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curiousordinary.bsky.social
curious ordinary
@curiousordinary.bsky.social
10K followers 1.6K following 4.6K posts
▪️Folklore▪️Myth▪️Magic▪️Art▪️
Sharing Japanese and supernatural folklore, mythology, yokai, culture and art. Also love books, cats, crows and trees.
http://linktr.ee/curiousordinary
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curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Hanando of the Ogiya, Kamuro Momiji and Sakura' - Kikugawa Eizan, 1809. From the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
A woman wearing elaborate Japanese dress sits holding a book.
November 13, 2025 at 12:10 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
The cover of an e-hon (picture book) from a series of books titled 'Yamato Bunko.' This 1861 cover print is by Utagawa Kunisada and depicts a cat on a kotatsu (foot warmer).
#Caturday #JapaneseArt
A woman sits with her lower half under a green and red blanket which is a traditional Japanese foot warmer. A black and white cat sits on top of the blanket.
November 8, 2025 at 12:55 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
In Japan there is a famous tale about Oiwa whose husband disfigured her so he could remarry. This ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1852) shows the vengeful ghost of Oiwa squeezing blood from her hair, watched by her terrified husband who she endlessly haunted.
#FolkyFriday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
A man looks on in horror as a ghostly woman squeezes blood from her hair.
November 7, 2025 at 12:30 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Two Women in a Gusty Autumn Landscape' from the series 'The Six Immortal Poets' - Katsukawa Shunsho, ca. 1771. From the Art Institute of Chicago collection.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
Two women walk along a path with a maple tree behind. Their clothes are blowing in a strong wind.
November 7, 2025 at 12:28 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Bird and Autumn Flowers' - Utagawa Hiroshige II, ca. late 1860s.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
A golden bird and red and purple flowers on a green background.
November 7, 2025 at 12:24 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
...tales of being shot. If a regular Buddhist exorcism was unsuccessful, a visit to a wolf shrine was required as apparently foxes are terrified of wolves. Otora gitsune was eventually killed by a hunter but its descendants continued to possess people to tell his story.
2/2

🎨Iman Joy El Shami-Mader
A white fix with three black legs and one eye missing.
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
Today I learnt about a three-legged, one-eyed shapeshifting kitsune ( #yokai fox) known as Otora gitsune who possesses humans and talks about its wartime experiences. Those possessed suffer from discharge from their left eye, an aching left leg, and they recount...
1/2

🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
A three-legged fox with one eye missing stands beside a lake. Behind it a very old wooden torii (gate) stands and a path leads through a misty forest.
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Moon and Lake Biwa' from the series 'The Scenic Places of Tokaido' - Utagawa Yoshitsuya, 1863.
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
A full moon high in the sky beyond a cliff looking over water towards mountains in the distance.
November 5, 2025 at 12:41 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Monkey and Moon' - Ohara Koson, ca. 1910.
#FullMoon #shinhanga #JapaneseArt
A monkey is hanging off a branch trying to catch the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the water.
November 5, 2025 at 12:34 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Owl and Chestnut' - Ohara Koson, 1934.
#OwlishMonday #JapaneseArt
An owl sits on a branch of chestnut tree.
November 3, 2025 at 12:13 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Blue Bird in Autumn' - Ito Sozan, ca. 1910's.
#JapaneseArt #shinhanga
A blue bird sits on a branch in a red maple tree.
October 31, 2025 at 8:52 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
...in the terror they cause. When a victim runs from one faceless #yokai they find themselves confronted with yet another. Sometimes nopperabo even take the form of family members or friends to really freak their victims out. It is believed that these yokai are actually shapeshifting tanuki,...
3/4
A scene from the Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko where there are multiple faceless people in a convenience store.
October 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
...around on dark streets, often keeping their backs turned until people get close, whereupon it turns to reveal a featureless face. In some cases it will initially appear with a face, but use one hand to wipe it away, revealing a featureless orb instead. Nopperabo work in groups, delighting...
2/4
A person in traditional Japanese dress with a blank face.
October 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
Nopperabo is a strange supernatural phenomenon from #JapaneseFolklore. This yokai appears just like any normal human, but it is far from ordinary because it has no face. Generally nopperabo aim to scare unsuspecting victims out of their wits. They lurk...
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
1/4
A person with a blank face stands at a good stall at night. The awning is blue and white checks.
October 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
... broom which will cause her to scurry away and hide under the floorboards. In the past there was a belief that each part of the house had a guardian spirit and nando baba may once have been one of these. Over time the custom evolved and she became known as a yokai instead.
🎨Shigeru Mizuki
2/2
An old woman with a wide mouth.
October 29, 2025 at 8:59 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
In #JapaneseFolklore nando baba is the storeroom hag who lurks inside closets. Appearing as a ragged old woman this #yokai is fairly harmless but is known to leap out screaming and chase you. It seems the best defence is to hit her over the head with a...
#WyrdWednesday
🎨Matthew Meyer @yokai.com
1/2
An old woman peeks around the corner of a cupboard in a traditional home.
October 29, 2025 at 8:59 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
Torii marking the entrance to Awata Shrine, a small hilltop shrine in northern Higashiyama, Kyoto.
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #Japan
A large stone torii (gate) behind which a path leads up a hill towards a shrine with trees either side, some with autumn colours.
October 28, 2025 at 1:05 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
'Torii at Itsukushima' from the series 'Views of the Famous Sights of Japan' - Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1896.
#ToriiTuesday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
Print depicting the torii at Itsukushima (also known as Miyajima) that appears to be floating on water, with boats nearby and the shrine complex behind.
October 28, 2025 at 12:57 AM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
The final print in this thread is 'Wolf Tattoo' by Toyohara Kunichika, 1863. It apparently shows kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon with a (possibly #yokai) wolf tattoo on his arm.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
7/7
A man with a wolf tattoo in his arm. Silhouetted floats of a summer festival are passing in the background.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
Here are two more #ukiyoe prints, the first is 'Dragon Tattoo' by Utagawa Kunisada, 1863. The second is 'Thistle Tattoo' by Toyohara Kunichika, 1865.
6/7
A tattooed man with a blue dragon tattoo. A tattooed man near a flowering tree wears a scarf over his head.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
The triptych print below by
Utagawa Kunisada shows three tattooed men. The one on the left has a large dragon Tattoo and the others have intricate floral designs and depictions of heroes.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
5/7
Three tattooed men. The one on the left has a red and blue dragon tattoo.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
...the Chinese novel Suikoden. Apparently he had nine dragon tattoos, and was therefore known as 'Kumonryu' (Nine Dragons). The print below by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1885) is titled 'The Village of the Shi Clan on a Moonlit Night' and also depicts Shi Jin and his dragon tattoos.
#JapaneseArt
4/7
A tattooed man sits relaxing on a bench beneath a tree with a full moon above.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
...actors with tattoos showing the heroes from the novels. As a result, demand increased for this kind of tattooing. Some woodblock print artists also became tattoo artists. The print below is by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1855) and depicts the hero Shi Jin who was one of the 108 bandit heroes of...
3/7
A tattooed man sitting on a bench. A woman and child behind. Two pigs at his feet.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
...decorative tattooing began. In 1757 the Chinese novel Suikoden was released in Japanese and became very popular. Ukiyo-e woodblock prints began depicting scenes from the book with heroes whose bodies were decorated with tattoos. The prints also depicted kabuki...
🎨Utagawa Kunisada, 1856.
2/7
A tattooed man holding a long knife.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
curiousordinary.bsky.social
In Japan the role of tattoos, known as irezumi, has varied throughout history. At times they were used as a criminal punishment and later they were banned and came to be connected with organised crime. During the Edo period (1603–1867) the era of...
#MythologyMonday
🎨Toyohara Kunichika, 1862.
1/7
A man with elaborate tattoos on his arms and back.
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM