Yokailins? Gobkai?
The aesthetics of the supernatural
Hello and welcome once again to Ghosterpants!
I’m your host Taro and WOW do I have an article for you! As I mentioned last time, I intend to compare/contrast the idea of Yokai in Japan and Goblins in the West.
I do this obviously because I have a love of all things supernatural (and their underpants) but also to try to “correct” some misconceptions gaijin might have regarding these creatures.
Also, I will be adding several images in this piece which are created by AI and are therefore essentially NFTs but not copywritten because I created them. Also, if you right click to save, you’ll note that the name of the file is actually the text prompt I gave. I hope you find them hilarious. Feel free to use my delightful images as you see fit. (But please don’t turn them into porn…I hate Rule 34….lol.)
First off, let’s discuss names and their “definitions.”
#1. Yokai: Wiktionary defines as:
Noun yokai (plural yokai) (folklore, mythology) Any of various supernatural monsters, sometimes shapeshifters, in Japanese folklore.
But I prefer Matt’s (Yokai.com) definition:
“The broadest possible definition of yōkai includes all supernatural creatures and phenomena from all parts of the world. Essentially, everything supernatural everywhere.”
#2. Goblin: Noun
goblin (plural goblins)
One of various hostile supernatural creatures, now especially (fantasy literature) a malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.
But this doesn’t go far enough either.
Dr. Ashliman @Pitt.edu collects folklore like some people collect plastic bags or twist ties.
Among his other achievements, he found a terribly obscure little poem that list dozens and dozens of names for Western supernatural things.
I would argue that in light of this list and several centuries of literature, one could use the exact same definition for ‘goblin’ as ‘yokai.’
Easy right? So now everybody knows what yokai and goblins are, what’s the issue?
Further study reveals the difference is largely how a given culture approaches such beings.
In the West, goblins are considered pure fantasy. A side character for Bilbo or Harry Potter, right? (Or if you’re a role player…something for the game-master to throw at the party in the thousands.)
But in Japan, these beings succeed in being both the subject of hundreds of anime, manga and other tales but also objects of actual religious observance.
There’s the Furumine Shrine with enshrined Tengu (those long nosed, flying guys)
Or the Sojenji Temple (called Kappa-dera) with enshrined Kappa.
(If you don’t know about Kappa by now, I can’t explain their underwear any further…)
Not enough? How about Chingodo Shrine dedicated to Tanuki!
Alright Taro, we get it…the Japanese incorporate their folklore into their daily lives and religious practices and are sooo much more spiritual than others.
Well, while one might be tempted to come to this conclusion, I’m afraid that’s not quite what I’m getting at. My real point is that as I mentioned in my last article, Western people have sort of forgotten their roots. They too have yokai! They too have aboriginal traditions and spirit beings that could…with a little coaxing and nurturance… help them recall a sense of cultural tradition and understanding of self-hood!
Next let’s take a look at why I’m comparing the two beings.
I’ve been studying monsters since I was a kid. I’ll skip to the end of this recall by simply stating that I love “groups of spirits”: names of creatures that, while implying a supernatural entity, are not limited to simply one kind of creature.
Yokai is an excellent example of this. You can say “yokai” to someone and the next question from your friend should be “What KIND of yokai?”
I was startled last year when I came upon the Middle Eastern ideal that a “djinn” (genie) is not simply a floating blue spirit that lives in a bottle and grants wishes but a whole host of supernatural creatures including the ghoul, the ifrit and Awar!
I feel that ‘goblin’ fits adequately into this idea. While some may say that “fairy” is a better blanket term, I’d suggest that those people give a little more study into both the etymology of these words and the church’s influence on the modern understanding of them.
So what are some common characteristics?
Well obviously “shape shifting” is #1 on the list.
Creatures of spirit rarely have a single defined form.
I recently read a story about a goblin who transformed into a horse and drowned a group of children.
Oops, there’s another one…#2. Murder…specifically of humans.
As I explained in a previous article, ‘the divine can not be held to human ethical standards’…so perhaps murder isn’t the best term. From their perspective, it’s more like “we’re choosing these humans because they are special.”
#3. The propensity to be either calm and helpful or indignant and destructive on any given day. It’s funny really, the only “spirits” I’ve studied, in any culture that are simply one thing all the time come from…you guessed it…monotheism…devils are always bad…angels are always good….WUT…
#4. Magical powers. This is more defined with the goblin…I would suppose because “using magic is associated with the devil” whereas in Japan, magic is a given. Why would a thing be considered a yokai if it DIDN’T have magic?? Magical powers are instances of otherworldly abilities such as flight, materialization of objects, DEmaterialization of objects/persons or self, immortality, completion of tasks at impossible speeds, performance of tasks with displays of impossible strength, granting of wishes or supernatural pacts/deals that grant anything listed above.
#5. If these creatures have a form, it is most often non-human, inhuman or indescribable.
Non-human forms include animals, animal-hybrids, floating spirit fires (like the will-’o-the-wisp in Europe and the various “bis” of Japan) mists, fogs and the like.
Inhuman forms can be “sort of human” like giants (human shaped but far larger than it’s possible for a human to be), ghosts (human shaped but lacking visible legs, etc), demons (like Oni that have 2 arms/legs etc…but possess brightly colored crayon skin, 3 eyes, fangs and/or claws)
Indescribable forms are those that are either entirely invisible or ‘not to be named’, be it a taboo or whichever other reason. In Japan an excellent example is Beto-Beto-San. Essentially invisible. In the West a creature like the “Nameless Thing of Berkley Square” is a Lovecraftesque monster that is not entirely definable.
There is a “5a” here: that being creatures who appear entirely human but we’ll relegate that to #1.
Yokai and Goblin, then, are synonymous. I may even be persuaded to form an alternative, if not parallel, definition by stating “Yokai encompass all things magical. Goblin encompass all things magical.” Yokai can be used interchangeably with Goblin and either word can be a verb, a noun or an adjective.”
As a verb something like “I goblined/yokaied that character.” (Implying that the character was not magical in inception but became magical through story development.)
As a noun, “I saw a yokai/goblin in the woods.”
As an adjective “Wow, that’s so goblin/yokai of you.”
I also wanted to mention the 6 degrees of magical creatures. The reason I do this is because while we can make terms like yokai and goblin an overarching pejorative, let’s not forget that within their respective cultures/histories, they can have characteristics which (in nothing else) distinguish them from each other.
We’ve already established that yokai are basically from Japan, goblins are from Europe. Yokai have their place in fantasy but also in modern Shinto/Buddhist practices. Goblin are generally thought of as fantasy (or at worst…a derogatory stereotype for the Jewish people.)
To my knowledge, no yokai is unique in theft, goblin are said to steal underwear. (No really! You can look it up!)
As Japan has no true “devil” figure, none of them are considered ‘evil.’ Goblins have many associations with Satan with some going so far as to call them “imps.”(And frankly, the iconography is such that one has difficulty telling this from that.)
Lastly, as per normal (if anything I do can be considered “normal”) I’ll place these two types of creatures…which are actually all magical creatures…in the underwear universe.
Ever go shopping for clothes and stop in the underwear aisle and think, “I wish they a 9 pack with boxer briefs, regular briefs, boxers AND a thong?”
Well for me, that’s yokai and goblin. You get everything with these guys: a firm grip around the waist, nice piping in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes.
While I have my favorites, #TeamKappa it’s always good to change it up, do something different…and wash with color-safe bleach!
Well, I really enjoyed writing this piece (and doing the AI generated art. Thanks to Theresa and Rich over at Uncanny japan podcast for the heads up!)
This is my 7th article for Japonica. If you like supernatural creatures or their underwear, or both…you can join me on Twitter @Afterpants1, or take a look at some of the other articles on my Wix site. Please be sure to forward and follow as I am still homeless and trying to get monetized for all this polished-cottony goodness!
See you next time on Ghosterpants! (a subsidiary column of Afterpants and Yurei House Clothing!)
