Chimimōryō

Chimei wangliang, or Chimimōryō (Chinese: 魑魅魍魉; pinyin: Chīmèi wǎngliǎng; Japanese: 魑魅魍魎 [ちみもうりょう]; rōmaji: chimimōryō) is a term that refers to monsters of the mountains and monsters of the rivers. The term originated in China roughly 2,500 years ago in ancient chronicles such as the Zuo Zhuan. It originates from ancient Chinese legends about the spirits that harm people in the mountains and swamps, and its original meaning is "all kinds of Yaoguai (demons and ghosts)".

Explanation

Chimei

Chimei (魑魅)(Chimi in Japanese) is also called Kui. Born from the strange atmosphere of the mountains and forests, they are spirits transformed from wood and stone. Characterized by a human face and an animal body with four legs, it is very charming.

Wangliang

Wangliang(魍魎)(Moryo in Japanese) are considered to be spirits from mountains and rivers, and trees and rocks. They emerge from the life energy of mountains, water, trees, rocks, and all natural things, and fool humans. They are also said to eat the dead, have the appearance of a child, stand on two feet, have dark red skin, have red eyes, long ears, beautiful hair, and a voice that resembles that of a human. With this kind of appearance, in Japan they are thought to be oni. In the Wakan Sansai Zue, they are considered water gods (Suijin), and in the ancient Chinese book Zuo Zhuan, they are considered to be gods of swamps and marshes.^[1]

In Japanese folklore

In the Japanese dictionary Wamyō Ruijushō from the Heian period, they were considered to be a type of oni under the Japanese name "sudama", and in the Edo period encyclopedia, the Wakan Sansai Zue, they were seen to be mountain gods (Yama-no-Kami).

Etymology

There are many theories about its etymology. According to the Chinese Records of the Grand Historian (during the period of the Five Emperors), a 魑 is a mountain god that took on the shape of a tiger, and a 魅 is a swamp or marsh god taking on a shape with the head of a beast. It is surmised that from this that the word was seen to mean expanded to encompass beasts of various attributes.

References

^ 村上健司 (Murakami Kenji), ed. (2000). 妖怪事典 [Yokai dictionary]. Tokyo: 毎日新聞社. pp. 329–330. ISBN 978-4-620-31428-0.