Kappa (folklore)

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Kappa

Drawing of a kappa copied from Koga Tōan's Suiko Kōryaku (1820)
Grouping	Kami and yōkai
Other name(s)	Gatarō, Kawako
Country	Japan

A kappa (河童, "river-child")—also known as kawatarō (川太郎, "river-boy"), komahiki (駒引, "horse-puller"), with a boss called kawatora (川虎, "river-tiger") or suiko (水虎, "water-tiger")—is a reptiloid kami with similarities to yōkai found in traditional Japanese folklore. Kappa can become harmful when they are not respected as gods. They are typically depicted as green, human-like beings with webbed hands and feet and turtle-like carapaces on their backs. A depression on its head, called its "dish" (sara), retains water, and if this is damaged or its liquid is lost (either through spilling or drying up), the kappa is severely weakened.

The kappa are known to favor cucumbers and love to engage in sumo wrestling.^[1] They are often accused of assaulting humans in water and removing a mythical organ called the shirikodama from their victim's anus.^[2]