List of legendary creatures of Japan

In this article, we'll have a list of demons, ghosts, yōkai, obake, yūrei and other legendary creatures that are notable in Japanese folklore and mythology. A complete list with a brief description of each creature from Japan's legends.

We already had some articles about these mythical creatures from Japan like:

• Japanese bathroom ghosts
• 15 Japanese Monsters Myths and Legends

I hope you enjoy this list of over 306 monsters, creatures and ghosts from Japanese mythology. This article may be useful for those who wish to have a brief description or to know the name of a certain creature.

Note that this article has not been fully revised. It would take time to review the description of the 306 monsters that were translated from English. In my quick review I managed to get out a lot of incomprehensible stuff.

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Yokais, Obake, Yurei, Japanese Ghosts and Demons

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Abumi-guchi	A furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander who worked for Yamata no Orochi.
Abura-akago	A childish ghost licking the oil from andon lamps.
Abura-sumashi	A spirit with a big head who lives in a mountain in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Akabeko	A red cow involved in the construction of Enzō-ji in Yanaizu, Fukushima.
Akaname	A spirit that licks up the dirt in messy bathrooms.
Akashita	A creature that appears in a black cloud over a sluice gate.
Akateko	A red hand hanging from a tree.
Akkorokamui	An Ainu monster resembling a fish or octopus.
Akubōzu	Akubōzu, living in the ashes of fireplaces, are from Akita and Iwate.
Akurojin-no-hi	A ghostly fire from Mie Prefecture.
Amabie	A Japanese mermaid yokai.
Amaburakosagi	A ritual-disciplinary demon of Shikoku.
Amamehagi	A ritual-disciplinary demon of Hokuriku.
Amanojaku	A little demon who incites people to evil.
Amanozako	A monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki.
Amaterasu	A sun goddess.
Amazake-babaa	An old woman who asks for sweet love and brings illness.
Amefurikozō	A boy spirit that plays in the rain.
Amemasu	An Ainu creature resembling a fish or whale.
Ameonna	A female spirit that makes it rain.
Amikiri	A bird spirit, with a bird's head, a crustacean trap, and a snake's body.
Amorōnagu	A Tennyo from the island of Amami Shima.
Anmo	A ritual-disciplinary demon from Iwate Prefecture.
Aoandon	The demonic spirit that emerges from an andon lamp at the end of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.
Aobōzu	The blue monk who kidnaps children.
Aonyōbō	A ghost that lurks in an abandoned imperial palace.
Aosaginohi	A luminescent heron.
Arikura-no-baba	An old woman with magical powers.
Ashimagari	A spirit that envelops the legs of travelers.
Ashinagatenaga	A pair of characters, one with long legs and one with long arms.
Ayakashi (yōkai)	A phenomenon considered to be funayurei.
Azukiarai (or Azukitogi)	A spirit that washes adzuki beans.
Bake-kujira	A ghostly whale skeleton that floats along the coast of Shimane Prefecture.
Bakeneko	A shape-shifting cat.
Bakezōri	A zōri sandal spirit.
Baku (spirit)	Supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.
Basan	A big chicken monster that spits fire.
Bashōnosei	banana tree spirit
Betobeto-san	Invisible spirit that follows people at night, producing the sound of footsteps.
Binbōgami	The spirit of poverty.
Biwa-bokuboku	Lively biwa lute.
Buruburu	A spirit that clings to people who induce cowardice and shivers.
Byakko	Japanese version of the Chinese white tiger.
Byōbunozoki	Tsukumogami who emerges from byōbu to spy on people.
Chōchinbi	Demonic flames that appear on the trails between the rice fields.
Chōchinobake	A possessed chochin lantern.
Daidarabotchi	A giant responsible for creating the geographical features of Japan.
Daitengu	The most powerful tengu, each of which lives on a separate mountain.
Danzaburou-danuki	a bake-danuki from Sado Island.
Datsue-ba	An old woman in the underworld who removes clothing (or skin, if unclothed) from the dead.
Dodomeki	A demon with a hundred eyes.
Dōnotsura	A headless human yōkai with its face on its torso.
Enenra	A monster made of smoke.
Enkō	Kappa from Shikoku and Western Honshū.
Funayūrei	Ghosts of people who died at sea.
Furaribi	A creature engulfed in flames that fly aimlessly.
Furu-utsubo	A beloved quiver of dead archers.
Furutsubaki-no-rei	A soul-sucking plant.
Futakuchi-onna	The two-mouthed woman.
Fūjin	The god of wind.
Fūri	A yokai monkey.
Gagoze	A demon that attacked young priests at the Gangō-ji temple.
Gaki	Hungry ghosts of especially greedy people.
Gashadokuro	A giant skeleton that is the spirit of the unburied dead. Also known as Gaikotsu.
Genbu	Japanese version of the Chinese black turtle.
Goryō	The vengeful spirits of the dead.
Gozu and Mezu	Underworld guards.
Guhin	Another name for tengu.
Gyūki	Another name for Ushi-oni.
Hachishaku-sama	An 8 foot tall woman and famous for kidnapping children.
Hakanohi	A fire that burns in graves.
Hakuja no Myojin	A white serpent God.
Hakutaku	A beast that imparted knowledge about harmful spirits.
Hanako-san	The spirit of a young WWII girl who inhabits and haunts school toilets.
Hannya	A noh mask representing a jealous demon.
Haradashi	A creature with a giant face on its stomach.
Harionago	A woman with a prickly barb at the end of each lock of her hair.
Hashihime	A woman-turned-spirit associated with the bridge at Uji.
Heikegani	Crabs with shells with human face. They are the spirits of the warriors killed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
Hibagon	The Japanese version of Bigfoot or Yeti.
Hiderigami	The spirit of drought.
Hihi	A baboon-like Chinese yokai.
Hikeshibaba	An old woman who puts out lanterns.
Hinode	The sunrise.
Hitodama	A fireball ghost that appears when someone dies, signifying the dead person's spirit.
Hitotsume-kozō	A one-eyed childlike spirit.
Hitotsume-nyūdō	A one-eyed monk spirit.
Hiyoribō	The spirit that stops the rains.
Hoji	The perverse spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.
Hone-onna	The Skeleton Woman.
Hoshi-no-Tama	A ball guarded by a Kitsune (fox) that can give those who obtain it the power to force the Kitsune to help them. It is said to have some reserves of the Kitsune's power.
Hotoke	A deceased person.
Hyakki Yakō	The night parade of demons.
Hyōsube	A kind of Kappa covered in hair.
Hō-ō	China's legendary Fenghuang bird.
Hōsōshi	A ritual exorcist.
Ibaraki-doji	Daughter of an oni.
Ichiren-Bozu	Animated prayer beads.
Ikiryō	Essentially a living ghost, as it is the soul of a person living outside their body.
Ikuchi	A sea serpent traveling over boats in an arc while dripping oil.
Inugami Gyoubu	A type of roast-danuki.
Inugami	A dog spirit created, worshiped, and employed by a family through sorcery.
Isonade	A fish-like sea monster with a tail covered in barbs.
Issie	A lake monster.
Itsumade	A bird monster that spits fire.
Ittan-momen	A possessed cotton roll that tries to suffocate people by wrapping itself around their faces.
Iyaya	A woman whose face is reflected as an old man.
Jami	A wicked mountain spirit.
Janjanbi	A soul in the shape of a ball of fire, named for the sound it makes.
Jatai	Animated folding screen cloth.
Jibakurei	A spirit that protects a specific place.
Jikininki	Ghosts that eat human corpses.
Jinmenju	A tree with fruits with a human face.
Jishin-namazu	The giant catfish that causes earthquakes and tsunami. He was blamed during the Ansei earthquake and tsunami.
Jorōgumo	A spider woman.
Jubokko	A vampire tree.
Kahaku (河伯)	Another name for a Kappa.
Kakurezato
Kamaitachi	The sickle-clawed weasel that haunts the mountains.
Kambarinyūdō	A monk spirit that spies on people who use the toilet.
Kameosa	A bottle of possessed sake.
Kanedama	A spirit that carries money.
Kappa	A famous aquatic monster with a head full of water and a love for cucumbers.
Karasu-tengu	Crow Demon.
Karura	Anthropomorphic eagle similar to the Hindu Garuda.
Kasa-obake	A possessed paper umbrella monster.
Kasha	A cat-like demon that descends from the sky and takes away corpses.
Katawaguruma	A type of Wanyudo, with an anguished woman instead of a monk's head on a burning wheel.
Kawaakago	A river spirit pretending to be a crying baby.
Kawauso	River otters.
Kechibi	Fireballs with human faces inside.
Keneō	An old man sitting in the underworld who weighs the clothes Datsue-ba gave him.
Keukegen	A small dog-like creature, covered entirely in long hair.
Kijimuna	A sprite of an Okinawan tree.
Kirin	The Japanese version of China's Qilin, which is part dragon and part deer with antlers, fish scales and an ox tail. Said to be a protective creature and guardian of the metal element.
Kitsune no yomeiri	Ghost of Light
Kitsune	A fox spirit.
Kitsunebi	Flames created by the Kitsune.
Kiyohime	A woman who turned into a serpent demon out of the rage of unrequited love.
Kodama	A spirit that lives in a tree.
Kokakuchō	The Ubume bird.
Komainu	The pair of lion dogs that guard the temple entrances.
Konaki-jiji	This yokai disguises himself as an abandoned baby and then cries until someone picks him up.
Konoha-tengu	A bird-like Tengu.
Koromodako	An octopus-like Yokai that lives in the waters bordering Kyoto and Fukui.
Koropokkuru	A little person from Ainu folklore.
Kosenjōbi	Fireballs that float over ancient battlefields.
Kosode-no-te	A possessed kosode.
Kubikajiri	Feminine spirit of the cemetery that chews the corpse.
Kuchisake-onna	The woman with the slit mouth.
Kuda-gitsune	A small fox animal used in sorcery.
Kudan	A cow with a human face.
Kumo Yōkai	A Japanese spider demon.
Kyonshī	The Japanese version of the Chinese jumping vampire, known as "jiangshi".
Kyōkotsu	A skeletal figure emerging from a well.
Kyōrinrin	Rolls or papers owned.
Mekurabe	The multiplier skulls that threatened Taira no Kiyomori in her courtyard.
Miage-nyūdō	A spirit that grows as fast as you can look at it.
Mikaribaba	A one-eyed old woman.
Mikoshi-nyūdō	A bald goblin with an extended neck.
Misaki	High-ranking divine spirits.
Mizuchi	A dangerous water dragon.
Mokumokuren	A swarm of eyes appearing on a paper sliding door in an old building.
Momonjī	An old man who is waiting for travelers at every fork in the road.
Mononoke	Any mischievous and troublesome creature/entity of uncertain origin.
Morinji-no-kama	Another name for Bunbuku Chagama, the bake-danuki kettle.
Mujina	A shape-shifting badger.
Myōbu	A title sometimes given to a fox.
Mōryō	A general term for various corpse-eating water demons.
Namahage	A ritual-disciplinary demon from the Oga Peninsula.
Namazu	A giant catfish that causes earthquakes.
Nekomata	A yokai cat.
Ningyo	A fish person or "mermaid".
Nobusuma	A flying squirrel monster (possibly inspired by the giant Indian flying squirrel).
Noderabō	Strange creatures that stand near a temple bell.
Nogitsune	A dangerous kitsune.
Noppera-bō	A faceless ghost.
Nozuchi	A fat creature like a snake.
Nue	A monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a tail with the head of a snake. It tormented the emperor with nightmares in the Heike Monogatari.
Nukekubi	A cruel, human monster whose head detaches from its body, often mistaken for the Rokurokubi.
Nuppeppo	An animated piece of decaying human flesh.
Nurarihyon	A strange character who sneaks into houses on busy nights.
Nure-onna	A female snake monster that appears on the beach.
Nuribotoke	An animated corpse with blackened flesh and swaying eyes.
Nurikabe	A ghostly wall that traps a traveler at night.
Nyūdō-bōzu	A yokai who grows bigger the more he looks up.
Nyūnaisuzume	Sparrows that flew from the mouth of the exiled poet Fujiwara-no Sanekata.
Obake (or Bakemono)	Shape-shifting spirits.
Obariyon	Yōkai, who rides over a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy.
Oboroguruma	An oxcart with a face on the carriage.
Oiwa	The ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband. One of the most famous onryō.
Okiku	The ghost of counting a maid's plate.
Okuri-inu	A spectral dog that follows lone travelers, attacking them if they trip. Similar to the black dog of English folklore.
Oni of Rashomon
Oni	The classic Japanese devil. It is an ogre-like creature that usually has horns.
Onibaba	The demonic witch of Adachigahara.
Onibi	A demonic flame that can suck life if people get too close.
Onihitokuchi	One-eyed Oni that kills and eats humans.
Onikuma	yōkai bear.
Onmoraki	A bird demon created from the spirits of freshly slain corpses.
Onmyoji	A human who has powers like those of a yōkai.
Onryō	A vengeful ghost formed by powerful feelings like anger or sadness.
Osakabe	An old yōkai residing in Himeji's castle who can read and manipulate hearts.
Otoroshi	A furry creature that lands on the torii gates to shrines and temples.
Raijin	The God of Thunder.
Raijū	An animal that falls to earth in a bolt of lightning.
Rokurokubi	A person, usually female, whose neck can stretch indefinitely.
Dragon	The Japanese Dragon.
Rōjinbi	A ghostly fire that appears with an elderly person.
Sa Gojō	The water monster Sha Wujing from Journey to the West, often interpreted in Japan as a kappa.
Samebito	A shark from the Dragon Palace submarine.
Sankai	An amorphous postpartum spirit.
Sansei	A humanoid with a single leg twisted backwards.
Sarakazoe	A type of onibi that appears as a counting plate.
Satori	An ape-like creature that can read your thoughts.
Sazae-oni	A turbaned snail that transforms into a woman.
Seiryū	Japanese version of the Chinese Azure Dragon.
Sesshō-seki	The poisonous "killing stones" that Tamamo-no-Mae has turned into.
Shachihoko	A tiger-headed fish whose image is often used in architecture.
Shibaemon-tanuki	A danuki roast from Awaji Island.
Shichinin misaki	A group of seven ghosts who sicken the living.
Shidaidaka	A humanoid yokai that appears above the roads.
Shikigami	A spirit summoned to bid for an Onmyōji.
Shikome	Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.
Shinigami	The Japanese Reaper.
Shiranui	A mysterious flame seen over the sea in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Shirime	An apparition in the form of a man with an eye instead of an anus.
Shiryō	The souls of the dead, the opposite of ikiryo.
Shirōneri	Mosquito nets or dusty clothes.
Shisa	The Okinawan version of Shishi.
Shishi	The paired lion dogs guarding temple entrances.
Shuten-doji	Oni
Shōjō	Redhead marine sprites who love alcohol.
Shōkera	A creature that peers through the skylight of an old house.
Son Goku	The monkey king Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.
Suiko	Another name for kappa.
Sunakake Baba	A witch who uses sand.
Sunekosuri	A dog-like yokai that rubs people's legs when it rains.
Suzaku	The Japanese version of the Chinese vermilion bird.
Suzuri-no-tamashii	Ink spirit.
Sōjōbō	The famous Daitengu of Mount Kurama.
Taka-onna	A female monster that can stretch its waist to peer inside buildings.
Tamamo-no-Mae	An evil nine-tailed fox who appeared as a courtesan.
Tanuki	A shape-shifting Japanese raccoon dog.
Te-no-me	The ghost of a blind man with his eyes in his hands.
Teke Teke	The vengeful spirit of a schoolgirl, with a half upper body, who goes around killing people by cutting them in half with a scythe, imitating her own disfigurement.
Ten	A mischievous shape-shifting weasel.
Tengu	A wise demon with two variants: a red man with a long nose or a bird-like demon.
Tenjōkudari	A female yokai that crawls on the ceiling.
Tenka (kaika)	ghost lights
Tenko (raposa)	Divine beast
Heavenly being	A heavenly being.
Teratsutsuki	The onryō of a man who lived in the 6th century AD.
Tesso	A priest who was snubbed by the emperor and became a swarm of rats who destroyed a rival temple.
Tsuchigumo	A clan of spider yokai.
Tsuchinoko	A legendary serpentine monster. It is now a crypt that resembles a fat snake.
Tsukinowaguma	A legendary bear.
Tsukumogami	An animated tea carrier that Matsunaga Hisahide used to negotiate a peace with Oda Nobunaga. It is now understood as any 100-year-old inanimate object that has come to life.
Tsukuyomi	A moon god.
Tsurube-otoshi	A monster that falls from the treetops.
Tōfu-kozō	A yokai that appears as a boy carrying a plate of tofu.
Ubume	The spirit of a woman who died in childbirth.
Uma-no-ashi	The leg of a horse that hangs from a tree and kicks ersby.
Umi-nyōbō	A female sea monster that steals fish.
Umibōzu	A giant monster appearing on the surface of the sea.
Ungaikyō	A possessed mirror.
Ushi-no-tokimairi	A curse made at the time of the ox (between 1 and 3 am) by a black magic , with various effects.
Ushi-oni	A name given to a variety of ox-headed monsters.
Ushi-onna	A woman dressed in a kimono with a cow's head.
Ushirogami	A one-eyed, footless spirit.
Uwan	A spirit called by the sound that screams when it surprises people.
Waira	A large animal that lurks in the mountains, about which little is known.
Wani	A water monster comparable to an alligator or crocodile. A related word was applied to the saltwater crocodile.
Wanyūdō	A flaming wheel with a man's head at the center, which sucks the soul out of anyone who sees it.
Yadōkai	Monks who have turned to mischief.
Yama-biko	Small creatures that create echoes.
Yama-inu	A dog-like mountain spirit that can appear to travelers on mountain roads; it can be friendly or it can attack and kill the traveler, depending on the story (see also the Japanese wolf).
Yama-uba	An ancient yōkai.
Yamajijii	An old man with one eye and one leg.
Yamako	An occasionally cannibal friendly creature that can read minds.
Yamaoroshi	A possessed vegetable grater, almost porcupine looking.
Yamata no Orochi	The eight-headed dragon/serpent monster slain by the god Susanoo.
Yashima no Hage-tanuki	A bake-danuki that protects the Taira clan.
Yatagarasu	Amaterasu's three-legged crow.
Yato-no-kami	Deadly serpent gods that infested a field.
Yobuko	A spirit of living in the mountains.
Yomotsu-shikome	The witches of the underworld.
Yonakinoishi
Yosuzume	A mysterious bird that sings at night, sometimes indicating that the okuri-inu is nearby.
Yuki-onna	The Snow Woman.
Yurei	Ghosts in a more western sense.
Yōkai/Youkai	A class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. They can also be called ayakashi (妖?), mononoke (物の怪?) or mamono (魔物?).
Yōsei	The Japanese word for "fairy".
Zashiki-warashi	A protective childlike household spirit.
Zennyo Ryūō	A dragon that makes it rain.
Zorigami	An animated clock.
Zuijin	A tutelary spirit.
Zunbera-bō	Another name for Noppera-bō.
Ōgama	A giant toad that breathes rainbow-like smoke and wields a giant spear against anyone who attacks it.
Ōkaburo	transvestite yōkai
Ōkami	A powerful wolf spirit that takes your life or protects it, depending on the actions someone takes in your life.
Ōkubi	The huge face of a woman that appears in the sky.
Ōmagatoki	Twilight.
Ōmukade	A giant human-eating centipede that lives in the mountains.
Ōnyūdō	Wastebasket taxon for all 'priestly' demons.