappas a variant of some kind of creature? It remains an unsolved mystery in the biological world.

It is said that "kappa" live in rivers or ponds all over Japan.

Kappa's names vary depending on the local dialect.

***The common point is "children living in rivers", so they are called "Kappa" (KAPPA).

Originally, the kappa is a spirit in the water.

It is regarded as the river god and is worshiped by the people.

There is also a saying that the kappa is the messenger of the water god.

It is transformed from the frost dropped by the water god. They were transformed into the form of frost.

Another explanation:

Many monsters were originally gods, but due to the influence of foreign religions and the introduction of Buddhism, they gradually became He lost his followers and finally fell into a monster. Kappa are one of them. They were water gods revered by residents all over the world a long time ago. At the same time, they also like sumo wrestling and live in rivers and swamps. The bones of both wrists are connected, and when one hand is retracted, the other hand will be stretched out. In addition, there are many legends that can be heard everywhere.

Most people’s impressions of kappa are of a turtle holding a plate on its head.

In fact, his appearance comes from the appearance of Francisco Shah, a missionary who came to Japan in the 16th century. Why is there such an interesting statement? It is said that when the Jesuit missionaries came to China to preach, many Chinese people thought they were water gods who came by boat from the other side of the sea. In fact, if you put a plate above the heads of those missionaries, they would look somewhat similar to kappas. After this statement was spread to Japan with missionaries, it became the standard image of kappa.

As for what the Kappa looked like before, there is no definite statement, but since he had no fixed shape, everyone who saw him naturally described him differently. As for whether kappa are the enemies or friends of mankind, the opinions vary from place to place.