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The Bakemono Zukushi handscroll, painted in the Edo period (18th-19th century) by an unknown artist, depicts 24 traditional monsters that traditionally haunt people and localities in Japan.
The kawataro is a variety of kappa or water imp which likes to eat people and to practice sumo. An indentation on top of the creature's head is filled with water. The kawataro becomes weak when the water spills out. The Kaikidan Ekotoba is a mid-19th century handscroll that profiles 33 legendary monsters and human oddities, mostly from the Kyushu region of Japan, but with several from other countries, including China, Russia and Korea. The document, whose author is unknown, is in the possession of the Fukuoka City Museum.
A <i>Kappa</i> ('river-child'), alternatively called <i>kawataro</i> ('river-boy'), is a yokai found in Japanese folklore. The name is a combination of the word <i>kawa</i> (river) and <i>wappa</i>, an inflection of <i>warabe</i> (child). In Shintō they are considered to be one of many <i>suijin</i> ('water deities').<br/><br/> A hairy kappa is called a Hyōsube.There are more than eighty other names associated with the kappa in different regions. Along with the oni and the tengu, the kappa is among the best-known yokai in Japan.