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Category: Japanese Folklore 

Koumare Ishi: Inexplicable Rocks That Predict the Deaths of Monks (Ep. 59)

Koumare Ishi is one of the nanafushigi or seven mysterious occurrences from my area. The belief is that a rock is born from the side of the mountain, and when it falls the head abbot of the nearby temple, Daitoku, dies.
Koumare Ishi Small Shrine

Star-Crossed Lovers (Tanabata) (Ep. 55)

Tanabata is a Japanese festival based on the bizarre tale of two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi. I'll tell you their story and explain a little about the origins and how it's celebrated today.
Tanabata ukiyoe. Japanese woodblock print of a woman in traditional attire hanging paper decorations on a bamboo tree.

Putting a Curse on Your Enemies (Ushi no Koku Mairi) (Ep. 52)

Ushi no Koku Mairi means visiting a shrine at the hour of the ox (between 1:00 and 3:00 am). It also means going there so you can put a curse on your enemy. Deriving from the legend of Hashi Hime (The Bridge Princess) and the Noh play Kanawa (The Iron Crown), this peculiar and frightening way of cursing those who have wronged you is definitely next level.
A black-and-white illustration depicting Ushi no koku mairi, a long-haired figure with three candles on the head, writing held up by a string around the neck, standing or floating near a tree. Vertical Japanese text is on the right side of the image.

Story Time – Sand Walls, Paper Doors (Ep. 50)

I'm really happy to say that this is my 50th episode of Uncanny Japan. I want to read a short story that's really dear to my heart. It's the short story that got me my book deal, my agent, and my best friend. Also, yokai, lots of yokai.
Shoji paper window

Kanashibari: Sleep Paralysis and the Pillow Flipper (Ep. 46)

Have you ever woken up frozen, unable to move or speak? You can hear and feel everything, but you're completely paralyzed. In this episode, I explore kanashibari—Japanese sleep paralysis—and the freaky pillow-flipping yōkai thought to cause it.
Statue of fudo-miyou, a fierce deity with a dark blue face, yellow eyes, fangs, and curly hair, holding a sword, surrounded by a vibrant orange flame backdrop.

Yotsuya Kaidan (The Ghost of Oiwa) Story Time (Ep. 42)

In this episode I'm going to tell you a spooky tale called Yotsuya Kaidan, the story of Oiwa and her sad and vengeful ghost. This is one of the greatest Japanese ghost stories. Remember I told you about Okiku and the Nine Plates back in Episode 25. Today’s ghost, Oiwa, is as well-known as our poor Okiku.
The Ghost of Oiwa

The Rock That Cries at Night (younaki ishi) (Ep. 36)

A rock that gets weepy when the sun goes down, a pregnant woman slain alone in the mountains, a newborn baby visited by a ghostly priest who feds him candy to stay alive.

#Uncannytober: Oct 7

Night Crying Rock

Nanafushigi: Seven Mysterious Things (Ep. 35)

A giant hairy foot crashing through the roof of an old house and demanding to be washed. A festive tanuki band that appears in the dead of night and lures you into parts unknown. These are just two of the Honjo Nanafushigi.
nanafushigi

Hidden by the Gods (kamikakushi) (Ep. 34)

I started talking about the tengu in Episode 32 (Heavenly Dogs and Brilliant Swordsmen), but I wasn't able to cover one of my favorite things about this red faced, long nosed, mountain warrior. That being the notion of kamikakushi (神隠し) or being spirited away.
kamikakushi
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About The Uncanny Japan Podcast

Speculative fiction writer, long-term resident of Japan and Bram Stoker Award finalist Thersa Matsuura explores all that is weird from old Japan—strange superstitions, folktales, cultural oddities, and interesting language quirks. These are little treasures she digs up while doing research for her writing.

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