In their bird form, they repeatedly cry over their misfortune. In the section about wolves, it is said that the villagers of Ilde created a folktale to justify the reason for why wolves only attack the people and horses of their specific village. While it may seem unnecessary to construct a story for the behaviour of wild animals, these folktales of the villages in Tono play a role in the cultivation of the identities of those specific areas. In relation to local activities, the story of “Dan-no-hana” is used to explain why the people in the area of Yamaguchi in Tsuchibuchi say “sai haka-dachi” (leaving the grave) when going to work in the fields, and “haka-agari” (going to the grave) when returning home. Many believe that it is due to the …show more content…
Because each story associates an everyday normality – like an animalistic behaviour, or local saying – with certain local experiences, a connection can be seen between the appearance of these stories, and a time of crisis with the creation and protection of identity. The fact that these local folktales are passed down means that people wanted to preserve the identities that marked their distinctiveness from the people of other areas. Whether describing local customs or simply the appearance of kami (like in the story of Chozaburo of Yamaguchi or Yanosuke the Flute Player ) the creation of these folktales to explain natural or habitual activity reflects a “crisis” of identification, where using local kami can not only be used to justify the existing customs of the time, but can also create a singular identity for its creators that differ from areas who might not have similar explanations of the same …show more content…
Whether in the East or the West, it is arguable that monsters have become a “fad” of the modern era, and many are created to represent the culture of their origin. Thus, the question is why yokai are seen as a key component of contemporary Japanese identity, and what was the reason that lead to an increased interest in yokai and their appearance in popular culture? Folktales in The Legends of Tono were originally created, as argued, to protect the local society and identities of Tono. However, the recording of these folktales and their appearance in modern society can be attributed to the crisis of identity and modernity that Japan faced from the nineteenth century onwards. The Meiji Restoration focused on a fusion of antiquity and modernity in creating an identity that defined the nation-state, while the post-WWII era re-evaluated the importance of the individual identity. Undeniably, part of this identity resides in the yokai that descended from the kami in The Legends of Tono, where even today, they are something that is often associated with Japanese culture. The kappa and tengu contain local identities since the kappa in Tono are known to be red-faced, while the tengu are said reside in the mountains surrounding the region. On the other hand, they are often the first that come to mind when talking about Japanese “monsters.”