河童　（Kappa）

30th March – 弥生

Less than 150cm height, looks like children but green skin, wearing a dish on the top of the head, and having turtle shell at the back… this strange monster is called 河童 (Kappa) and is believed to live in the river. This creature can stay inside and outside the water and very good at swimming. The dish on the head can hold the water and if there is no water, or if the dish breaks, Kappa loses his power. This creature has been told and widely spread in Japan. Each place have different story with Kappa -good and bad exist.

One of the opinions are that the origin of the Kappa looks can be from the custom from Edo period. Around that time, it was pretty common that if the one family has got many kids that parents cannot take care of, they throw the kids into the river and kill them. This custom was called 間引き(Mabiki), and the dead body floating on the river looks like the Kappa looks. Very sad story but it was actually done in the old time.

Kappa has good and bad reputation: good ones are that Kappa helps rice planting, catch fish and deliver to the people. On the other hand, some places have been told that Kappa is violent and they drag people and animals into the river. One famous story is that Kappa takes human’s 尻子玉 (Shirikodama), which is believed as one part of organ that human have in the ass (it actually does not exist). They like doing mischief and play sumo.

In many Kappa drawings, they are drew with cucumber – this is because Kappa is considered as gods of water in some areas. Cucumber is the offering for the god of water therefore it was placed to the Kappa. Even nowadays, there is a sushi called ‘Kappa maki’, which is the cucumber roll.

There are some facts that Kappa could have been exist in Japan – In Fukuoka, Kurume city, there is a place called 北野天満宮 (Kitano-tenmanguu) and this place store an arm of Kappa mummy. In Saga, Imari city has the whole body of Kappa mummy. If you are interested, why not visiting those places to see the evidence of Kappa living in Japan?:)