List of legendary creatures from Japan

In this article, we will have a list of demons, ghosts, yōkai, obake, yūrei, and other legendary creatures that are notable in Japanese folklore and mythology. A complete list with a brief description of each creature from Japan’s legends.

We have already had some articles about these mythical creatures from Japan such as:

• Ghosts of Japanese bathrooms
• 15 Japanese monsters, myths, and legends

I hope you enjoy this list with over 306 monsters, creatures, and ghosts from Japanese mythology. This article can be useful for those who want a brief description or to know the name of a particular creature.

Remembering that this article has not been fully reviewed. It would take time to review the descriptions of the 306 monsters that were translated from English. In my quick review, I managed to eliminate a lot of incomprehensible content.

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Yokai, Obake, Yurei, Ghosts, and Japanese Demons

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Abumi-guchi	A hairy creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander who worked for Yamata no Orochi.
Abura-akago	A child ghost that licks the oil from the andon lamps.
Abura-sumashi	A spirit with a large head that lives in a mountain pass in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Akabeko	A red cow involved in the construction of Enzō-ji in Yanaizu, Fukushima.
Akaname	A spirit that licks the dirt in messy bathrooms.
Akashita	A creature that appears in a black cloud over a dam.
Akateko	A red hand hanging from a tree.
Akkorokamui	An Ainu monster resembling a fish or octopus.
Akubōzu	Akubōzu, live in the ashes of fireplaces, are from Akita and Iwate.
Akurojin-no-hi	A ghostly fire from Mie Prefecture.
Amabie	A Japanese mermaid yokai.
Amaburakosagi	A ritual-disciplinary demon from Shikoku.
Amamehagi	A ritual-disciplinary demon from Hokuriku.
Amanojaku	A small demon that instigates people to evil.
Amanozako	A monstrous goddess mentioned in the Kujiki.
Amaterasu	A sun goddess.
Amazake-babaa	An old woman who asks for sweet love and brings diseases.
Amefurikozō	A boy spirit that plays in the rain.
Amemasu	An Ainu creature resembling a fish or whale.
Ameonna	A female spirit that makes it rain.
Amikiri	A bird spirit, with a bird’s head, crustacean trap, and snake body.
Amorōnagu	A Tennyo from Amami Shima island.
Anmo	A ritual-disciplinary demon from Iwate Prefecture.
Aoandon	The demonic spirit that emerges from an andon lamp at the end of a Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.
Aobōzu	The blue monk who kidnaps children.
Aonyōbō	A ghost that lurks in an abandoned imperial palace.
Aosaginohi	A luminescent heron.
Arikura-no-baba	An old woman with magical powers.
Ashimagari	A spirit that wraps around the legs of travelers.
Ashinagatenaga	A pair of characters, one with long legs and the other with long arms.
Ayakashi (yōkai)	A phenomenon considered the funayurei.
Azukiarai (or Azukitogi)	A spirit that washes azuki beans.
Bake-kujira	A ghostly whale skeleton that floats along the coast of Shimane Prefecture.
Bakeneko	A shape-shifting cat.
Bakezōri	A spirit of zōri sandals.
Baku (spirit)	Supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.
Basan	A large chicken monster that spits fire.
Bashōnosei	Spirit of the banana tree
Betobeto-san	An invisible spirit that follows people at night, producing the sound of footsteps.
Binbōgami	The spirit of poverty.
Biwa-bokuboku	Animated biwa lute.
Buruburu	A spirit that clings to people inducing cowardice and shivers.
Byakko	The Japanese version of the Chinese white tiger.
Byōbunozoki	Tsukumogami that emerges from byōbu to spy on people.
Chōchinbi	Demonic flames that appear on paths between rice fields.
Chōchinobake	A possessed chōchin lantern.
Daidarabotchi	A giant responsible for creating Japan’s geographical features.
Daitengu	The most powerful tengu, each of whom lives on a separate mountain.
Danzaburou-danuki	A bake-danuki from Sado Island.
Datsue-ba	An old woman in the underworld who removes the clothing (or skin, if naked) from the dead.
Dodomeki	A demon with a hundred eyes.
Dōnotsura	A headless human yōkai with a face on its torso.
Enenra	A monster made of smoke.
Enkō	Kappa from Shikoku and western Honshū.
Funayūrei	Ghosts of people who died at sea.
Furaribi	A creature engulfed in flames that flies aimlessly.
Furu-utsubo	A beloved quiver of dead archers.
Furutsubaki-no-rei	A soul-sucking plant.
Futakuchi-onna	The woman with two mouths.
Fūjin	The god of wind.
Fūri	A monkey yokai.
Gagoze	A demon that attacked young priests at Gangō-ji temple.
Gaki	Hungry ghosts of especially greedy people.
Gashadokuro	A giant skeleton that is the spirit of the unburied dead. Also known as Gaikotsu.
Genbu	The Japanese version of the Chinese black turtle.
Goryō	The vengeful spirits of the dead.
Gozu e Mezu	Guards of the underworld.
Guhin	Another name for tengu.
Gyūki	Another name for Ushi-oni.
Hachishaku-sama	An eight-foot tall woman famous for kidnapping children.
Hakanohi	A fire that ignites in graves.
Hakuja no Myojin	A white serpent god.
Hakutaku	A beast that conveyed knowledge about harmful spirits.
Hanako-san	The spirit of a young girl from World War II who haunts school bathrooms.
Hannya	A noh mask representing a jealous demon.
Haradashi	A creature with a giant face on its stomach.
Harionago	A woman with a thorny spike at the end of each strand of hair.
Hashihime	A woman who turned into a spirit associated with the bridge in Uji.
Heikegani	Crabs with shells that have human faces. They are the spirits of warriors who died in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
Hibagon	The Japanese version of Bigfoot or the Yeti.
Hiderigami	The spirit of drought.
Hihi	A Chinese yokai resembling a baboon.
Hikeshibaba	An old woman who extinguishes lanterns.
Hinode	The sunrise.
Hitodama	A fireball ghost that appears when someone dies, signifying the spirit of the deceased person.
Hitotsume-kozō	A child spirit with one eye.
Hitotsume-nyūdō	A one-eyed monk spirit.
Hiyoribō	The spirit that prevents rain.
Hoji	The wicked spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae.
Hone-onna	The skeleton woman.
Hoshi-no-Tama	A ball guarded by a Kitsune (fox) that can give whoever obtains it the power to force the Kitsune to help them. It is said to possess some reserves of Kitsune power.
Hotoke	A deceased person.
Hyakki Yakō	The night parade of demons.
Hyōsube	A type of Kappa covered in hair.
Hō-ō	The legendary Fenghuang bird of China.
Hōsōshi	A ritual exorcist.
Ibaraki-doji	Daughter of an oni.
Ichiren-Bozu	Animated prayer beads.
Ikiryō	Essentially a living ghost, as it is the soul of a living person outside their body.
Ikuchi	A sea serpent that travels over boats in an arc while dripping oil.
Inugami Gyoubu	A type of bake-danuki.
Inugami	A dog spirit created, worshipped, and employed by a family through sorcery.
Isonade	A sea monster of the fish type with a tail covered in spines.
Issie	A lake monster.
Itsumade	A bird monster that spits fire.
Ittan-momen	A possessed roll of cotton that tries to suffocate people by wrapping around their faces.
Iyaya	A woman whose face reflects as an old man.
Jami	A wicked mountain spirit.
Janjanbi	A soul in the form of a fireball, named for the sound it makes.
Jatai	Animated folding screen cloth.
Jibakurei	A spirit that protects a specific place.
Jikininki	Ghosts that eat human corpses.
Jinmenju	A tree with human-faced fruits.
Jishin-namazu	The giant catfish that causes earthquakes and tsunamis. It was blamed during the Ansei earthquake and tsunami.
Jorōgumo	A spider woman.
Jubokko	A vampiric tree.
Kahaku (河伯)	Another name for a Kappa.
Kakurezato
Kamaitachi	The weasel with sickle claws that haunts the mountains.
Kambarinyūdō	A monk spirit that spies on people using the bathroom.
Kameosa	A possessed sake flask.
Kanedama	A spirit that carries money.
Kappa	A famous water monster with a head full of water and a love for cucumbers.
Karasu-tengu	Crow demon.
Karura	An anthropomorphic eagle similar to the Hindu Garuda.
Kasa-obake	A possessed paper umbrella monster.
Kasha	A cat-like demon that descends from the sky and takes corpses.
Katawaguruma	A type of Wanyūdō, with a distressed woman instead of a monk’s head in a flaming wheel.
Kawaakago	A river spirit that pretends to be a crying baby.
Kawauso	River otters.
Kechibi	Fireballs with human faces inside.
Keneō	An old man sitting in the underworld weighing the clothes that Datsue-ba gave him.
Keukegen	A small dog-like creature, entirely covered in long hair.
Kijimuna	A tree sprite from Okinawa.
Kirin	The Japanese version of the Chinese Qilin, which is part dragon and part deer with antlers, fish scales, and an ox tail. Said to be a protective creature and guardian of the metal element.
Kitsune no yomeiri	Ghost of Light
Kitsune	A fox spirit.
Kitsunebi	Flames created by the Kitsune.
Kiyohime	A woman who transformed into a serpent demon due to the anger of unrequited love.
Kodama	A spirit that lives in a tree.
Kokakuchō	The bird of Ubume.
Komainu	The pair of lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
Konaki-jiji	This yokai disguises itself as an abandoned baby and then cries until someone picks it up.
Konoha-tengu	A Tengu resembling a bird.
Koromodako	A yokai resembling an octopus that lives in the waters bordering Kyoto and Fukui.
Koropokkuru	A small person from Ainu folklore.
Kosenjōbi	Fireballs that float over ancient battlefields.
Kosode-no-te	A possessed kosode.
Kubikajiri	A female cemetery spirit that gnaws on corpses.
Kuchisake-onna	The woman with a slit mouth.
Kuda-gitsune	A small fox-like animal used in sorcery.
Kudan	A cow with a human face.
Kumo Yōkai	A Japanese spider demon.
Kyonshī	The Japanese version of the jumping vampire, known as “jiangshi”.
Kyōkotsu	A skeletal figure that emerges from a well.
Kyōrinrin	Possessed rolls or papers.
Mekurabe	The multiplying skulls that threatened Taira no Kiyomori in his courtyard.
Miage-nyūdō	A spirit that grows as fast as you can look at it.
Mikaribaba	An old woman with one eye.
Mikoshi-nyūdō	A bald goblin with an extended neck.
Misaki	High-ranking divine spirits.
Mizuchi	A dangerous water dragon.
Mokumokuren	A swarm of eyes that appear on a sliding paper door in an old building.
Momonjī	An old man waiting for travelers at every fork in the road.
Mononoke	Any mischievous and troublesome creature/entity of uncertain origin.
Morinji-no-kama	Another name for Bunbuku Chagama, the bake-danuki kettle.
Mujina	A shape-shifting badger.
Myōbu	A title sometimes given to a fox.
Mōryō	A general term for various water demons that eat corpses.
Namahage	A ritual-disciplinary demon from the Oga Peninsula.
Namazu	A giant catfish that causes earthquakes.
Nekomata	A cat yokai.
Ningyo	A fish person or “mermaid”.
Nobusuma	A flying squirrel monster (possibly inspired by the giant Indian flying squirrel).
Noderabō	Strange creatures that linger near a temple bell.
Nogitsune	A dangerous kitsune.
Noppera-bō	A faceless ghost.
Nozuchi	A fat snake-like creature.
Nue	A monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake-headed tail. It tormented the emperor with nightmares in the Heike Monogatari.
Nukekubi	A cruel and human monster whose head detaches from its body, often confused with the Rokurokubi.
Nuppeppo	A piece of animated decomposing human flesh.
Nurarihyon	A strange character that stealthily enters houses on restless nights.
Nure-onna	A female snake monster that appears on the beach.
Nuribotoke	An animated corpse with blackened flesh and swaying eyes.
Nurikabe	A ghostly wall that traps a traveler at night.
Nyūdō-bōzu	A yokai that grows larger the more you look up.
Nyūnaisuzume	Sparrows that flew from the mouth of the exiled poet Fujiwara-no Sanekata.
Obake (or Bakemono)	Spirits that change shape.
Obariyon	Yōkai that rides on a human victim and becomes unbearably heavy.
Oboroguruma	A bullock cart with a face on the carriage.
Oiwa	The ghost of a woman with a distorted face who was murdered by her husband. One of the most famous onryō.
Okiku	The ghost of a servant girl who counts a plate.
Okuri-inu	A spectral dog that follows solitary travelers, attacking them if they stumble. Similar to the black dog from English folklore.
Oni of Rashomon
Oni	The classic Japanese demon. It is an ogre-like creature that usually has horns.
Onibaba	The demon witch of Adachigahara.
Onibi	A demonic flame that can suck the life out of people if they get too close.
Onihitokuchi	One-eyed oni that kills and eats humans.
Onikuma	Bear yōkai.
Onmoraki	A bird demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses.
Onmyoji	A human who has powers like those of a yōkai.
Onryō	A vengeful ghost formed by powerful feelings such as anger or sadness.
Osakabe	An old yōkai residing in Himeji castle who can read and manipulate hearts.
Otoroshi	A hairy creature that perches on torii gates for shrines and temples.
Raijin	The God of Thunder.
Raijū	A creature that falls to earth in a lightning bolt.
Rokurokubi	A person, usually female, whose neck can stretch indefinitely.
Ryuu	The Japanese dragon.
Rōjinbi	A ghostly fire that appears with an elderly person.
Sa Gojō	The water monster Sha Wujing from Journey to the West, often interpreted in Japan as a kappa.
Samebito	A shark from the Dragon Palace submarine.
Sankai	An amorphous postpartum spirit.
Sansei	A humanoid with a single leg twisted backward.
Sarakazoe	A type of onibi that appears as a counting plate.
Satori	A monkey-like creature that can read your thoughts.
Sazae-oni	A turban snail that transforms into a woman.
Seiryū	The Japanese version of the Chinese Azure dragon.
Sesshō-seki	The poisonous “killing stones” that Tamamo-no-Mae transformed into.
Shachihoko	A fish with a tiger’s head whose image is often used in architecture.
Shibaemon-tanuki	A baked-danuki from Awaji Island.
Shichinin misaki	A group of seven ghosts that sicken the living.
Shidaidaka	A humanoid yokai that appears above roads.
Shikigami	A spirit summoned to do the bidding of an Onmyōji.
Shikome	Wild women sent by Izanami to harm Izanagi.
Shinigami	The Japanese Reaper.
Shiranui	A mysterious flame seen over the seas in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Shirime	An apparition in the form of a man with an eye in place of the anus.
Shiryō	The souls of the dead, the opposite of ikiryo.
Shirōneri	Bed nets or dusty clothes.
Shisa	The Okinawa version of Shishi.
Shishi	The paired lion-dogs that guard the entrances of temples.
Shuten-doji	Oni
Shōjō	Red-haired sea sprites that love alcohol.
Shōkera	A creature that spies through the skylight of an old house.
Son Gokū	The monkey king Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.
Suiko	Another name for the kappa.
Sunakake Baba	A witch that uses sand.
Sunekosuri	A dog-like yokai that rubs against people’s legs when it rains.
Suzaku	The Japanese version of the Chinese vermilion bird.
Suzuri-no-tamashii	Spirit of ink.
Sōjōbō	The famous Daitengu of Mount Kurama.
Taka-onna	A female monster that can stretch her waist to spy inside buildings.
Tamamo-no-Mae	An evil nine-tailed fox that appeared as a courtesan.
Tanuki	A Japanese raccoon dog that shapeshifts.
Te-no-me	The ghost of a blind man with eyes in his hands.
Teke Teke	The vengeful spirit of a schoolgirl, with a body half in the upper torso, who goes around killing people by cutting them in half with a scythe, imitating her own disfigurement.
Ten	A mischievous weasel that shapeshifts.
Tengu	A wise demon with two variants: a red man with a long nose or a bird-like demon.
Tenjōkudari	A female yokai that crawls on the ceiling.
Tenka (kaika)	Ghost lights
Tenko (fox)	Divine beast
Tennin	A celestial being.
Teratsutsuki	The onryō of a man who lived in the 6th century AD.
Tesso	A priest who was snubbed by the emperor and became a swarm of rats that destroyed a rival temple.
Tsuchigumo	A clan of spider yokai.
Tsuchinoko	A legendary serpentine monster. Now a cryptid resembling a fat snake.
Tsukinowaguma	A legendary bear.
Tsukumogami	An animated tea carrier that Matsunaga Hisahide used to negotiate peace with Oda Nobunaga. Now understood as any inanimate object that has gained life after 100 years.
Tsukuyomi	A moon god.
Tsurube-otoshi	A monster that falls from the treetops.
Tōfu-kozō	A yokai that appears as a boy carrying a plate of tofu.
Ubume	The spirit of a woman who died in childbirth.
Uma-no-ashi	The leg of a horse that hangs from a tree and kicks passersby.
Umi-nyōbō	A female sea monster that steals fish.
Umibōzu	A giant monster appearing on the surface of the sea.
Ungaikyō	A possessed mirror.
Ushi-no-tokimairi	A curse made at the hour of the ox (between 1 and 3 AM) by a black magic user, with various effects.
Ushi-oni	A name given to a variety of monsters with bull heads.
Ushi-onna	A woman dressed in kimono with a cow’s head.
Ushirogami	A one-eyed, footless spirit.
Uwan	A spirit called by the sound it screams when surprising people.
Waira	A large animal that lurks in the mountains, about which little is known.
Wani	A water monster comparable to an alligator or crocodile. A related word has been applied to the saltwater crocodile.
Wanyūdō	A flaming wheel with a man’s head in the center, which sucks the soul of anyone who sees it.
Yadōkai	Monks who have turned to mischief.
Yama-biko	Small creatures that create echoes.
Yama-inu	A mountain spirit resembling a dog, which may appear to travelers on mountain roads; it can be friendly or may attack and kill the traveler, depending on the story (see also the Japanese wolf).
Yama-uba	An ancient yōkai.
Yamajijii	An old man with one eye and one leg.
Yamako	A friendly creature that is occasionally cannibalistic and can read minds.
Yamaoroshi	A possessed vegetable grater, almost resembling a porcupine.
Yamata no Orochi	The eight-headed dragon/serpent monster killed by the god Susanoo.
Yashima no Hage-tanuki	A bake-danuki that protects the Taira clan.
Yatagarasu	The three-legged crow of Amaterasu.
Yato-no-kami	Mortal snake gods that infested a field.
Yobuko	A spirit that resides in the mountains.
Yomotsu-shikome	The witches of the underworld.
Yonakinoishi
Yosuzume	A mysterious bird that sings at night, sometimes indicating that the okuri-inu is nearby.
Yuki-onna	The snow woman.
Yurei	Ghosts in a more Western sense.
Yōkai/Youkai	A class of monsters, spirits, and supernatural demons in Japanese folklore. They can also be called ayakashi (妖?), mononoke (物 の怪?) or mamono (魔物?).
Yōsei	The Japanese word for “fairy”.
Zashiki-warashi	A protective child household spirit.
Zennyo Ryūō	A dragon that makes it rain.
Zorigami	An animated clock.
Zuijin	A tutelary spirit.
Zunbera-bō	Another name for the Noppera-bō.
Ōgama	A giant frog that breathes smoke resembling a rainbow and wields a giant spear against those who attack it.
Ōkaburo	Transvestite yōkai
Ōkami	A powerful wolf spirit that either takes your life or protects it, depending on the actions someone takes in their life.
Ōkubi	The enormous face of a woman that appears in the sky.
Ōmagatoki	Twilight.
Ōmukade	A giant centipede that eats humans and lives in the mountains.
Ōnyūdō	Taxon of the trash can for all ‘priestly’ demons.