Magic in East Asia
Taoist talismans, the I Ching and feng shui, onmyodo and the omamori, and the mudang of Korea. 311 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
Kyoto 5Beijing 3Edo 3Mount Tai 3Shikoku 3Akita 2Asakusa 2Guangdong 2Himeji Castle 2Kifune Shrine 2Kumano Sanzan 2Mount Hiei 2Mount Ōmine 2Mukden 2Nagano Prefecture 2Sado Island 2Sendai 2Seoul 2Shimane Prefecture 2Aikoku Station 1Aizu region 1Akishino-dera 1Amami Ōshima 1Amoy 1Anyang 1Aojiang 1Aomori prefecture 1Ariake Sea 1Asagaya 1Awaji Island 1
Rites of the region
Writing and burning a fu talismanJoss paper and the Hungry Ghost offeringKau cim and jiaobeiThe I Ching and the yarrow stalksFeng shui placementSetsubun bean-throwingHarai, the Shinto rite of purificationOmamori and ofuda renewalOmikuji fortune slipsGut, the Korean shaman rite
Countries
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
🇯🇵 JapanKappa河童
A river-dwelling yōkai known for its head dish and love of cucumbersBeing · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanTengu天狗
Japanese mountain spirits that evolved from ominous birds into protective forest guardians.Being · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKitsuneきつね
A Japanese fox spirit known for shapeshifting and trickeryBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreRusalkaрусалка
A water spirit of Slavic folklore, often linked to drowned women and seasonal ritesBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanJorōgumo絡新婦 (kanji), じょろうぐも (hiragana)
A shapeshifting spider yōkai of Japanese folklore that lures victims with human guise.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreYue Lao月下老人
The Chinese deity of marriage who binds destined couples with red cordsBeing · Love and attraction · Binding and oaths Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanIttan-momen一反木綿
A flying cloth yōkai from Japanese folklore that warns children to stay indoors at nightBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaHundun混沌
A faceless being and the primordial void in Chinese cosmology and myth.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQilin麒麟
A legendary chimerical creature from Chinese mythology that signals the arrival or death of a sage.Being · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOni鬼（おに）
A horned demon of Japanese folklore known for strength and evil deedsBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaLan Caihe藍采和
An ambiguous Taoist immortal known for a flower basket and wandering songsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreXiezhi獬豸
A one-horned beast from East Asia that separates the guilty from the innocentBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇷🇺 RussiaKikimoraКикимора
A female house spirit in Slavic folklore that reflects the state of a home.Being · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreFox spirit狐狸精
A shapeshifting creature from Chinese folklore that can take human form and live for centuries.Being · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreFenghuang鳳凰 (fènghuáng)
A mythological bird symbolizing virtue and imperial harmony in East Asian cultureBeing · Power and authority · Love and attraction Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreRokurokubiろくろ首
A Japanese spirit with a stretching neck or a flying headBeing · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanNurarihyon滑瓢 or ぬらりひょん
A slippery Japanese monster that slips away and haunts homes in folklore and pop culture.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreJiangshi殭屍
A Chinese corpse said to rise and hop, feared for its strengthBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKuda-gitsune管狐 (kuda-gitsune)
A small spirit kept in a tube or sleeve to aid fortune-telling and cursing in Japanese folklore.Being · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOsaki尾先
A mountain spirit in Japanese folklore that brings wealth or possession.Being · Luck and prosperity · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanNamazu鯰
A giant catfish myth believed to cause earthquakes in JapanBeing Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanAbura-sumashi油すまし
A mountain spirit from Amakusa folklore said to be a thief turned yōkaiBeing Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanGashadokuroがしゃどくろ
A giant skeleton spirit born from the bones of those who died in war or famine.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanRaijū雷獣
A Japanese lightning creature that sleeps in navels and falls from stormsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanSatori覚
A mind-reading monkey-like yōkai from the mountains of JapanBeing Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKijo鬼女
A demon woman from Japanese folklore, born of resentment and karma.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇰🇷 South KoreaGwisin귀신
A Korean ghost of a human who died, lingering to finish unfinished business.Being · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanYōsei妖精
A Japanese term for spirits drawn from Western legends and native folkloreBeing Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaQiongqi窮奇
A winged beast from Chinese myth that rewards wickedness and punishes virtueBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanMazoku魔族
Supernatural beings in Japanese myth and fantasy, often evil.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaZouyu騶虞
A legendary Chinese creature said to appear only under benevolent ruleBeing · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanTesso鉄鼠
A Japanese yōkai born from a monk’s curse and the destructive power of ratsBeing · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreChimimōryō魑魅魍魎
A Chinese term for mountain and river spirits that spread to Japan and VietnamBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreShen蜃
A sea creature from Chinese mythology said to create mirages through shape-shiftingBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaKui夔 (kuí)
A one-legged mountain spirit and ancient music master from Chinese mythologyBeing · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaDenglong蹬龙
A Chinese mythical beast with mixed animal traits, often guarding imperial sites.Being · Protection · Power and authority Legendary
🇰🇷 South KoreaEgg ghost달걀귀신
A headless Korean spirit shaped like an egg, said to bring death upon sightingBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreShuihu水虎
A legendary water creature from Chinese folklore, later adopted into Japanese myth.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreHuoshu火鼠
A legendary fire-resistant rat from Chinese folklore said to yield self-cleaning cloth.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaNine-headed bird九頭鳥
A mythical creature from ancient China that became a symbol of deceit.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOsakabehime刑部姫
A yōkai spirit said to inhabit Himeji Castle and reveal its fate.Being · Seeing and foretelling Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreKakuen玃猿 (Jué yuán)
A legendary ape-like creature from Chinese and Japanese folklore known for abducting humans.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKinoko木の子
A mountain spirit in Japan that looks like a small child and plays tricks on workers.Being Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFengxi封豨
A two-headed boar monster and ancient rain deity from Chinese mythBeing · Cursing and harm · Seeing and foretelling Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaShangyang商羊
A mythical Chinese bird that predicts rain by dancing on one legBeing · Seeing and foretelling Legendary
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDokkaebi도깨비
A one-legged supernatural being from Korean folklore, often linked to household objects and magical items.Being · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanShichinin misaki七人ミサキ
A group of seven vengeful ghosts from Japan that appear near water and kill those who see them.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇹🇼 TaiwanMo-sin-a魔神仔
A short, furry forest demon from Taiwanese folklore said to lure travelers into the mountains.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Lan Caihe: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Tesso: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Curse: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Kikimora: Гиппиус Татьяна Николаевна (1877-1957), Public domain, source
- Fox spirit: Chen Menglei, Public domain, source
- Fenghuang: Supremo Editor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rokurokubi: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Nurarihyon: Brigham Young University, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jiangshi: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kitsune: Yoshitoshi, Public domain, source
- Kappa: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Rusalka: Andrey Shishkin, CC BY 3.0, source
- Qilin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Namazu: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Abura-sumashi: Triton, CC BY 3.0, source
- Gashadokuro: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Zouyu: Chen Menglei, Public domain, source
- Kui: Dave Pape, Public domain, source
- Denglong: Shizhao, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shuihu: Author: b. 1654, Public domain, source
- Nine-headed bird: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Yue Lao: 仔仔好帥, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Xiezhi: Carty239 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Oni: Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849), Public domain, source
- Hundun: Oldie~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source