Tag Archives: folklore

When True Seeing exfoliates

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Confanity

化けの皮が剥がれる (Bake no kawa ga hagareru; “The changeling skin is stripped away”) Definition: Someone’s wrongdoings, flaws, or malicious true nature come to light. A previously-hidden, negative truth is revealed. Someone (or everyone) realizes how bad a situation actually is after … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ninety-nine problems and also another problem

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Confanity

When I first encountered this compound, I pictured it as a quaint conga line of traditional Japanese bakemono. Now all I can see is [redacted topical political comment]. 百鬼夜行 hya-.kki.ya.kou OR gyou Literally: hundred – oni (often translated “demon” or … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Protect your home – with spare animal bits!

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Confanity

Guardian Charms The Guardian Charms are a family of rituals used during the construction of houses. The primary charm involves burying a horse’s skull beneath the door frame, which makes it difficult for certain malevolent spirits (such as vampires) to … Continue reading →

Posted in Rules, Setting | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments