Current events and monsters in April (Utsuro-bune, Harikikisho, Dosojin, etc.)

The state of emergency due to the spread of the new coronavirus has been extended until May 31st.

Even though it's Golden Week according to the calendar, I think many people are refraining from going out. So, as a way to kill time that you can enjoy at home, I would like to introduce some yokai related to current events.

There was a lot of COVID-19-related news in the news in April, and it seemed like there were a lot of dark topics.

In the midst of all this, I would like to introduce some news that has been trending other than COVID-19, as well as some related yokai.

The US Department of Defense releases UFO footage, and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces also consider procedures for when they encounter a UFO

On April 27, the U.S. Department of Defense released three videos showing U.S. Navy pilots encountering "unidentified aerial phenomena" in 2004 and 2015.

In response, Japan's Minister of Defense announced that he would establish procedures for when Self-Defense Force aircraft or other aircraft encounter UFOs.

"UFO" simply stands for "unidentified flying object," and it is believed to refer to aircraft or new weapons of unknown nationality, such as from another country, but it is interesting to think of them as messengers from aliens or uncontacted civilizations.

Famous monsters closely related to UFOs include theKyoufuneThere is a "Hollow Ship".

The "Utsuro-bune" is a fictional boat that appears in folklore throughout Japan.

Its strange shape has led to speculation in modern times that it may be a UFO or a time machine.

The most famous example of the "Utsukushi-bune" is the case of a boat that washed ashore in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture) in 1803, and was included with illustrations in the Edo period book "Toen Shosetsu" by Kyokutei Bakin (Takizawa Bakin) under the title "The Barbarian Woman in the Utsukushi-bune."

For more information about Utsuro-bune, please refer to the previous article on "Yokai Channel".

https://youkaiya.jp/youkai-ch/?p=1577

Second wave of locust swarms emerges

As was covered in the recent broadcast of "Yarisugi Toshi Densetsu," the largest locust infestation in Africa has occurred. This is caused by a colony of desert locusts, also known as "flying locusts."

The story featured on "Yarisugi Toshi Densetsu" was the first wave, which occurred around February, when a swarm of 400 billion locusts approached China from the India-Pakistan border.

In late April, a second wave of locust damage occurred in East Africa, with large numbers of locusts devouring agricultural crops. The number of locusts in the second wave is about 20 times that of the first wave, and it is estimated that at least 20 million people in Africa will be affected. It is also expected that mainland China will enter a high-risk period of locust infestation around June.

Historically, locust plagues have not been common in Japan, so there are not many Japanese yokai with a locust motif.

On the other hand, in China, where locusts have been common for a long time,Mountain and Sea Classic" The mystery of locust plagues is told in stories such as this.

"Hime-kuni Mountain and Sea Chronicles"The Book covers 25 species of mythical beasts and supernatural insects, recorded with illustrations from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and the illustrations are like rare animals or mascot characters, which is fun to look at.

A collection of oral teachings for acupuncturists,needle bookIn "The Causes of Disease," the causes of disease are visualized in the form of insects, and these too are depicted in adorable images.

By the way, there is a restaurant in Teine Yamaguchi, Sapporo, Hokkaido called "Grasshopper Mound" There are traces of the battle between the settlers who developed Hokkaido and the migratory locusts.

Rumors circulate that Kim Jong Un is seriously ill

On April 20, CNN reported that North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, had undergone surgery and was in critical condition.

Then, in May, reports of Chairman Kim's movements were reported, and U.S. President Trump tweeted, "I am glad he is back and appears to be doing well," seemingly dismissing the theory that Kim Jong-un was "serious ill."

However, with the release of video footage that clearly shows what appears to be a body double (a different person) of Kim Jong-un, and his sister Kim Yo-jong actively appearing in the media while he is absent, increasing her presence, it seems North Korea's future is turbulent.

Speaking of North Korea, it has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

The missiles may have become a kind of symbolic presence within North Korea.

Speaking of worshiping a missile-like symbol, in Japan,Jizo statue" There is.

The famous one is "Dosojin Festival", where a ritual is performed in which a woman straddles a giant Jizo statue (essentially a sacred object modeled after a phallus).

There is a modern urban legend about a high school girl riding a missile.

The story involves a high school girl riding a missile and chasing and overtaking cars, and is passed down as a variation of the "Turbo Grandma" rumor, which involves her driving at over 100 kilometers per hour on the highway.

It may have originated from an anime or something, but it might be interesting to think of it as a fusion of the traditional Japanese "Dosojin" statues and the "Turbo Grandma" that already exists as an urban legend.

 

This time we have three news items.

You might also enjoy current events by linking them to yokai.

By the way, the other day, mainly on the InternetAmabiewas a hot topic, butYogen no Tori" has also started to be featured in the news.

Keywords like "with Corona" and "after Corona" have been popping up, but in order to coexist with the invisible enemy that is the coronavirus in the future, I think the ancient Japanese way of thinking, of coexisting with invisible creatures called yokai, may be useful.

I hope this will help you kill some of your time.

 

Image = "Rabbit Garden Novel (The Barbarian Woman of the Utsubo)" by Kyokutei Bakin, "Himenoku Sankairoku" by Nankoku Sensei, "Shogi-kiki" by Ibaraki Motoyuki

Text by Keishiro Watanabe

■ Keichan Watanabe

Born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Graduated from the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University. An independent researcher of yokai. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

He currently works as a management and IT consultant, residing in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and traveling throughout the prefecture and Tokyo. However, he studied folklore and cultural anthropology at university, and continues to research yokai as his life's work.

I am currently writing articles about monsters associated with Hokkaido, where I currently live, as well as current news about business and economics.

Twitter:https://twitter.com/keishiro_w

Blog:http://blog.livedoor.jp/meda3594/