Another one for my monster book - and I got a hold of the good scanner today I even rescanned a few of my other pics so they look nicer now ^-^

Kappa

Kappa is Japanese for “river-child”, and the Kappa can also be called, Gataro, meaning “river-boy”. The kappa is a creature of Japanese folklore that is about the size of a ten-year-old child. They are a kind of water sprite that dwell in rivers, ponds, and lakes and are always depicted as troublemakers.

The kappa is shown to look in various ways. They range from colors green and yellow, and sometimes blue. They can look very much like furless monkeys, and other times frog-like, sometimes having a beak like that of a tortoise or a duck. They are often depicted as having a turtle-like shell on their backs or fish scales on their skin. At least one account has told of a kappa that looked almost like a human child, and it tricked passersby into coming near him, then pulling them under the water. However all kappa have one feature in common and that is that atop their head is a dish-like depression filled with water surrounded by a ring of thin scraggly hair. If the water inside it is dumped out the kappa will loose its energy and become powerless; sometimes this can even kill a kappa. Some have said that this feature is the only thing that allows them to survive on land when they leave their watery habitation.

The kappa is known for being quite troublesome. Some can be merely obnoxious pranksters, but many are highly dangerous for they can pull victims down into the water and drain them of their life energy a little like a vampire. They also are said to rape women and steal crops and kidnap children.

However the kappa has a trustworthy nature and is known for courtesy. These things are useful in stopping a kappa for if one bows to a kappa, the creature will be obliged to bow in return spilling the water from the hallowed-out bowl in its head. Once a kappa is in this weakened position one can bargain with it, saying that the kappa may be free to go if it promises to leave to one’s family alone or similar promises. The kappa will always keep its promise. Another way to get a kappa to leave people alone is its fancy for cucumbers, which was one of the only other things a kappa enjoyed aside from the life of other creatures. Families often put their names and sometimes ages on cucumbers and throw them into the water, for the kappa would know that in return it was to leave those whose name was on the cucumber alone. Some villages in Japan have firework festivals, for the kappa is afraid of fire and does not like loud noises.


Interesting Fact:
There is a saying in Japan, Kappa no Kawa Nagare (Even Kappa can drown), which means that even an expert can make mistakes.


Juliet Piggot 1969 Japanese Mythology “Creatures and Spirits”
Pages 65-67 Chancellor Press

“Mythical Creatures of Japan” retrieved April, 2008 from: suite101.com – web address [link]
page 2 paragraph 5

“Kappa” retrieved April, 2008 from: geocities.com – web address:
[link]

“KAPPA -- River Imp or Sprite” retrieved April, 2008 from onmarkproductions.com - web address: [link]