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curious ordinary

@curiousordinary.bsky.social

9.9K followers 1.6K following 4.4K posts

▪️Folklore▪️Myth▪️Magic▪️Art▪️ Sharing Japanese and supernatural folklore, mythology, yokai, culture and art. Also love books, cats, crows and trees. http://linktr.ee/curiousordinary

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 9h

I'm really excited about this one!

Reposted by curious ordinary

curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · Sep 4

'Tree Scene 126' - Namiki Hajime, 2007.
#JapaneseArt #FolkloreThursday

Looking up through a canopy of trees to stars in the night sky.

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Reposted by curious ordinary

curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 28d

In Japanese mythology, Izanagi and Izanami are primordial deities said to have created the islands of Japan. They undertook a sacred wedding but soon after, Izanami died giving birth to the god of fire, Kagutsuchi. She retreated to yomi, land of the dead. Izanagi wanted to...
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#FolkloreThursday

A man and woman stand on a curved bridge over the ocean.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 21h

I had the same problem but I gave up and went to bed. Seems to be working this morning.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

There are some great Japanese prints featuring scenes from this tale, I'm glad you liked it.

curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

There is a strange tale from #JapaneseFolklore about how a wooden sumo doll magically came to life and saved a family from a group of bandits. Full tale is in the thread below.
🎨'Sumo Kid' - Sekino Junichiro, ca. 1970s.
#LegendaryWednesday #JapaneseFolklore

A doll resembling a child sumo wrestler holding an object above his head. A candle is burning in a stand nearby.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you, they are fascinating to me and I enjoy sharing them too.

curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

When it comes to tales about strange things happening on a journey, this one is hard to beat. Being transformed into a human candle so he couldn't return home probably wasn't in this guy's travel plans.
🎨Toriyama Sekien
#WyrdWednesday #yokai #JapaneseFolklore

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

I loved today's story from @yokai.com.

Matthew Meyer (The Yokai Guy) @yokai.com · 1d

They say that plants have feelings, but this is not new news. Tonight's A-Yokai-A-Day confirms that even back in the Edo period, plants were expressing their feelings in all kinds of ways!

Check out tonight's story below on my Patreon:

www.patreon.com/posts/yokai-...

#yokai #halloween

A-Yokai-A-Day: How an Unconscious Thing Repaid a Kindness | Matthew Meyer (The Yokai Guy)

www.patreon.com

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

One of the most well-known tales in #JapaneseFolklore is of Urashima Taro and his journey on the back of a magical turtle to the palace of the dragon king under the sea. Unfortunately when he returned home, 300 years had passed and everyone he knew was gone.
🎨Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1882
#WyrdWednesday

A man hding a fishing rod sits on the back of a large turtle with seaweed growing from its shell that looks like a tail.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

Here is an interesting #yokai for #LegendaryWednesday. They can grant your wishes but unfortunately they have a more sinister side too. More in the thread below.
🎨'Green Kimono - Doll Series' - Kawase Hasui, 1935.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, he certainly seems to push the boundaries 😁

curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

I haven't seen it. He seems to be a very popular character.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, there are lots of stories about him. It's very difficult to condense them into a few short posts, but I particularly like this one. From what I understand, his time under the mountain helped him to chill out a bit and become more humble. 🙂

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

Hinamatsuri (girls day or dolls day) is a Japanese festival held in March. Dolls play an important part in a tradition known as hina nagashi that's explained in the thread below. This print by Toyohara Chikanobu (1896) shows groups admiring a display of dolls during the festival.
#LegendaryWednesday

A group of people stand looking up at an elaborate display of dolls.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

...mountain for 500 years. Afterwards he was appointed as the protector of the Tang monk Xuanzang on his quest for Buddhist scriptures. Wukong wielded a magical staff to defeat demons, gods, and the King of Hell.
🎨1. Yashima Gakutei
2. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
3. Utagawa Kuniyoshi
#JapaneseArt
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A monkey dressed in clothing holds a staff up above his head and appears to be running.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

Wukong had many adventures and became very powerful. Once, furious that he had not been invited to the Heavenly Peach Banquet with the Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu, he snuck in and consumed the Peaches of Immortality, which granted him eternal life. His punishment was to be imprisoned under a....
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A monkey holding along staff. Behind him a white rabbit leaps across the face of the full moon.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 1d

In Chinese mythology, Sun Wukong, also known as Monkey King, is a legendary figure and one of the main characters in the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West. Born from a magical stone, he possessed immense strength and supernatural abilities, including shapeshifting.
#WyrdWednesday
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A monkey dressed in robes and boots holding a staff.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 2d

'Autumn Moon at Ishiyama Temple' from the series 'Eight Views of Omi' - Utagawa Hiroshige, 1857.
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt

A landscape scene looking over a river with full moon in the sky.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 2d

Seeing these prints in real life is wonderful isn't it, they are so captivating.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 2d

I took the first one on my phone, but the moon close-up was taken by my daughter. Her phone is much newer than mine. 🙂

curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 2d

'Two Rabbits in the Moonlight' - Imao Keinen, ca. 1930s.
#FullMoon #shinhanga #JapaneseArt

Two white rabbits beside water, tall grass and flowers in the foreground and a full moon in the sky above.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 2d

STOP and look at the beautiful moon!
#FullMoon #tsukimi

A full moon rises above trees and a house, with a STOP sign in the foreground.

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curious ordinary @curiousordinary.bsky.social · 2d

Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #kitsune #Japan

Moss covered stone steps leading to Astone torii with stone foxes wearing red bibs either side.

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Reposted by curious ordinary

Camellia Tea Ceremony @camelliakyoto.bsky.social · 2d

🌝🎑MOON VIEWING🥮👀

Wadaiko (和太鼓) under the full moon at Matsuno'o Taisha (松尾大社)🎑🥁

#moonviewing #お月見 #Kyoto #京都 #MatsunooTaisha #松尾大社 #taiko #wadaiko #和太鼓 #harvestmoon #fullmoon #Japan

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