The Tale of Zhong Kui

Zhong Kui (鍾馗) is a Taoist deity in Chinese myth, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and Yaoguai. He is depicted as a large man with a big black beard, bulging eyes, and a wrathful expression. Zhong Kui is often accompanied by the five bats of fortune, the Wufu (五福), or the five blessings: “health” (康寧), “wealth” (富), “long life” (壽), “love …

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Yōkai or Yāoguài

What Are They? The translation for the work Yōkai (妖怪) is something to the effect of “strange, supernatural creature or phenomena” in Japanese. The word is a combination of the characters 妖 (yō–attractive, bewitching, calamity) and 怪 (kai–mystery, wonder). Over the years, different English words have been used in translation. Yōkai can be translated to monster, demon, spirit, or goblin, but it encompasses …

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