Kodama (spirit)

Toriyama Sekien's illustration of a kodama appearing as an old man

As kodama (Japanese 木霊, 木魂, or 木魅) are the spirits of Japanese folklore who are said to live in certain trees. In the film Princess Mononoke they are portrayed as small, white beings.

history

These beings are first mentioned in the oldest book in Japan, the Kojiki . The term “kodama” appears later in a kind of early dictionary, the “Wamuryorui Jyusho”, where they are described as tree spirits. Other works of the time describe her as a kind of "tree goblin". In the Edo period , beings finally lose their status as gods and are more and more humanized in the scriptures.

Web links

Nakayama Kaoru: "Kukunochi" . In: Encyclopedia of Shinto. Kokugaku-in , April 28, 2005 (English)

Individual evidence

↑ http://hyakumonogatari.com/2012/08/05/kodama-the-tree-spirit/ (last accessed on January 18, 2015)

[1] ttp://hyakumonogatari.com/2012/08/05/kodama-the-tree-spirit/ (last accessed on January 18, 2015)