{"id":5112,"date":"2026-04-21T13:17:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/kappa\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:31:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:31:31","slug":"kappa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/kappa\/","title":{"rendered":"Kappa"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5112\" class=\"elementor elementor-5112 elementor-1327\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Kappa, spirit of the Japanese tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Kappa is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect upon the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of the Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p>A child-sized water being with a turtle shell and a water dish on the crown of its head.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Spirit: An incorporeal or semi-corporeal entity, the deceased, nature beings, household spirits or threshold guardians. Acts within everyday life, often bound to places or families.\">Spirit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/japan\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese Shinto kami and the Buddhist yokai worlds.\">Japan<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/water-spirits\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Spirits of rivers, lakes and seas, seductive, protective or dangerous.\">Water spirit<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_japan_kappa-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5113\" alt=\"Kappa - Spirits from the Japanese tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_japan_kappa-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_japan_kappa-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_japan_kappa-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_japan_kappa.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Kappa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Kappa (\u6cb3\u7ae5, \u201eriver child\u201c) are the best-known water beings of Japanese folk demonology.<\/p><p>They are described as ranging from man-high to child-sized, with greenish, scaly skin, webbed limbs, a turtle shell on the back and, the most important attribute, a flat depression (<em>sara<\/em>) on the crown of the head that must be filled with water. If this dish dries out, the kappa loses its power.<\/p><p>Kappa live in rivers, ponds, rice paddies and smaller bodies of water. They are portrayed as troublemakers who pull bathers and travelers into the depths, frighten horses and steal cucumbers.<\/p><div><h3>The Suijin tradition and the gods of river waters<\/h3><p>The <em>kappa<\/em> are anchored etymologically and theologically in the <em>Suijin<\/em> tradition (the tradition of water deities), one of the oldest <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The indigenous religion of Japan, shaped by the veneration of the kami.\" tabindex=\"0\">Shinto<\/span> animist classes of gods.<\/p><p>Suijin are documented in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">classical<\/span> <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The indigenous religion of Japan, shaped by the veneration of the kami.\" tabindex=\"0\">Shinto<\/span> texts such as the <em>Engi Shiki<\/em> (10th century) as powers that rule over rivers, springs and waterholes. In local folk practice the kappa often function as subordinate manifestations of suijin, especially those types associated with dangerous whirlpools or deep waterholes.<\/p><p>The transition from suijin to kappa reflects a degradation of divine status through local sacralization: a suijin of a large river remains a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span>, while the suijin of a small brook or a dangerous body of water is reduced in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The handed-down folk culture with its customs, narratives and songs.\" tabindex=\"0\">folklore<\/span> practice to a kappa.<\/p><p>Yet the structure of veneration is preserved: villages near kappa-inhabited waters erected small shrines, places of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The concrete object or food offered to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> or sites for food <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Quick overview: Kappa<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Water <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span>, river being<br>Origin: Regional river deities, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BC to 600 AD.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> water-<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> traditions<br>Texts: Konjaku Monogatarish\u016b, Edo-period Y\u014dkai literature, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese folklorist (1875-1962); founder of modern Japanese folklore studies.\" tabindex=\"0\">Yanagita Kunio<\/span>&#8216;s T\u014dno Monogatari<br>Period: Attested from the Middle Ages, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to a fixed corpus of sacred scriptures of a religion; non-canonical texts are considered apocryphal.\">canonical<\/span> from the Edo period<br>Defense: Bowing (empties the water dish), offerings of cucumbers, defeat in sum\u014d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Kappa-like water beings are tangible in Japanese sources from the Middle Ages onward. The first episodes that can be clearly identified as kappa appear in setsuwa collections of the 12th to 14th centuries. The comprehensive cataloging and fixing of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> took place in the Edo period through Y\u014dkai picture books and local research.<\/p><p>Yanagita Kunio&#8217;s T\u014dno Monogatari (1910) recounts numerous kappa episodes from the Iwate region and marks the starting point of modern kappa research.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Kappa are known almost throughout Japan, with regional variants of the name. Core regions of intensive <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">transmission<\/span> are the T\u014dno basin (Iwate), Ky\u016bsh\u016b (especially Kumamoto with the famous kappa statue at the Ushibuka bridge) and the Kant\u014d area.<\/p><p>Typical places: rice-field irrigation ditches, fords, weirs, remote mountain lakes. In some regions small shrines for the local kappa are set up directly on the riverbank.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the sources<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-nosnippet>Important sources: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese folklorist (1875-1962); founder of modern Japanese folklore studies.\">Yanagita Kunio<\/span>, T\u014dno Monogatari (1910); Toriyama Sekien&#8217;s Y\u014dkai encyclopedias (1776 onward); numerous local collections.<\/span><\/p><p><span data-nosnippet>Modern research: Komatsu Kazuhiko, Ishikawa Jun\u02bcichir\u014d (Kappa no sekai, 1985), Michael Dylan Foster. The figure was also strongly developed in literature through Akutagawa Ry\u016bnosuke&#8217;s story \u201eKappa\u201c (1927).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and variants<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The name is composed of \u6cb3 (\u201eriver\u201c) and \u7ae5 (\u201echild\u201c).<\/p><ul><li><strong>Gawappa \/ Gatar\u014d<\/strong>, variants in Ky\u016bsh\u016b.<\/li><li>Kawatar\u014d, an alternative reading, especially in western Japan.<\/li><li>Suiko (\u6c34\u864e, \u201ewater tiger\u201c), the Chinese parallel.<\/li><li>Enk\u014d, a western Japanese designation (literally \u201emonkey\u201c).<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Appearance.<\/strong> Child-sized (about 1 to 1.20 m), greenish, scaly skin, a turtle shell on the back, webbed hands and feet, a beaked mouth. On the crown of the head a flat depression filled with water; without this water the kappa loses strength and agility.<\/p><p>Behavior. Malicious and cunning, yet polite and ambitious in wrestling. Kappa challenge humans to sum\u014d. They pull horses and careless people into the water. A practice attributed to them is the extraction of the mythical \u201eliver ball\u201c (<em>shirikodama<\/em>) through the anus of the drowned.<\/p><p>Preferences. Cucumbers are their favorite food; from this the sushi roll <em>kappamaki<\/em> takes its name.<\/p><div><h3>Kappa-no-sara: the cultic dish on the head<\/h3><p>The distinguishing feature of the kappa is the <em>sara<\/em> (dish) on its head, an element with deep cultic implications. According to folkloric understanding this dish is the seat of its supernatural power: were the dish to break or dry out, the kappa would lose its potency.<\/p><p>This <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Religious notions beyond official theology, often with syncretistic elements.\">folk theology<\/span> was so dominant that there were Edo-period folk <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the customs handed down within a community.\" tabindex=\"0\">customs<\/span> of neutralizing kappa by drying out their sara.<\/p><p>Ethnographic collections by the folklorist Yanagita Kunio (1875-1962) documented regional variations: some communities believed the sara could be filled with sake to appease the kappa; others claimed the sara was filled with the life-water of the water itself.<\/p><p>These elaborated interpretations show how a simple anatomical peculiarity differentiates into a complex cultic system that structured behavior, protection and practices of respect.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Kappa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Kappa at a glance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ancient river deities and regional water-cult traditions; in part influences of the Chinese suiko notions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related to<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Bathing children, rice farmers at irrigation ditches, horses by the bank, travelers passing fords at night.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Form<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A child-sized, green-skinned water figure with a shell, webbed limbs and a water-filled dish on the head.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Function<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Drowning, extraction of the shirikodama, theft (especially cucumbers), frightening horses and livestock.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Defense against the kappa<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A polite bow (causes the kappa to bow back and thereby lose the water on its head); an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The concrete object or food offered to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> of cucumbers with the giver&#8217;s name carved into them; victory in sum\u014d.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Comparable beings<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Chinese <em>suiko<\/em> (\u201ewater tiger\u201c); the Korean <em>mul-gwishin<\/em>; the Indian <em>n\u0101ga<\/em> and the Tibetan <em>lu<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Practical defense<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>A polite bow.<\/strong> The classic countermeasure: when a kappa is encountered on the bank, you greet it politely. The kappa bows back, and in doing so water spills from the dish on its head. Weakened, it must return to the river and abandons the attack.<\/p><p>Cucumber <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity, given to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span>. In some regions parents carve the child&#8217;s name into a cucumber and throw it into the river before bathing, as an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The concrete object or food offered to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> and a protection.<\/p><p>Kappa contracts. Folk tales report of kappa who, after losing an encounter with a human (for example after an arm has been cut off, which the defeated one asks to have back), enter into a contract no longer to attack houses and livestock.<\/p><p>Sum\u014d. Kappa are proud of their wrestling skills. A defeat in a sum\u014d match binds them to promises toward the victor.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Kappa, parallels in other cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>China.<\/strong> The <em>suiko<\/em> (\u201ewater tiger\u201c) is a direct iconographic model, transmitted to Japan in early encyclopedias.<\/p><p>Korea. Mul-gwishin (water <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>) pull bathers into the depths like kappa, but have a different genesis, usually the dead who perished in bodies of water.<\/p><p>India\/Buddhism. <em>N\u0101ga<\/em> as water-serpent beings are typologically related, but rather divinely ambivalent.<\/p><p>Tibet. Lu as water and earth spirits share the binding to bodies of water and the double profile of protection and danger.<\/p><div><h3>Edo-period <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious notions and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span> and Yanagita Kunio&#8217;s classification<\/h3><p>The Edo period (1603-1868) established the kappa as a central figure of urban and rural folk belief. Merchants in river-port towns such as Edo and Osaka developed precautions against kappa attacks, such as avoiding bathing alone in the evening hours or offering cucumbers.<\/p><p>Yanagita Kunio, the founder of modern Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies everyday culture, customs and inherited beliefs.\" tabindex=\"0\">folklore studies<\/span>, systematically classified regional kappa variants in his works according to geographical distribution and local differences in attributes.<\/p><p>Yanagita&#8217;s research showed that kappa reports were more frequent in inland river regions than in coastal areas and that larger rivers tended to display kappa narratives of higher status. His work raised the kappa from mere <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A pejorative term for ideas regarded as unfounded in religious terms.\" tabindex=\"0\">superstition<\/span> into a scholarly category of cultural memory and considerably influenced subsequent ethnographic studies.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd25cbdc e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpd25cbdc\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp08d11db elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp08d11db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The dish on the head and the source of power<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp0e2c4f6 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp0e2c4f6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpace17c3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpace17c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most striking feature of the kappa in Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">transmission<\/span> is a bowl-shaped depression on the crown of its head, called <em>sara<\/em> in many descriptions, a dish.<\/p><p>According to folk belief this hollow is always filled with water, and in this water lies the supernatural power of the kappa. As long as the dish stays moist, the kappa is strong and dangerous, even on land.<\/p><p>From this follows the best-known rule of defense. Whoever meets a kappa should bow deeply before it. The polite kappa returns the bow, and in doing so the water runs out of the dish, and it loses its power until it can fill the dish again.<\/p><p>In some variants it is enough to make the kappa perform a sudden movement of the head. These tales connect the dangerous water spirit with an almost comic weakness and with the appreciation of politeness.<\/p><p><span data-nosnippet>Folklorists such as Kunio Yanagita, the founder of Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies everyday culture, customs and handed-down notions.\" tabindex=\"0\">folklore studies<\/span>, collected and interpreted the kappa intensively. In his work <em>Tono monogatari<\/em> of 1910 the kappa appears as a fixed component of the rural narrative world of the Tono region.<\/span><\/p><p>Among other things, Yanagita saw in such water spirits the remnants of older, demoted water deities. The dish, according to a widespread interpretation, could originally be a sign of the kappa&#8217;s connection to water as the element of its power, not a random anatomical detail.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp84c8c3b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp84c8c3b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb548fd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpb548fd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">From water god to river fiend<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpcc1116e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpcc1116e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp07f4fb6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp07f4fb6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In scholarship the kappa is a classic example of the thesis of the demoted god.<\/p><p>Several Japanese folklorists, among them Yanagita and, after him, numerous regional researchers, have argued that behind the kappa stand older water deities that lost their cultic dignity with the change of religious circumstances and sank into feared but also mocked fiends.<\/p><p>In some regions the kappa is explicitly connected with the <em>suijin<\/em>, the water god, or interpreted as its lower form of appearance.<\/p><p>This double nature shows itself in the ambivalent behavior of the kappa. On the one hand it is regarded as dangerous.<\/p><p>Drowned people, and above all drowned children and horses, are attributed to it. On the other hand the kappa, if you stay on good terms with it or defeat it, can become a helpful ally.<\/p><p>Numerous regional legends tell how a kappa, after a lost contest of strength, teaches humans the healing arts, above all the setting of bones, or supplies them with fish regularly.<\/p><p>The regional variety is great. In Kyushu and western Japan designations such as <em>gataro<\/em> or <em>garappa<\/em> are widespread, and in the north other names.<\/p><p>In some places it is assumed that the kappa migrates with the seasons between river and mountain, so that it is a water being in summer and a mountain being in winter.<\/p><p>This notion of migration connects it with the Japanese ideas of the seasonal ascent and descent of the deities and supports the interpretation that the kappa is not a mere bogey but a remnant of more complex religious notions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8dc85b9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp8dc85b9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpeeeba9a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpeeeba9a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cucumbers, sumo and the shirikodama<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4519d4f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp4519d4f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5b0ecbc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp5b0ecbc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Several fixed motifs characterize the kappa in the narrative tradition. One is its fondness for cucumbers. In many areas it was considered advisable to throw a cucumber into the water before bathing in the river, in order to appease the kappa, or to write the name of the bathing persons on a cucumber.<\/p><p>From this connection the name of the sushi roll <em>kappamaki<\/em>, the cucumber roll, is also derived.<\/p><p>A second <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> is the kappa&#8217;s delight in wrestling. The kappa challenges passers-by to sumo, and it is precisely here that the defense via the dish comes into play, because the kappa loses the water on its head while wrestling or bowing.<\/p><p>In some regions wrestling with the kappa has even found its way into local customs and children&#8217;s games.<\/p><p>The darkest <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> concerns the <em>shirikodama<\/em>, a spherical substance believed in folk belief to be located in the human anus, which the kappa tears from its <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Gift to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">victims<\/span>. According to some tales, whoever has the shirikodama taken from them dies or loses their vital force.<\/p><p>In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> this <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> is usually interpreted as a popular explanation for deaths by drowning, especially for the anatomical observation on the body of the drowned.<\/p><p>The kappa thus also served as a cautionary figure meant to keep children away from dangerous waters. This pedagogical function explains part of its enduring presence in Japanese everyday culture, down to mascots and signs at rivers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li>The culture page <strong>Japan<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Further individual profiles from Japan: <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/oni\/\">Oni<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/tengu\/\">Tengu<\/a>, Y\u016brei, <a href=\"\/en\/yuki-onna\/\">Yuki-onna<\/a>.<\/li><li>Parallels: <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\">China<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/korea\/\">Korea<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/tibet\/\">Tibet<\/a> (Lu).<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>A compact selection of central works on Kappa:<\/p><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Yanagita Kunio: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Legends-Tono-Kunio-Yanagita\/dp\/0739127675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Legends of T\u014dno.<\/a><\/em> Trans. Ronald A. Morse. Lexington Books, Lanham 2008 (expanded edition).<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Ishikawa Jun\u02bcichir\u014d: <em>Kappa no sekai.<\/em> Jiji Ts\u016bshinsha, Tokyo 1985.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Foster, Michael Dylan: <em>Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Y\u014dkai.<\/em> University of California Press, Berkeley 2009.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Komatsu Kazuhiko: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.de\/books\/about\/Introduction_to_Yokai_Culture.html?id=_cLvtwEACAAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">An Introduction to Y\u014dkai Culture.<\/a><\/em> Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, Tokyo 2017.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Toriyama Sekien: <em>Japandemonium Illustrated.<\/em> Trans. Hiroko Yoda &#038; Matt Alt. Dover, Mineola 2016.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-kappa-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-kappa-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-kappa\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-kappa-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-kappa-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here is a religious-studies contextualization of historical traditions. iWell Guard ties into this cultural-historical line of wearable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">More about the iWell Guard \u2192<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4eed17 e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a4eed17\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6cd2ebc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6cd2ebc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently asked questions about Kappa<\/h2><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What is a kappa in Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of a culture's handed-down narratives of the gods.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>?<\/h3><p>The kappa is a water being from Japanese folk belief, a humanoid <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect upon the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> with a turtle shell, webbed limbs and a bowl-shaped depression on its head in which water collects.<\/p><p>As long as the water is in the head, the kappa is strong; if it runs out, it loses its power. Kappa live in rivers and ponds, are regarded as tricksters and can pull children into the water and drown them.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>How do you protect yourself from a kappa?<\/h3><p>The classic protective gesture is the deep bow: when a person approaches the kappa politely and bows, the kappa, as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect upon the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> bound by etiquette, is obliged to return the bow, whereby the water runs out of its head and it becomes powerless.<\/p><p>Another method is the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity, given to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> of a cucumber, the kappa&#8217;s favorite food (which is why a certain sushi roll is called Kappa-Maki).<\/p><\/div><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a kappa in Japanese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of a culture's handed-down narratives of the gods.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The kappa is a water being from Japanese folk belief, a humanoid <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect upon the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> with a turtle shell, webbed limbs and a bowl-shaped depression on its head in which water collects. 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Another method is the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity, given to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> of a cucumber, the kappa's favorite food (which is why a certain sushi roll is called Kappa-Maki).\"}}]}<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kappa, spirit of the Japanese tradition Kappa is a spirit of the Japanese tradition. A child-sized water being with a turtle shell and a water dish on the crown of its head. SpiritJapanWater spirit Table of Contents Kappa Kappa (\u6cb3\u7ae5, \u201eriver child\u201c) are the best-known water beings of Japanese folk demonology. They are described as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5113,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Kappa","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Kappa: Spirit of the Japanese Tradition | iWell Guard","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Kappa, the child-sized water being of Japanese tradition. Turtle shell and a water dish on the crown: folklore and protection.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,92,93],"class_list":["post-5112","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-japan","category-spirits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kappa: Spirit of the Japanese Tradition | iWell Guard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kappa, the child-sized water being of Japanese tradition. 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