Ayakashi (yōkai)

"Ayakashi" from the Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by Sekien Toriyama

Ayakashi are the collective name for yōkai that appear above water.

In the Nagasaki Prefecture, the kaika that appear above water are called this, and in the funayūrei in the Yamaguchi Prefecture and the Saga Prefecture are also called this. In the western part of Japan, they are said to be those who die at sea and are attempting to capture people to join them.

In Tsushima, they are also called "kaika of ayakashi (ayakashi no kaika)," and appear on beaches in the evening, and it would look like as if a child were walking in the middle of the fire. On coasts, kaika would appear as mountains and obstruct one's path, and are said to disappear if one doesn't avoid the mountain and tries to bump into it intently.

Also, there is the folk belief that if a live sharksucker, a real type of fish, gets stuck to the bottom of the boat, it would not be able to move, so ayakashi is an alternate for this type of fish.

In the Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by Sekien Toriyama, for "ayakashi," there was a large hydrophiinae drawn, but this is actually an ikuchi.

Legend in Chiba

In the "Kaidanoi no Tsue," a collection of ghost stories from the Edo period, there was as stated below.

It was in Taidōzaki, Chōsei District, Chiba Prefecture. A certain ship needed water and went up- to land.

A beautiful woman scooped up water from a well, and thus retrieved the water and returned to the boat. When this was said to the boatman, the boatman said,

"There is no well in that place. A long time ago, there was someone who needed water and went up to land in the same way, and became missing. That woman was the ayakashi."

When the boatman hurriedly set the ship to sea, the woman came chasing and bit into the hull of the ship. Without delay, they drove it away by striking it with the oar, and were able to make good their escape.

See also

• List of legendary creatures from Japan