Kappa – Dangerous, Vicious, yet Polite

The kappa is one of the most famous of Japan’s mythological creatures. It is sometimes called an imp in the West. This scaly water creature is a mix of a turtle, a monkey, and a frog. About the size of a child, the kappa is said to wait in water for a hapless victim to pass. It is said the kappa has a taste for human blood and livers.

It wasn’t unusual for people in ancient Japan to use rivers and stream as toilets. The kappa would wait underwater and just out of sight for someone to drop their drawers and aim their bottom toward the river. In a flash it would extend its arm right up the hapless person’s rectum, through their insides and grab their tongue. Just a quick, it would yank, pulling the person inside out so it can get to the person’s liver and organs. Moral of the story: don’t use streams and rivers as toilets! Kappa are also known to enjoy raping women, kidnapping children, and drowning people and animals. They are said to be strong wrestlers.

Despite the viciousness of kappas, they are said to be polite and keep their promises. In fact, their politeness is a known weakness. Kappas have a depression on the top of their head that is shaped like a bowl. It holds water for when they go on land. Water is the source of their strength, but being as they are extremely polite, they tend to bow to people and spill their water!

Kappas can be defeated by pulling off their arms; which is said to be easier than it sounds. They love wrestling, so defeating them at their game is an option.

Kappa also keep their promises. People used to offer kappas cucumbers scratched with the names of people who needed protection or, at least, a promise from the kappa not to hurt them.

Kappa have also been said to befriend people who show them how to mend broken bones. Apparently, broken bones are a problem with kappa. They also have been known to irrigate the fields for their farmer friends and bring them fresh fish time to time.

It is said that kappa are still around in modern Japan. Instead of streams they now wait in toilets for an unsuspecting rump. If you feel something moving in the toilet bowl you had best move fast and flush a cucumber down it!

References

Kappa. Scary Website for Children. http://www.scaryforkids.com/kappa/

Kappa. Japanese Folklore, Mythology and Mythological Creatures http://people.rit.edu/~acp8763/wf/stage2/kappa.html

Kappa (folklore). Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_%28folklore%29