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Category: Japanese History 

Ōkami: Japanese Wolf Part 1 (Ep. 109)

Kitsune are everywhere, games, manga, anime, artwork, guarding shrines, possessing people. But what do you know about Japanese wolves? Maybe not so much?
A lone wolf standing on a rock in a misty forest, with tall trees and a mountain peak faintly visible in the background.

Supernatural Cats: Nekomata (Ep. 97)

Today I'm going to talk about supernatural cats, specifically, the nekomata. The nekomata is a mysterious feline with two tails and a penchant for dancing. 
Nekomata by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. A traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a cat with a towel draped over its head, sitting near a table with various objects. The background includes floral patterns and Japanese calligraphy.

The Killing Stone: Sessho Seki (Ep. 96)

It was all over the news: Japan's Infamous Killing Stone that was housing a chaotic, disaster inducing nine-tailed fox spirit, broke in half on March 5th. Is the fox spirit free? I'll tell you all about it on this episode.
Killing Stone Sessho Seki

Story Time: Tango no Hitobashira / The Human Pillar of Tango (Ep. 94)

Today I'm going to tell you a story called Tango no Hitobashira / The Human Pillar of Tango. It's an old folktale that I haven't found translated into English.
Hitobashira / Human Pillar

Hitobashira: The Tragic Stories of Human Pillars (Ep. 81)

How do you build a bridge that stands up to storms and floods? Well, you have to appease the nature gods, of course. But how do you do that? Human sacrifice seemed to have worked in the past. Today I'll talk about hitobashira or human pillars. An ancient tradition of insuring strong river banks, fireproof castles, and tunnels that won't collapse.
Hitobashira/Human Pillar

Jigoku Tayuu: The Mysterious Hell Courtesan (Ep. 74)

The Hell Courtesan (Jigoku Tayuu) is a mysterious figure that appears in art and story in Japan since the 1600s. But who is this beautiful high-ranked oiran who wears a kimono covered in images of hell? Today I'll talk about her legend and relationship with the eccentric monk Ikkyuu.
Hell courtesan Ikkyu A traditional Japanese painting depicting a woman in colorful kimono surrounded by supernatural elements, including a floating elderly man and a skeleton.
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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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