Asian Folklore
Sitting at the southeastern corner of Asia lies the Philippines, which like any other Asian countries such as Japan or Thailand, has its own fair share of cinematic horrors. Filipino or “Pinoy” horror is mostly rooted in local folklore and religion, a result of the country’s beliefs and culture before and after it has been invaded
A mockumentary framing offers a nice spin to the found footage genre. While most found footage films are shot and arranged in an amateur fashion to preserve their realism and home video sense, mockumentary is its counterpart. Here, the believability of the horror comes from one’s flair in crafting conceivable documentation of something purely fictional.
Ken Niimura is a Spanish-Japanese artist who employs a simplified, endearing style to share three stories in this volume of the taboo. Taking inspiration from the Japanese tales he heard as a child, such as Urashima Taro and The Crane Wife, he uses each to dig into the questions he had behind the story. What
Hell-o there, Boos, Ghouls and in-between! Your friendly neighborhood Brazilian Vic here, reporting to The Yurei with a new fresh take on folklore! Have you ever seen the rain fall and wondered if there is a larger, supernatural power behind it? I live in an old town deeply connected to its folklore and culture. Because
The Kisaragi Station is a Japanese urban legend originating on the 2Ch message boards in 2004 and revolves around private railway at Shizuoka. Shared as an anecdote in the thread ‘Post About Strange Occurrences Around You: Thread 26’, the tale recounted how the anonymous user – who was later identified as ‘Hasumi’ – awoke in
The Okiku Doll is a haunted object presently stored at the Mannenji Temple and originating in Hokkaido, Japan as a possession of a daughter, Okiku, from the Suzuki family. The doll was bought for Okiku Suzuki in 1918 by her older sister, Eikichi Suzuki, and she fell in love with it, naming it after herself
Konnichiwa! Dia Duit! Wazzup! Straight Outta Kanto, much like yourself, loves a good scare. However, I like my scares safely in a movie, manga or even a poorly written fan fiction creepypasta. However, sometimes, life can imitate media in ways no one could anticipate. When Japanese artist Keisuke Aiso submitted a sculpture of his interpretation
It’s safe to say that, for most, Naruto was their first exposure to Japanese media and culture. With its larger then life fight scenes, solid story arcs and beautiful artwork, it has defiantly made its mark on popular culture throughout the world. One thing that I have always enjoyed about Naruto was the Bijuu, or
Banchō Sarayashiki, translated to ‘The Dish Mansion at Banchō’, has a strong legacy in Japan as a kaidan (Japanese ghost story) since 1741, it has been adapted in various ways (e.g. manga, novella, television series) and depicted in the ever enduring ukiyo-e. A bunraku play titled ‘Banchō Sarayashiki’ was performed at the Toyotakeza theatre in
The Bakeneko (化け猫, “changed cat”) is a mischievous yōkai in Japanese culture that is one of the more commonly found ghosts in Japan. A Bakeneko is a common house cat that during their life transforms into a ghostly yōkai creature. It’s quite often believed in Japan that the older a cat becomes, the more spiritual