A spirit; a monster; a demon with supernatural powers, especially a shapeshifter. [syn: bakemono, obake, obakemono] (Japanese) images

Bakeneko: A goblin cat; a shapeshifter in the shape of an enormous cat. image

Kappa: A river monster; a hideous ape creature that drowns humans and devours their entrails. image

Kitsune: A fox demon; a shapeshifter often appearing in the form of a young woman.

Mujina: A shapeshifer; a supernatural badger associated with the Tanuki (raccoon dogs) and the Nopperabo (faceless humans).

Oni: Torturers and jailers in Buddhist hells; Buddhist devils represented as enormous misshapen beings occasionally having the heads of horses or bulls. image

Rokuro-kubi: A being who during sleep stretches its neck to fantastic lengths so that the head can roam about seeking what it wishes to devour. image

Tanuki: A raccoon dog; a mischievous shapeshifter fond of drinking saki and making music by tapping on its belly. image

Tengu: A mountain-haunting spirit; a shapeshifter appearing as a bird of prey or as a winged man with a beaked nose. image

Tsuchi-gumo: A monster spider that hunts humans for food. [syn: earth spider, ground spider] image

Tsukumogami: A haunted gadget; an artifact that has come to life; an inanimate object that has gained awareness after existing for a long period of time. image list all