Notices by curious ordinary (curiousordinary@mas.to)

In Japanese folklore there is a supernatural yokai phenomenon known as mayoibune. During the Obon holiday spirits are believed to return from the dead. Mayoibune are the haunting ghosts of sailors that have drowned at sea and return on the northwesterly winds. Seeing mayoibune can result in terrible visions and even death for the sailors once they return to land. More info and art here:
https://www.curiousordinary.com/2024/08/mayoibune.html
🎨Matthew Meyer
#JapaneseFolklore #yokai #folklore @folklore

'The Ghost of Oiwa' is one of Japan's most famous ghost stories. It tells the sad tale of a woman who was betrayed by her husband and returned as a haunting spirit determined to get her revenge. The tale is also known as 'The Lantern ghost.' You can read more here:
https://www.curiousordinary.com/2021/07/ghost-oiwa.html?m=1
#MythologyMonday #folklore #ghosts
🎨'The Lantern Ghost' - Katsushika Hokusai, 1832.

'Yashima in Summer' - Okumura Koichi, 1952.
#JapaneseArt #shinhanga #Japan #art

'Iris Garden at Meiji Shrine, Tokyo' - Kawase Hasui, 1951.
#JapaneseArt #shinhanga #Japan

@seanbala thank you, I think I'll definitely take a bit of pressure off myself to be perfect. 😊

@seanbala thanks so much for your kind words and advice. Unfortunately I think the icecubes app is apple only and I have android. I wonder if there is an equivalent?

I would like to post here more but the folklore content I share is usually pretty image heavy and the task of doing all the alt text feels really overwhelming, so I often end up not having the time (or energy) to post. Then I realise that I should really be doing alt text on the other site as well, which makes me feel guilty and like I'm a bad person. So basically I start to associate coming here with feeling bad. I'm not looking for solutions. I really am hoping to share more. I am trying.

@seanbala thank you. 😊 Your have reminded me that I should probably put some time into customising my own feed with notifications etc. I have always struggled to get into the flow with Mastodon but I'm going to give it another try. Thank you for your support.

While I was in Japan I took so many photos at Fushimi Inari Shrine, and at other Inari Shrines, so I'm thinking of sharing them with the hashtag #DailyInari. I don't know if you can follow hashtags here but maybe keep an eye out if you are interested.
#InariShrine #Japan #JapanTravel #Kyoto #TravelPhotography #Shinto #kitsune

'Summer Moon at Miyajima' - Tsuchiya Koitsu, 1936.
#JapaneseArt #Shinhanga #FullMoon #moon #Japan #torii

@seanbala thank you so much for your kind words. To be honest, I really struggle with trying to juggle multiple social media platforms, but I am going to try again in the new year. I'm just taking a brief rest after my trip and hope to get started again soon.

Apologies that I have not been posting for some time. I was struggling to juggle multiple social media platforms and also I have just returned from a long-awaited trip to Japan. I have lots of photos and new information so I'm just checking in to see if anyone would be interested in me sharing some of my holiday photos and new discoveries? A lot has changed in my life and in the new year I will hopefully be prioritising my Japanese folklore research and writing. Here are a few photos for now.

In #JapaneseFolklore, hatsuyume is the first dream of the new year. It's believed that if this dream includes Mount Fuji, a falcon and/or an eggplant then you'll have good luck. ???
#NewYear #HappyNewYear #ukiyoe #DailyFolklore #folklore #japodon
?'Young Couple with Lucky New Year Dream Symbols' - Suzuki Harunobu, 1769.

The kirin is a #yokai from #JapaneseFolklore that originated in China. It looks part deer & part horse with dragon scales. This beautiful, gentle creature harms nothing & is a strict vegetarian. It's seen as an omen of luck & great fortune. In case you're wondering why you haven't seen one lately it's because this benevolent creature only appears during periods of world peace. Also they're only seen in the lands of wise & nobel leaders.
#folklore #DailyFolklore @folklore
?Matthew Meyer

In #JapaneseFolklore hyakki yagyo is the night parade of one hundred demons. On inauspicious nights, all the #yokai, ghosts and other supernatural creatures parade through the streets of #Japan, singing and dancing wildly. For anyone foolish enough to be outside, or even to peek out of their window, an encounter with the pandemonium of the dreaded night parade will result in death, or being spirited away by malevolent yokai.
#folklore #japodon #hyakkiyagyo @folklore
?Yuko Shimizu

'In the Mountains of Izu Province' from the series 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji' - Utagawa Hiroshige, 1858.
#ukiyoe #Japan #JapaneseArt #japodon #MtFuji #nature

In #JapaneseFolklore there is a tale known as the Cat Witch of Okabe. It was said that an evil bakeneko (a #yokai cat) haunted the temple grounds in the town of Okabe. She disguised herself as a kind old woman with the aim of luring young girls to her lair to kill & eat them. Because she was so evil, her corpse turned into stone when she died.
#ukiyoe #folklore
?1. 'Okabe: The Story of the Cat Stone' - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1846
2. 'The Cat Witch of Okabe, with actors' - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, c. 1850

In Ainu folklore akkorokamui is a red octopus so huge it can swallow ships whole. Its bright red body turns the ocean red and ships know to avoid the sea during this time. This #yokai was both feared and revered as a god.
#DailyFolklore #JapaneseFolklore #japodon #ukiyoe #folklore @folklore
?1. Matthew Meyer
2. Utagawa Hiroshige

'Moon at Enoshima Beach' - Toko, 1933.
#ukiyoe #JapaneseArt #japan #nature #japodon #FullMoon #moon

In China there is an ancient romantic folktale about Zhinu, a weaver girl and Niulang, a cowherd. Because theirs was a forbidden love, Zhinu was made to return to the heavens and they were separated by the stars that form the Milky Way. Once each year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, they were allowed to meet for a single day. On this day a flock of magpies created a bridge so the lovers could cross...
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#folklore #folktales #JapaneseFolklore #ChineseFolklore #DailyFolklore #ukiyoe