Is the Legendary Mythical Kappa Real?
Kappa is a water demon whose mentions are found in ancient folklores
of Japan. While some refute its existence by calling it a creature of
imagination originating out of sightings of giant salamanders of Japan,
others still hold the believe that Kappa is not confined to myths. In
fact, some people actually consider that Kappa is very much real. Those
who consider it to be real now have a support in their favor. Scientists
have obtained very unusual mummified remains of a creature that are
very much aligned with the characteristic features of the mythical
demon. As a matter of fact, the discovered remains went for display in
Kyuushuu island of Japan.
How does a Kappa look like?
The word Kappa literally translates into ‘river child’. The creature
has been described to have a spiky and scaly body of a tortoise with a
reptile-like blue or green skin. The limbs of the creature are described
to be webbed and it is said to have a beak. If that isn’t just enough,
what’s really unique to the creature is a hollow structure on top of its
head. While the folklores say that Kappa is primarily a water creature,
it also occasionally roams around on land. The hollow on its head is
meant for holding water to keep it wet enough so that it does not loses
its powers on land.
What makes Kappa a demon?
This lakes, rivers and ponds dwelling creature is said to be a demon.
According to legends, the creature captures and devours children who
are disobedient. What’s really interesting about this description is
that Kappa turns out to be a selective demon. Kappas are often also
depicted as mischief creators often attacking women and drowning animals
and people. They are also said to make rude sounds as part of their
mischievous behavior.
About the mummified remains
Scientists have gotten their hands on unusual mummified remains of a
creature. The remains include an arm with attached hand and a foot. It
is said that the remains were given to Miyakonijo Shimazu family in 1818
after one of the legendary creatures was shot dead. No other details
are available. For instance, no one knows who shot the creature or why
the rest of the body is not available. The remains went for display in
Miyazaki prefecture at Miyakonijo Shimazu Residence.
Scientific literature on Kappa
During Japan’s Edo period, much of scientific work was devoted
towards Kappa study. One such collection of Kappa information is
Suikokouryaku of 1820. The information found in this compendium has
information sourced from various Chinese and Japanese sources.
Suikokouryaku contains several interesting drawings of Kappa.
Killing a Kappa is not that difficult
As per legends and folklore, Kappas are very much obsessed with
manners. On land when someone bows, the Kappa will return the gesture by
bowing. So in order to kill a Kappa, one should deep bow and as Kappa
returns the gesture with a deep bow, the water in the hollow on its head
falls off, rendering the Kappa powerless. It is then that a Kappa can
be killed easily.
Other mummies of Kappa
Apart from the scattered remains obtained from the Miyakonijo Shimazu
family, there are a number of other mummies on display which are
claimed to be Kappa mummies. Some of these mummies are pictured above.
Arguments by skeptics
Skeptics say that all the mummies that are on display and are claimed
to be Kappa mummies are not real. They say that these mummies are works
of artists from Edo period that lasted from 1603 to 1867 and that they
were created using different animal parts like monkeys, stingrays and
owls.
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