Raihoushin, the Visiting Gods of Japan

Japan is full of myths and legends, featuring creatures and deities. Raihoushin, deities who visit Japanese villages, are little known to foreigners and sometimes even to the Japanese themselves.

Associated with pagan cults and banned during the Meiji era, Raihoushin are an important part of Japan's cultural heritage. Wearing masks, straw garments or foliage, these Japanese gods often appear on the fifteenth day of the year to ensure agricultural prosperity and community values.

Discover numerous Japanese deities through the chapters of this book, from the Namahage to the Kasedori and the Paantu of the southern Japanese islands. In all, nearly forty deities are hidden, forgotten or on the verge of extinction.

Many of these Raihoushin have a close connection with children. Whether it's through a sense of fear, enabling the youngest to avoid idleness in favor of family mutual aid, or the incarnation of the gods in children under seven, who carry divine purity within them until that age (according to regional beliefs).

Amahage, Namahage, Hikatatakuri, ... Which of these Raihoushin will be the most impressive? Or the most atypical? It's up to you to find out as you browse the chapters and illustrations in this book dedicated to Japan's visiting gods.

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