Fire Cat or Fire Cart? The History of Japan’s Kasha | Monstrum

"... they bring curses as quickly as luck." As a cat owner, can confirm.

"Most often seen as protectors, defending a home from rats to bad spirits..." *looks at my cat licking his crotch while sitting on my desk

I really like Hiroko Yoda's words about her love of Yokai really locks into why folklore and myths are still popular.

Nice episode and I loved Hiroko Yoda's appearance. Especially her sharing the story of the yokai being shared during this pandemic

“If I could side eye any harder, I would” got me in tears 🤣🤣🤣

Miss Yoda's American English accent is phenomenal, I'm Canadian and I struggle with those wide vowels but she makes it looks so easy

I loved Hiroko Yoda! Hopefully you'll have a chance to have her on again. So smart and interesting, and so obviously loves the subject.

Your guest was a delight. I love watching people who have enthusiasm, knowledge, and a love of sharing what they know... so obviously I think this is one of the most charming channels.

Truly. When I read a poll in what country people love cats most, I always thought that Japan would be the First country. But no, United States was the first place. I always thought that American people didn’t like cats because of the movies and series where always put the cats as a villains in comparison with Anime where the cats are put as a partners, guides, guardians.

The subtle background music playing rendition of Kimigayo (Japan's national anthem) while Hiroko Yoda explaining about Yokai is a nice touch.

I love having an expert on the subject join in on the subject. Every time y’all do, you reaffirm my love of pbs and it’s work toward responsibility in education

You should do a Monstrum on the Barbegazi. They're not dangerous or anything, but I thought having a swiss monster which are rather funny to read about. Great vid. EDIT: It should be known that I am not talking about the ones found in the Witcher. The Barbegazi in Swiss Mythos is very different from that.

"Which if I could side-eye any harder, I would" Dr. Z is always a treat

An episode on Pacific Island folklore would be awesome like Hawai‘i's Menehune or the Mo‘o

Cats are also believed to live half way between the human world and the underworld.

I love it when Dr Z invites a guest to explain more about the cultural background of a monster. (And Japandemonium is a brilliant name for a book!). As much as I love cats, I think the cute little bird monster scaring away Covid stole the show * _ *

Could you please talk about Brazilian folklore? I think it would be very interesting, because there is a mixture of elements from native peoples, Europeans and Africans in Brazilian myths. For example, we have the Saci Pererê or Matimpererê, whose name comes from a bird called sa'si matintape're. The term "pererê" comes from tupi "pererek-a" that means "go jumping". This creature is a one legged black boy with a magical red hat. He is a mischievous figure, who tends to frighten travelers with his shrill whistles, braid horses' tails, and swap the contents of salt and sugar containers. he is also known for smoking a pipe and being able to move through whirlpools. Curiously he can be trapped in a bottle and gives off a sulphurous smell, features commonly associated with demons in Brazilian folklore. He's also forced to obey someone who steals his hat. He inherited many influences from different sources, such as the portuguese "píleo", whose magic properties can be traced back from the portuguese creatures "trasgos" and the Satyricon, by Petronius, in which a hat conferred magical powers on a character. There is also the Portuguese belief that a whirlpool was commanded by something evil. From indigenous influences, we have, besides the name, similar entities, such as Jaci Jaterê and Kambaí. And from african culture, there is a Yoruba myth about Aroni, a one legged creature with knowlegde of medicinal herbs. Other interesting myths are: Mula sem cabeça(Headless Mule): a woman turned into a mule with fire for her head for having had a relationship with a priest. Corpo-seco(Dry Body) a vampire like monster that disguises itself as a tree to ambush its victims. It's said that is the remains of someone so bad that neither heaven nor hell accepted it's soul. Cabra Cabriola: A goat monster who rapts children in a similar way to the Velho do saco(Old man of the bag, i guess??) and Quibungo: an afro-brazilian monster with a mouth in its back. Perna Cabeluda(Hairy leg): 70ths urban legend of a very hairy and very angry leg who was attacking people with several accounts of survivors.

Neat. Having lived in Japan for 9 years and counting, I'm fascinated by Japanese mythology to include their legendary creatures and monsters. The playing of the Japanese national anthem in the background was a cute touch.

Kasha means porridge in Russian. I imagine this evil oatmeal dragging us all to hell 😂

Bring back Ms. Yoda for en episode on Kitsune, please. Her enthusiasm is contagious.