Eastern Demons

Eastern Demons

Bibliography

Hozuki no Reitetsu or Hozuki's Coolheadedness, is a popular Japanese anime following the demon Hozuki. He is the deputy of the Buddhist King of Hell, Enma.

Carus, Paul. History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil. Chicago: Open Court, 1900. Print.

Custer, Charlie. "The World of Chinese." <i>The World of Chinese</i>. The World of Chinese, 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. &lt;http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2010/12/mythical-monsters/&gt;.

"List of Demons from the Middle East and Asia." Deliriums Realm. Creative Commons, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

"Hells." Hells. Khandro.Net, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

Meyer, Matthew. "Jigoku: Japanese Hell." MatthewMeyernet. N.p., 02 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

by Yumi Yamazaki and Aya Kusumoto

Eastern Demons in Pop Culture

• In Japan, demons are a popular theme in anime and manga, as well as horror movies
• In China, demons (especially the Chiang-shih) are seen in many thriller/horror movies
• Buddhist and Hindu demons are not commonly seen in Asian pop culture

Gong Tau

• South East Asian black magic
• In Chinese folklore, it is a ritual for summoning ghosts, spirits, or demons through Taoist sorcerers
• Paper talismans are used to control these demons to possess, harm, or disturb its victims
• Executed most often for the purpose of revenge, relationships, and money problems

Chiang-Shih (Kiang shi)

• A Chinese version of the Vampire
• in Chinese belief, people have within them two souls: the superior good and the inferior evil
• the inferior soul could inhabit a corpse after death and preserve the body
• if the inferior soul was strong enough, it could inhabit and animate the corpse for a time
• Chiang Shih were nocturnal creatures who could gain the ability to fly, grow long white hair, and possible transform into wolves
• they would get stronger by eating other humans
• very vicious and had a strong sexual drive, often raping and ripping the limbs and heads off of their victims
• People could protect themselves from Chiang Shih with salt, garlic, and loud noises
• They could be killed by thunder
• The body of a Chiang Shih had to be cremated

Popular Forms of Gong Tau

• Straw effigy: very similar to voodoo dolls, the victim’s soul is attached to the straw doll and needles can be poked in the doll to inflict pain. Strong sorcerers can actually kill the victims.
• Oil/Corpse oil: A candle is used to burn the skin off of the chin of a dead woman. This “oil” is collected and can be used to make someone fall in love with the user.
• Gu poison: Several venomous creatures are sealed into one jar (centipedes, snakes, scorpions, poisonous frogs, etc.) until they all consume each other. It is believed that the remaining survivor will have all of the poisons concentrated in its body. The concentrated poison can be used to create diseases, cause death, and manipulate sexual partners.
• Flying Head Gong Tau: Gong Tau sorcerers can detach their heads at night and fly about on their own. They fly through the sky searching for human blood.

Chinese Demons

Izanagi's descent to the underworld

• Izanagi prayed for a child who represented fire
• Izanami bore Kagutsuchi, the god of Fire, but during his birth, Izanami died from his heat
• Devastated, Izanagi went to the underworld to get back Izanami
• However, Izanami could not return and decided to go beg to Hades for permission
• Izanami made Izanagi wait for her at the gates of the underworld and made him promise to not enter her room
• As time passed, Izanagi became more aware of a terrible stench coming from Izanami's room and he decided to look inside, breaking his promise
• There, Izanagi found a sleeping Izanami in the form of a rotten body
• Izanami awoke but realized that Izanagi had broken their promise and with it, their marriage ties (representing a divorce)
• Izanagi fled from the underworld and sealed the doorway with a huge rock, severing the two worlds forever

Victims can expel the Gong Tau magic inflicted upon them through multiple ways:

• Seeking help from a Buddhist monk, an Indonesian/Malay Bomoh (shaman), or Taoist master.
• A spiritual battle between the victim and the Gong Tau sorcerer. This is done with spells and rituals, rather than physical combat.

Japanese Demons

Izanami & Izanagi

• Chinese demons are referred to as yaoguai.
• They are malicious spirits that have acquired magical powers from Taoism.
• They seek to gain immortality by eating human souls.
• They can shapeshift into a human form to trick their victims.

• Two young gods who were chosen to descend to the mortal world and bring peace to a world of chaos
• Izanagi was a strong warrior
• Izanami was a beautiful and delicate lover
• Izanagi was given the legendary spear, Amanonuboko, from the Lord of the Heavens
• They descended to Earth and brought peace to the world using Amanonuboko
• They decided to live on Earth on the island of Onokoro
• After they were married on Earth, they began to create more islands around them and populate them with their children

• In Japanese/Buddhist mythology, hell or Naraka is broken up into two Great hells: The Cold and the Hot
• There are 8 different sub-categories under each of the two Great Hells
• Sinners are sent to one of the 16 different hells depending on their sin

Azi Dahaka

• name means "fiendish snake"
• takes the form of a serpent
• half demon and half human

Aeshma

• name means "fiend of the wounding spear"
• demon of wrath and fury
• represents all moral wickedness and corruption

Daevas

• A class of Zoroastrian Demons
• Druj
• Aeshma
• Azi Dahaka

Nagas

• A tribe of serpents who inhabit the underworld, Patalas
• commonly associated with the weather
• only cause harm to humans if mistreated
• not only do they have deadly venom in their fangs, but also the elixir of life and immortality

Pretas

• souls of the dead who have entered the realm of tortured spirits
• the souls are that of sinners or criminals during their mortal life
• eternally punished in the circle of perpetual hunger

Druj

• a female incarnation of wickedness and evil spirit
• lives in the mountains of Aresura
• can shape shift into a fly
• when a human dies and the soul leaves the body, Druj comes down from the mountain to seize the corpse

Hindu Demons

Rakshasa

• Hindu demon with shape shifting powers
• commonly seen with the head of a tiger and the body of a man
• former cruel humans during their mortal life
• inhabit cemeteries and feed off of human flesh or contaminated food
• possess humans through contaminated food and cause illness and insanity

• Demons in Hindu Mythology are evil spirits who try to tempt people to stray from the followings of God
• The idea was adapted from Christianity when it reached Asia

Mara, The Buddhist Devil

Eastern Demons

• Also known as "The Tempter", "The Murderer", and "The Wicked One"
• Personifies the fulfillment of the triple thirst: the thirst for existence, the thirst for pleasure, and the thirst for power
• Sent his three daughters: the lust goddess, thirst goddess, and delight goddess to distract Siddharta from meditating
• Sometimes takes the shape of a vulture
• Related to a demon called Namuche

Namuche

• Part of Hindu mythology
• His name literally means "not letting go the waters"
• He is a mischievous spirit who produces drought by preventing rainfall
• He is the nemesis of Indra, the Hindu god of thunderstorms.

• Demons are evil spirits who oppose God and His creations
• Eastern demonology spread from Babylon to India to Tibet to the Pacific islands through a mix of trade, conquest, and mixed religions.
• Demons are prominent in Hindu, Buddhist, Japanese, and Chinese mythologies
• Recently, demons are popular in pop culture
• We will introduce you to some of the many different demons in each culture

Enma

• A god of hell in Buddhist mythology derived from the legend of Yama
• In Japanese mythology, Enma judges souls in Meido, the kingdom of the waiting dead
• Souls that have done too many terrible acts in life are sent to hell, souls that are neither good nor bad wait in Meido for reincarnation, and souls that are especially good become honored ancestors.
• He is usually depicted wearing traditional Chinese clothes

Yama

• Yama is a god of death who originated from an Indian collection of Sanskrit hymns.
• Yama is said to be the first mortal who died, so he became the ruler of the departed.
• He is called "Lord of the Pitrs" which translates to Lord of the Fathers.
• Resides over the Narakas, or purgatories.
• There is a different Buddhist Yama with similar functions to the Hindu version.