| Online: | |
| Visits: | |
| Stories: |
| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
The Mysterious Cryptid Relics Of Japan
Mysterious Universe
Japan is home to thousands of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines too numerous to list. These shrines and temples are renowned by tourists from all over the world, who come to enjoy their serene beauty and cultural heritage. They can be found everywhere, from deep in the remote mountains, to craggy coastlines, to wedged between skyscrapers and crowded shopping streets, bizarrely melding the modern with the ancient. Practically every municipality in Japan has at least one temple or shrine, with historical cities such as Kyoto boasting several thousand.
Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan
More than just places of tranquil beauty or places of worship, the shrines and temples of Japan are also often places tasked with the housing of sacred relics. These can be important historical artifacts, irreplaceable national treasure, or priceless items of cultural heritage, yet on occasion there can be far stranger things locked away from the bustling tourists. Some temples and shrines in Japan have become known for harboring the remains of bizarre creatures, monsters, and supposedly long extinct animals, all of which potentially hold great crypozoological significance.
What mysteries can we find past the rock gardens, ornate gates, and within the lacquered wood halls of these ancient temples? Here we will look at some of these cryptid relics that have found their way to Japan’s temples and shrines.
Many of the alleged remains of strange creatures are of cryptids that have strong folkloric ties. One such creature is the legendary Kappa of Japan’s waterways. One of the most well known cryptids of Japan, the Kappa is a mysterious, bipedal water dwelling creature said to inhabit Japan’s rivers and streams. They are typically described as being the size of a child of 6 to 10 years of age and resembling a cross between a turtle, monkey, and lizard. Kappa are often depicted as having a shell on their backs, similar to a turtle’s, and having a beak like mouth. Some reports have made mention of patchy, scraggly hair covering the body.
Reposted with permission
