Kijimuna
Encyclopedia
The Kijimuna are creatures of Japanese mythology
native to the island of Okinawa
. They are said to look around three or four years old and covered in red hair.
tree. They are often described as being child-sized, with red hair covering their bodies and large heads. They are also known to be excellent fisherman, able to catch many fish
, but then only eating one of the eyes of the fish before leaving the rest of it. The Kijimuna festival
in Okinawa is named after them. Another name for the kijumuna is "bungaya," which means roughly "Large-Headed." The Kijimuna are known to be very mischievous, playing pranks and tricking humans. One of their most well known tricks is to lie upon a person's chest, making them unable to move or breathe. This is known as "kanashibari." Even though the Kijimuna are tricksters, they have been known to make friends with humans. However, these relationships often go sour. A kijimuna may offer to carry a human on its back as it leaps through the mountains and over the seas. The kijimuna dislike people passing gas on their backs, however, and will immediately throw the human off, no matter where they were at the moment. The kijimuna also hate octopuses.
A Kijimuna called Shima appears in the rock musical Once Upon a Midnight
created as part of the Kijimuna Festival
.
Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...
native to the island of Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
. They are said to look around three or four years old and covered in red hair.
About
The kijimuna are small wood spirits native to Okinawa according to Japanese mythology. The kijimuna are said to live in trees, but the most common one is the banyanBanyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
tree. They are often described as being child-sized, with red hair covering their bodies and large heads. They are also known to be excellent fisherman, able to catch many fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, but then only eating one of the eyes of the fish before leaving the rest of it. The Kijimuna festival
Kijimuna Festival
The Kijimuna Festival is a yearly children's theatrical festival in Okinawa, Japan. It is sponsored by the city of Okinawa and features content from around the world...
in Okinawa is named after them. Another name for the kijumuna is "bungaya," which means roughly "Large-Headed." The Kijimuna are known to be very mischievous, playing pranks and tricking humans. One of their most well known tricks is to lie upon a person's chest, making them unable to move or breathe. This is known as "kanashibari." Even though the Kijimuna are tricksters, they have been known to make friends with humans. However, these relationships often go sour. A kijimuna may offer to carry a human on its back as it leaps through the mountains and over the seas. The kijimuna dislike people passing gas on their backs, however, and will immediately throw the human off, no matter where they were at the moment. The kijimuna also hate octopuses.
Stories
The kijimuna are a common subject in Okinawan folk tales. Many of their stories begin with the kijimuna becoming a human's friend and then ending with the relationship going bad. One story tells of a kijimuna's friend burning down his tree, so the kijimuna fled to the mountains.A Kijimuna called Shima appears in the rock musical Once Upon a Midnight
Once Upon a Midnight
-Production history:Once Upon a Midnight is a Japanese/Australian rock musical. The script is bilingual, featuring seven Japanese performers and seven Australian performers...
created as part of the Kijimuna Festival
Kijimuna Festival
The Kijimuna Festival is a yearly children's theatrical festival in Okinawa, Japan. It is sponsored by the city of Okinawa and features content from around the world...
.