Kappa
Captured kappa in Edo periodIt is not the name of Italian sports bland.
Translating the Japanese literally, it is "River kid".
Kappa is one of Japanese Yokais, which I introduced the other day.
As the name indicates, they live in the river.
A kappa has a plate with some water on their head.
If the water dries up, he should die.
He has a beak and a carapace. His skin colour is green and has 3 anuses (what !?).
His arms are connected in his body and if someone pulls one arm, the other arm becomes short (what again !?)
His favorite is cucumbers.
So cucumber roles in sushi menu are called "Kappa maki".
Kappa dragging a guy's innards out from his anusWe have to be careful when swimming in the river
They sometimes harm people.
When swimming in the river, a kappa sometimes draw us into the river, poking the hand from the anus and drag out the innards.
So Pascal, please be careful when you swim in Hozu River.
Most people think Kappas are imaginary creature.
However it is not attested.
There are a lot of kappa legends everywhere in Japan.
I think existence of kappa has more realty in old times.
Nowadays they may superterrene obscurity somewhere deep in the mountain (like Hozu river) away from polluted rivers covered with concrete.
Comments
Indeed the kappa is a very polite creature. Thus if you just bow to salute him, he will have but to do the same, and doing so will loose all his power as the water spill from the plate ... ;-)
Shall we think the rivers has been dirtied and covered with concrete by those who lost so much politeness they fear to be unable to defeat the Kappa ... ?