Tag Archives: kappa

The Kappa Legend

Age: 21

Text: The Kappa: a Japanese legend

Context: “I’m not Japanese, but many of my classmates in my elementary school were from Japan and China, so I heard a lot about the Kappa creature. In eighth grade, my school did a trip to Japan, and all my friends who lived there warned me of Kappas. Any time we walked by a river, my classmates would tell me that there was a Kappa in there, waiting to drown us. I remember some of the rivers even had signs that would show children getting attacked by Kappas. I never saw a Kappa, but they described them as scaly, green reptiles that were almost like a cross between turtles, humans, and dragons. My friends always told me that if we encountered one, it would attack me, and not them, because they know how to treat a Kappa as a Japanese, but because I was not Japanese, it would come for me first.”

Analysis: The story of the Kappa is an example of a legend rooted in Japanese culture. Although the interviewee is not Japanese, he still participates in folklore. This shows how folklore can be inclusive, as he is able to learn about and understand this legend. However, it also shows how folklore is exclusive, as even though he can learn the folklore, he is never truly part of it. His classmates told him that the Kappa would attack him only, because he did not know how to properly respect it, as he is not Japanese. This relates to ethnonationalism, and how folklore can be tied to ethnonational identity. This also shows the difference between emic vs etic perspectives. His classmates represent an emic perspective, as the Kappa is part of their internal worldview. For the interviewee, though, it is an external observation. He becomes a partial participant in the folklore through performance.

This story also shows how folklore becomes institutionalized in everyday life. The fact that it is common for there to be signs warning people of Kappas in the water, shows that the creatures are not just legendary, but also pedagogical. The creature acts as a warning to prevent children from going in the water, making the legend a cautionary tale. Although the creature itself will not drown you, a young child swimming in the water when they are unable to, can cause drowning, and the Kappa is a way to prevent this.

Lastly, this also shows how folklore can be a part of memory and rites of passage. This school trip is defined and remembered by the Kappa, which shows how folklore can create cultural learning. Even though he never had a personal encounter with a Kappa, the creature became part of how he understood not only Japan, but also his status as an outsider within Japanese culture. The personal connection into lived experiences gives the legend power.

Kappa

AGE: 81

Date_of_performance: April 10, 2025

Language: Japanese

Nationality: Japanese

Occupation: Retired

Primary Language: Japanese

Residence: Yokohama

Context: The Kappa are river creatures that drown people and it’s a cautionary tale to be careful in water. B also naturally heard of the Kappa as she grew up in Japan. But today she doesn’t interpret it as the scary monsters they originally were, as Japanese media has made them more cute over the years.

Text: 

Interviewer is I. Subject is B

I: What’s another legend you like?

B: The one of the Kappa because I find them cute!

I: Can you say what Kappa are exactly?

B: They were originally ugly creatures but now they are cuter and even come up in that kids show that your cousin watches

I: Do you think the legend of the Kappa lost a little meaning from what it once was?

B: I think more and more people are forgetting they were meant to be dangerous creatures. But I also like the new Kappa and see no problem with them being nice creatures

Analysis:

The Kappa are interesting to me because I feel like overtime their haunting nature has been overshadowed by the cute lens that Japanese media has begun to paint them in. Kappa can be seen in kids shows and even other adult animes where they serve the roles of good characters. I’m curious if this is in a way killing the traditional folklore as their entire image is being shifted. Overall I also don’t see too much problem with it as their design and characteristics are being preserved, with the only things changing is their image from bad to good.

Kappa, the River Child

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: April 20, 2014
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese, Mandarin

Kappa (河童) is a creepy child-like, frog-like creature that has a bowl of water in its head. They also have a shell and a beak and webbed fingers and toes. They’re very mischievous and they’re excellent swimmers becuase they live in the rivers and lakes. They always have to have water in their bowl though, because the water gives them strength. It’s like their blood.

They like playing pranks on people, and sometimes they do worse things too, like drowning people. But if you can somehow get it to spill the water on its head by making it bow down to you or otherwise, you can make the kappa subservient to you.

They love eating cucumbers. Some people say that if you eat cucumbers before you go swimming, you’ll get attacked by a kappa, but others say it could prevent that from happening.

—

Informant had studied abroad in Japan and considers herself more Japanese than Chinese or American. She learned such folklore from her Japanese friends. The story of the kappa may be used as a cautionary tale in Japan to keep children from playing in water without supervision.