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Kappa - with all the variety of characters in Japanese demonology associated with water, the most famous was the inhabitant of rivers, a kind of water kappa, which means "child of water".
His appearance would have fully corresponded to this name, if not for his actions.
In the representations of the Japanese, the kappa was an exclusively male being.
His face is close to that of a monkey, his eyes are round.
On the back — a shell, like a turtle.
The paws are similar to those of a frog.
On the head there is a special recess in which water splashes.
It is this depression that is the place of concentration of the power of the kappa: if water flows out of this hollow, the water loses its power and becomes absolutely helpless.
Kappa was considered a very dangerous creature in Japan, which traded by luring or simply dragging people and animals into the water by force.
It was customary to say about those who accidentally drowned that they were dragged away by kappa, and children were strictly forbidden to play on the river bank.
In the water, Kappa was truly omnipotent.
It is not for nothing that even now in Japan, when they want to emphasize someone's special talent, they say that teaching this person his own craft is like "teaching a kappa to swim".
However, even on earth, Kappa felt quite confident.
It was said that he came out of the water in order to steal a melon or cucumbers, a horse or a cow, and maybe a person.
It was believed that the kappa feeds on the entrails of its victims, and also sucks the blood.
A typical image of a kappa, which has developed in folk legends and fairy tales — is the image of a thief, usually caught and punished.
However, only true brave men were able to defeat kappa by force.
At the household level, all sorts of recommendations were passed down from generation to generation on how to get rid of the mouth guard with the help of ingenuity.
So, for example, in the north of Japan, there was an idea that kappas, despite their cruelty, are very polite.
And therefore, when you meet a kappa, no matter how terrified you feel, you should bow low to him.
Then the kappa will respond in the same way, and the liquid will flow out of the hollow.
Another way is to take advantage of this creature's weakness for cucumbers, which it prefers to human flesh.
If you write the names and ages of the donor's family members on the cucumber, they will not be in danger from a grateful kappa.
And if you tear off his hand in a fight with a kappa (which happens quite often), then the kappa, which has the ability to "heal" the torn body parts within three days, will come and ask for his hand back.
In gratitude for the return of the limb, the kappa can give you the gift of healing, or give you a lot of money.
It seems, however, that it would be unfair to consider the kappa as an unambiguously harmful creature.
Japanese folklore knows many examples of kappa's shyness and helplessness, his desire to help a person and even make friends with him.
In general, the connection of a person with the water is in fact very strong.
Latin name: Circopithechelonia crurorana
Habitat: Rivers, ponds, streams, dams
Life expectancy: Up to 100 years
Size: About the size of a small monkey; about 30cm in length
Habitat: Japan
Results of the analysis of the liquid on the head of the mouthguard (water):
Na 3, K 0.5, Ca 3.5, Mg 1.3, Cl 5, SO4 6.5, NO3 1.9, HCO3 11, SiO2 7, pH 5.8
Kappa (or Mazzutora) is described in the book "Nohon Reiki", VIII century.
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