Kappa A short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Japanese, the original Japanese title is Kappa, which refers to an amphibian in Japanese folklore with a tiger-like face and scales on its body, resembling a four or five-year-old child. . The author made a note under the original title: Please read it as kappa. It may be thought that kappa is kappa. There is a legend about the kappa in Japan. There is a small lake near Inagawa Shrine in Japan, named Lake Sushen. There are often kappas in the lake. Because kappas are well-known in Japan, there are many theories. The more common one is: a bird-headed man wearing a The turtle shell has a bowl-shaped concave mirror on the top of the head, which is filled with water. It is like its life. If there is no water, it will die. Its hands can be stretched and retracted, and it can fly into the sky with the power of farts. It is recorded in "Hundred Ghosts at Night", "Hundred Things Chronicle", "Ten Thousand Ghosts Record", "Monster Sayings"... which are common in folklore books. The legend of the origin of kappa "kappa" lives in rivers or ponds all over Japan. According to the research data of folklorist Junichiro Ishikawa, the legend of kappa is widely distributed, including the Tohoku region, central region, Kinki region, Ishikawa in Kansai? In Toyama Prefecture, Chugoku region, Shikoku region, Kitakyushu region, Saga and Miyazaki prefectures in Kyushu, as well as the Amami Islands and Okinawa prefecture, the names of kappa are different depending on the local dialects. ***The common point is "children living in rivers", so they are called "Kappa" (Kappa). Originally, kappa were spirits in the water and were worshiped as river gods by the people. There is also a saying that kappas are messengers of the water god, transformed from the frost dropped by the water god. Regarding the origin of the kappa, there are two theories for reference: 1. The legend of the kappa originated from the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin in China. In ancient times, it was called "water tiger" or "hebo". In the early Warring States Period, in Ye County, Wei State. Every year when the rainy season comes, the river surges and floods, often claiming many lives and property. The local witches use the excuse of "He Bo to marry a wife" to collude with officials to make money, and must sacrifice young women to please He Bo. It wasn't until a new magistrate named Ximen Bao came to Ye County that the superstition of "He Bo marrying a wife" was eradicated. The later mention of "He Bo marrying a wife" naturally reminds people of the story of resisting tyranny by outsmarting them. typical. After "Kawaba" spread to Japan, he became a well-known "Kappa". It is said that a leader named Kuzenbo led the kappa clan from China to live in the Kuma River Unzen Hot Spring area in Kyushu. He often appears in the village with his men and causes a lot of trouble. Because he has the power to pull the horse to the river, no one in the village can resist him. Kato Kiyomasa, the lord of Kumamoto Castle, was extremely angry when he learned about this. He used the kappa's most hated ape to teach the kappa a lesson for harming the people. From then on, the kappa had to live obediently in the Chikugo River in Kumamoto Prefecture. Later, he became the envoy of Suitengu Shrine, and its branch was located at Arima's residence on the bank of the Akabane River in Edo. (His Royal Highness Kurume) later moved to near Nihonbashi. It is said that in order to defeat Kuzenbo, Kato Kiyomasa led kappa to Hell Valley, which spewed sulfur gas. He not only poisoned the river, but also threw hot stones into the pool, and finally gathered the mountain monkeys that kappa hated most. A group of people attacked, but because of the heat of sulfur, the water in the plate on Jiuqianfang's head gradually disappeared. He had magic power and was finally captured. He had to ask the city lord to let him go and promised not to harm the place again. This is the legend of the kappa. one. (Note: Kato Kiyomasa was a Japanese military commander in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. When he was young, he followed Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the desperate battle with Shibata Katsuie, he showed his superb martial arts. In the Battle of Hara, he defected to Tokugawa Ieyasu. After the war, he became The city of Kumamoto Castle is world-famous for its prowess in battle and castle construction.) 2. The Kappa Humanoid Theory Legend has it that Sajingoro of the Edo period, the ban craftsman of the ancient Takeda, and the Hida craftsmen of the Nara and Heian periods were building the castle. When shrines, temples or cities were built, there was a kind of curse that was used to write a person's name on a piece of paper, and then stuff the piece of paper into a gap in the wood or into a human figure (i.e. a doll) made of grass. This action is called It is called "Calling the Soul", and it is said that the buildings will be stronger and more reliable. After completion, the unused humanoids will be thrown into the river. Later, these cursed humanoids will transform into kappas, causing chaos everywhere and posing a threat to humans and animals. In addition, Abe Seimei, who is famous as an onmyoji, used paper dolls (shikigami) attached to the gods to help him perform his work. Later, some people were afraid of the shikigami, so Abe Seimei had to seal the shikigami in a monastery in Kyoto. Under the bridge, it is said that kappa are the descendants of these shikigami. Just like how an onmyoji uses shikigami, sorcerers can cause illness or even death if they do something to the victim's name, hair or clothing. And he can also steal his soul essence and make it serve himself. In the Qing Dynasty of China, there was also a "soul-calling" sorcery incident: In order to build a bridge in Deqing County, Zhejiang Province, wooden piles needed to be driven into the bottom of the river, so the masons borrowed the names of living people and wrote them on pieces of paper and pasted them on the prepared paper. The tops of the wooden piles that will serve as the base of the bridge are then hammered down vigorously, which will add a certain spiritual force to the impact of the sledgehammer. Since it was difficult to drive wooden piles to the bottom of the river, rumors spread that the bridge piers could be stabilized and lasting if the soul-calling technique was used, causing great panic among the people in the south of the Yangtze River. Everyone was in danger and vowed to kill those who spread sorcery. The local officials during Emperor Long's era spent a lot of effort to suppress the panic incidents that disturbed people's hearts.
(Please refer to "Calling the Soul" published by Shiying) Characteristics of Kappa: Height is about 60 centimeters to 1 meter tall, weight is only about 45 kilograms, has a thin body shape, and looks like a child between 3 and 10 years old. They look like humans and apes. Their bodies emit a foul odor and are covered with mucus, making them difficult to catch. The kappa seen in some places are said to be covered in hair. Hands and feet: The arms can move flexibly left and right. If they are cut off, they will grow back and have strong regeneration capabilities. (The severed arms can be made into special medicine for bruises.) The hands and feet look like humans, but they are particularly slender. It can usually be used for paddling, but it only has four fingers, and the hands and feet can be retracted into the turtle shell. Head: disheveled hair. There is a disc-shaped depression in the center of the head. When filled with water, it becomes extremely powerful. If the water is poured out, the magic power will disappear. Some people say that his head is red, while others say it is dark blue. Eyes: The eyes are round, glowing, and have sharp eyes. Nose: The nose is as prominent as a dog and has a keen sense of smell. Mouth: It looks like a human mouth, or some looks like a bird's beak. There are four fangs on the top and bottom of the mouth, which can tear food apart very quickly. Turtle Shell: A carapace like a turtle's back is carried on its back. Butt: It is said that there are three buttholes. I wonder what they are used for? It is said that it can jet out to obtain thrust out of the water... In ancient Japan, the image of the water god was accepted by the beliefs of many places. Later, when people no longer believed in the water god, it gradually evolved into the image of the monster kappa we know today. Although kappas distributed throughout Japan have slightly different appearances, their most common feature is that they have a plate filled with water on their heads. If the water in the plate is gone, their magic power will disappear. I heard that kappas also like He is a youkai who likes to play sumo wrestling with others or touch their butts. He is a monster who likes to play pranks. The kappa is about one meter tall, about the same height as a child. It has a beak on its face and a carapace on its back. It is a dark green protective color. It is very hard and can be said to be invulnerable. They have webbed fingers and can swim at amazing speeds in the water. It is said that older kappas have supernatural powers and can use telepathy to understand people's inner thoughts. Kappa in ancient Chinese books. To the Chinese, kappa is like a water ghost. According to the records in the ancient book "Youminglu", this creature is called "water bug", also known as "worm boy" or "water spirit" , a naked human body with different sizes, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and lips. He wears a basin on his head and receives water for three to five feet. He can only gain strength with water, but without water, he has no strength. According to the research results of Japanese folklorists, this creature should be a kappa who is patriotic and protects taxes. Japanese folklorist Kunio Yanagida also wrote a study of "Kappa Komahiki" (the legend of a kappa pulling a horse into the river) in "Yamashima Folk Tales Collection", saying that its body resembles a blue-black monkey, and its hands and feet It looks like a duck's paw, and the depression on the top of the head is like holding a saucer. Whether in water or on land, as long as the water in the saucer does not dry up, it is so powerful that it can compete with humans or horses. Therefore, there is a saying in Japan that describes the sky. The disaster is called "The Kappa is wiped out." The Kappa in Japanese Literature Through the brilliant writing of Japanese writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke, the kappa (published in 1927) is no longer a terrifying water ghost image, but has become a humorous typical character who can lead the way. People enter a magical utopian world. This story is about a madman recalling what he saw and heard in the kappa country. It uses the eyes of a madman to pull the reader away from reality and review the world we live in now from a third-party perspective, thus forcing the reader to We reflect on our current lives. The novel describes the appearance of kappa in great detail: they have a saucer on their head, and they often make leaping frog postures, or climb trees to watch people. The body is slightly transparent and can change color according to the environment (it feels like a tree frog or tree frog). In the Kappa Kingdom, all concepts are mocking people in real society. They even understand humans better than they understand themselves. Once you master their unique language and accept their weird ideas, after leaving this utopia, you will immediately fall into the trouble of extremely disgusting human beings. In the last chapter of the novel, the protagonist finally returns to the human world. Because he can no longer adapt to human life, he is treated as a madman. If coming to the kappa symbolizes human consciousness and spiritual strength, then returning to the human world is tantamount to an act of self-will and depravity, which will eventually lead to tragedy, because such people are destined to be unable to continue to survive in the real world. Perhaps this is the main reason why the author Ryunosuke Akutagawa finally chose to commit suicide.