This week’s Monster is another Japanese contribution; kasa-obake. Kasa-obake are yōkai (roughly translated, yōkai are ghosts, apparitions, or supernatural entities). In many instances, the kasa-obake is an umbrella with one eye, a long tongue, and one leg which it uses to jump around. Some also consider the kasa-obake as a tsukumogami, which is a term used to describe a tool or object that after 100 years of existence, becomes animated and self aware. Japanese folklore never lets me down and I always enjoy reading through some of the strange and fantastic creatures and spirits that are part of the culture.
