aobozu priest legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説 民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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ao-boozu, Aobōzu 青坊主と伝説 Legends about Aobozu, a "Blue Priest" Yokai
A wayfaring monk.

aonyuudoo 青入道 Ao-Nyudo, a blue Nyudo monster.

Toriyama Sekien

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Aobōzu (青坊主 Blue Priest)
are a type of Japanese yōkai (folk legend ghosts) that appear in 18th-century artist Toriyama Sekien's book Gazu Hyakki Yakō.
The aobōzu is depicted in the Gazu Hyakki Yakō as a one-eyed Buddhist priest standing next to a thatched hut, however as there is no explanation of the image, the aobōzu's specific characteristics remain unknown.
It is believed that the aobōzu is the direct inspiration for the one-eyed priest hitotsume-kozō that is present in many yōkai drawings, such as Sawaki Suushi's Hyakkai-Zukan published in 1737. There is also a theory that because the kanji ao (青) in its name also means inexperienced, it was depicted as a priest who has not studied enough.
- source : wikipedia -

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Ao-bōzu
Unfortunately very little is known about this yokai. Toriyama Sekien’s illustration came with not a single word of description other than the name. From its name, we can glean a little bit of information; the word ao 青 means blue or green, and can denote immaturity and inexperience (just as green does in English). Another well-known yokai — ao-nyōbō — uses this color in a similar manner. In fact, as Toriyama’s original illustration was black-and-white, it may even be that he never intended this yokai to be colored blue or green, but rather just meant it as a mockery of what he saw as a corrupt and unskilled priesthood (bōzu = priest). Nonetheless, thanks to its name, it is usually depicted in a sickly shade of ao.
The fact that ao-bōzu has only one eye draws a strong parallel with another yokai, the hitotsume-kozō.
He also bears a strong resemblance to the one-eyed hitotsume-nyūdō.

- - - - - There are a few local legends from various regions about ao-bōzu:
The most well-known legend comes from Shizuoka.
It is said that ao-bōzu appear on spring evenings at sunset in the wheat and barley fields. The transition from night to day is a popular theme in the tradition of in’yō magic (known as ying yang in Chinese). Further, the still blue-green leaves of the young barley also have powerful connections to in’yō sorcery. Children who go running and playing through the fields in the evening might be snatched up and taken away by an ao-bōzu summoned by this bizarre magical energy. Thus, good children must go straight home after school and not go tramping through the fields!
Another famous description comes from Okayama.
There, ao-bōzu are said to be blue or green giant priests who take up residence in uninhabited homes. Sometimes this results in them moving into inhabited homes while their owners are away, resulting in a big surprise when the owners return! These ao-bōzu are generally depicted with two eyes instead of just one. This version of the ao-bōzu is popularized in yokai karuta cards.
In Yamaguchi and West Japan,
they are considered minor deities. They appear before humans on the road and challenge them to sumo matches. Because these ao-bōzu look only as big as children, many a person has foolishly accepted the challenge, only to find himself flung to the ground with god-like strength and potentially lethal speed. Because of the similarity of this story with the hitotsume-kozō of East Japan, there are theories suggesting a connection to the ancient ghost religions of old Japan. In these shamanistic proto-religions, one-eyed monsters were often fallen gods and bringers of evil, sent to do the bidding of larger deities. They could be kept at bay with woven baskets, or other objects with many holes, which the monsters viewed as hundreds of eyes and kept away out of fear or jealousy.
In Kagawa and Shikoku,
they appear late at night to young women and ask them, “Would you like to hang by your neck?” If the woman says no, the ao-bōzu disappears without a word. However, if she ignores him or says nothing, he attacks her with lightning speed and knocks her out. Then he hangs her by the neck!
Because there are so many different accounts,
and because there are so many different kinds of nasty priest yokai, it’s impossible to tell which, if any, are the real ao-bōzu, and which are variations of other kinds of yokai. Maybe they all are. Maybe an ao-bōzu is simply any unskilled priest who turns from the path of his teachings and falls into wickedness, transforming into a yokai. In any case, if you happen to see a one-eyed blue priest, you should probably stay away!
- source : Matthew Meyer -


source : yokaitoons.com/index...

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. boozu　坊主 priest, お坊さん　O-Bo-San .
- Introduction -

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


......................................................................................... Aichi 愛知県
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山県郡 Yamagata district 美山町 Miyama town

. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢 － racoon dog, badger legends .
Once a young woman met a young Aobozu on the road, but it was in fact a Tanuki who had shapeshifted.

The same tale is told in Gifu 岐阜県.




......................................................................................... Fukushima 福島県
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大沼郡 Onuma district 金山町 Kaneyama town

. itachi　鼬 / イタチ weasel legends .
A weasel posing as Aobozu could bewitch people coming out of the forest.




......................................................................................... Hiroshima 広島県
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A kitsune 狐 fox shapeshifts into a beautiful woman.
A Tanuki shabeshifts into an Aobozu.




......................................................................................... Kagawa 香川県

When the babysitter was preparing food for the family and bring it to the fields, an Ao-Bozu came into the kitchen and suggested she should hang herself from the neck.
The babysitter tried to ignore the monster, but he grabbed her and made her loose conscience. The baby begun to cry out loud and grandmother from the other room came to pry into the kitchen.
The babysitter had already hung herself from the neck. Grandma cut the rope and placed the girl on the floor, where she came to herself and was saved.

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Kagawa 仲多度郡 Nakatado district 琴南町 Kotonami town

Once a daughter wanted to bring some bento 弁当 lunch to the family members working in the mountain fields.
She met an Aobozu who asked her "Would you like to hang by your neck?" She refused and the Aobozu disappeared.




......................................................................................... Kyoto 京都府
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東山区 Higashiyama ward / 三十三間堂 Sanjusangendo Hall

. a monster turned into yakimiso 焼き味噌 grilled Miso paste. .




......................................................................................... Yamaguchi 山口県
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大島郡 Oshima district

. Yamanokami 山の神 God of the Mountain becomes Aobozu .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

朝の馬笑いころげる青坊主
asa no uma warai-korogeru aoboozu

. Kaneko Tohta, Kaneko Tota 金子兜太 Tōta Kaneko .
(1919 - 2018)

「坊主」の意味はいろいろあるが何だろう。これは〈そして、日本列島の東国房総　十九句〉と前書のある殆どが海辺の句の中の一句であることから、もしかしたら「青坊主」というのは海そのものを擬人化して言ったもののようにも取れる。あるいはこの「朝の馬」が青い馬だったのかもしれないし、あるいは坊さんか子どもか。私としては、馬そのもののことを言ったと取るのがぴったりする。
- reference source : kuuon.web.fc2.com... -


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. animals and their legends 動物と伝説 - - ABC list .

. plants and their legends 　植物と伝説 - - ABC list .

. trees and their legends 　樹木, 木と伝説 - - ABC list .

. Persons, People, Personen and their legends - - ABC list .

. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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