Discover more about the traditionally "scary" Japanese festival Obon and how Japan has gradually adopted Halloween.

Discover the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi (Vega & Altair). Learn the Chinese origin of the Tanabata Star Festival and its recurrent role in Japanese anime and video games.

Previously published on Minkai.art https://web.archive.org/web/20210325110042/https://minkai.art/2021/03/24/dragons-evil-creatures-or-buddhist-guardians/ In my native country, Italy, when we hear the word “dragon” we think about medieval folklore. If you grew up in a Western country like me you most definitely learned about these winged, four-legged animals from fairytales or biblical stories, like Saint George and the Dragon. Known for breathing fire and hoarding treasures,

Previously published on Minkai.art https://web.archive.org/web/20210428013831/https://minkai.art/2021/04/27/shugendo-folk-religion-and-mountain-syncretism-in-japan/ “Born Shintō, live nonreligious, wed Christian and die Buddhist”, once said the scholar Ian Reader. This quote summarizes one important aspect of Japanese religion: syncretism. Buddhism, Shintō and other doctrines interact and transform in something new, as one may expect in a country where it’s common to adhere t

Previously published on Minkai.art https://web.archive.org/web/20210330090934/https://minkai.art/2021/02/09/tanuki-the-shapeshifting-raccoon-dog/ In the last post we talked about a shapeshifting creature, the kitsune onna (狐女, きつねおんな, lit. “fox women”) . We also mentioned that foxes weren’t the only animal capable of changing their appearance, like the Japanese raccoon-dog, the tanuki (狸, タヌキ). They are nocturnal mammals similar to raccoons and possums and they live in close

Previously published on Minkai.art https://web.archive.org/web/20210318150234/https://minkai.art/2021/02/08/kitsune-onna-the-cunning-seductress/ Today I would like to talk to you all about one of the most famous characters in pop culture, the kitsune onna. During Edo period (1603 / 1868) foxes (狐, キツネ, kitsune) were often thought to be magical creatures. If you’re familiar with Japanese culture, you may have seen them represented as the celestial spirits zenko (善狐, ぜんこ, lit.

Previously published on Minkai.art (March 2021) https://web.archive.org/web/20221029190047/https://minkai.art/2021/03/11/jizo-japans-most-loved-guardian-deity/ In the first article I wrote I mentioned the Bodhisattva Jizō (地蔵, じぞう), the guardian of travelers, pregnant women and unborn babies, the savior of souls in all six planes of existence. Also called Ojizō-sama (お地蔵様, おじぞうさま) and Ksitigarbha (his original Sanskrit name), he’s one of the most revered deities in present Ja