Akaname
The akaname (垢嘗) is a Japanese yōkai depicted in Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yagyō.[3] Meaning "filth licker", they are stated to lick the filth that collects in bathtubs and bathrooms.[4]
Classics
In classical yōkai depictions, children with clawed feet and cropped heads are depicted by the bath place sticking out a long tongue.[5] These depictions do not feature any kind of explanation, so anything related to them can only be inferred, but in the Edo period kaidan book Kokon Hyakumonogatari Hyōban, there are writings about a yōkai called "akaneburi" ("neburi" meaning "to lick") and it is inferred that the akaname is a depiction of this akaneburi.[2][3]
According to the Kokon Hyakumonogatari Hyōban, the akaneburi is a monster that lives in old bathhouses and are said to lurk in dilapidated estates. In those times, it was believed that fish were born from water and lice were born from dirt, and seeing how fish intake water and lice eat dirt, all things were thus believed to eat the material that spawns them, the akaneburi being the ones that transform from the air of the places that gather dust and filth and therefore live by eating filth.[6]
Showa, Heisei, and beyond
In literature about yōkai from the periods of Shōwa, Heisei, and beyond, akaname and akaneburi were interpreted the same way as above. These interpretations state that the akaname is a yōkai that lives in old bathhouses and dilapidated buildings[7] that would sneak into places at night when people are asleep[7] to lick using a long tongue at the filth and grime sticking to bath places and bathtubs.[4][8][9] It doesn't do anything other than lick at the filth, but since yōkai were considered creepy to see in any case, it is said that people worked hard to ensure that the bath places and bathtubs are washed clean so that the akaname wouldn't come.[4][8][10] There were none who saw what the akaname truly were, but since "aka" can remind people of the color red ("aka" in Japanese), they are said to have red faces[8] or be entirely red.[9] Also, "aka" (meaning filth) also has connotations to the idea of "impurities" such as "depravities", "sins", or "worldly desires" and other things that are not necessary, which leads to the theory that it wasn't simply a lesson to keep bath places clean, but also to keep such impurities from lurking in one's own self.[11]
In popular culture
The Pokémon Lickitung may draw inspiration from the akaname, as it has some elements of the creature (both have long tongues).
See also
Notes
- ^ Toriyama, Sekien (July 2005). Toriyama Sekien Gazu Hyakki Yagyō Zen Gashū (in Japanese). Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd. pp. 10–65. ISBN 978-4-04-405101-3.
- ^ a b Reider, Noriko (2010). Japanese Demon Lore. U.S.A: Utah State University.
- ^ a b 村上 2000, p. 7
- ^ a b c Yoka, Hiroko (2008). Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd. pp. 82–85. ISBN 978-4-77-003070-2.
- ^ 草野巧 (1997). 幻想動物事典. 新紀元社. p. 7. ISBN 978-4-88317-283-2.
- ^ 山岡元隣 (1989) [1686]. "古今百物語評判". In 高田衛編・校中 (ed.). 江戸怪談集. 岩波文庫. Vol. 下. 岩波書店. pp. 344–345. ISBN 978-4-00-302573-4.
- ^ a b 中村他 1999, p. 114
- ^ a b c 岩井 1986, p. 139
- ^ a b 多田 1990, p. 270
- ^ 水木しげる (2004). 妖鬼化. Vol. 2. Softgarage. p. 6. ISBN 978-4-86133-005-6.
- ^ 宮本幸江・熊谷あづさ (2007). 日本の妖怪の謎と不思議. 学習研究社. p. 25. ISBN 978-4-056-04760-8.
References
- 岩井宏實 (2000) [1986]. 暮しの中の妖怪たち. 河出文庫. 河出書房新社. ISBN 978-4-309-47396-3.
- 少年社・中村友紀夫・武田えり子編 (1999). 妖怪の本 異界の闇に蠢く百鬼夜行の伝説. New sight mook. 学習研究社. ISBN 978-4-05-602048-9.
- 多田克己 (1990). 幻想世界の住人たち. Truth In Fantasy. Vol. IV. 新紀元社. ISBN 978-4-915146-44-2.
- 村上健司編著 (2000). 妖怪事典. 毎日新聞社. ISBN 978-4-620-31428-0.
- Gould, Robert Jay (2003). Japan Culture Research Project.
- Stevens, Ben (2009). A Gaijin's Guide to Japan: an Alternative Look at Japanese Life, History and Culture. HarperCollins UK.
- Akaname Bandcamp