세모괴(세상의 모든 괴이)

A man-eating monster in the shape of a pig with golden fur, said to be strong and skilled in sorcery and shapeshifting. It is said to live in a cave on Wolyeongdo Island off the coast of Masan, where it kidnaps women to devour them or take them as concubines to serve it. The most famous related legend is the story of 'Choi Chi-won, descendant of the Golden Pig'. Whenever a new magistrate was appointed to a certain village, his wife would go missing. The new magistrate devised a plan and attached a thread to his wife's hem. When his wife disappeared the next day, the magistrate followed the thread with his subordinates into a cave. There, he discovered the culprit was the Golden Pig. He learned from the kidnapped women that the Golden Pig's weakness was deer hide, so he obtained deer hide, killed the Golden Pig, and his wife later gave birth to a son, who was Choi Chi-won. According to some versions, Choi Chi-won's mother was already in the early stages of pregnancy when she was kidnapped by the Golden Pig, so he is not its descendant. Depending on the tradition, its weakness is also said to be deer hide, white horse hide, or sheep hide.

Appearing in the Songdogigi, the Myodusa is a snake with the head of a kitten or wildcat that lives in a deep rock crevice behind the Buddha's hall of Songdo Hwajangsa. It is said to have a gentle disposition and emit a blue smoke that heals illness and wounds, leading people to worship it by offering food. One day, a scholar named Park Man-ho was traveling when he saw the Myodusa peeking its head out and eating the food offered by the villagers. Startled, Park Man-ho declared that the practice of believing in such malevolent beings was deeply flawed and shot the Myodusa in the head, killing it. The monks at the temple clasped their hands in surprise, and despite the jeers and curses of the enraged villagers, Park Man-ho left as if nothing had happened. The villagers believed that Park Man-ho would eventually receive divine punishment or a curse. However, Park Man-ho was instead promoted, served as a magistrate, and eventually retired to his hometown in old age. When the monks at the temple recognized him as the one who killed the Myodusa and asked why he had done so, Park Man-ho boasted that he had become successful thanks to killing that monster, questioning how a mere yokai could bestow blessings upon people. Even after his death, his descendants prospered.

This is a yokai that appears in the folklore of Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture) in Japan. It is said to appear from the sea with a light, predicting good or bad harvests and epidemics. It has long hair that reaches its feet, a beak-like mouth of a bird, diamond-shaped eyes, and resembles a mermaid with three tail fins (or legs). One night, something luminous appeared in the sea off Higo Province. When local people investigated, they found it said, "I am Amabie, who lives in the sea. For the next six years, there will be a bountiful harvest throughout the land, but at the same time, a plague will spread. Therefore, quickly draw a picture of me and show it to the people." It then disappeared back into the sea. As foretold, when an official showed Amabie's picture to those around him, people who saw the drawing were said to have avoided the plague. According to one theory, Amabie might be a misspelling of the yokai named 'Amabiko (アマビコ)'. Amabiko has a different appearance from Amabie but shares a very similar legend and has been passed down for a longer time.

This is a mysterious creature said to appear in Jangsan, Busan, South Korea. Despite its name, there are reports of sightings not only in the Yeongnam region but also in Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, Gyeonggi-do, and even in Hwanghae-do and Hamgyeong-do provinces. While its appearance varies across different media, common descriptions include glowing eyes, crimson skin, fine and long white fur like silk, and a tiger's skeletal structure. It can mimic natural sounds like flowing water, rain, and wind, and can imitate the cries of various animals as well as human voices, which it uses to lure and devour people. It is persistent and tenacious, relentlessly pursuing a person it targets until the end, but it is said to stop pursuing once the person leaves its territory. There are also claims that it dislikes the color red, loud noises, crowded places, and burning smells (especially the smell of burning hair). In reality, it's an urban legend that gained popularity through internet communities in the early 2000s. It doesn't exist in any Busan folktale collections or any other folk legends, and many residents of Jangsan claim to know nothing about it.

Literally translated as 'ghost cart,' it is a nine-headed monstrous bird, also called 'Guichazhu' or 'Jiuduzhu.' Its described appearance varies: a nine-headed bird resembling a red duck, a bird similar to an owl that is active at night and blind during the day, or a bird with a round body, multiple necks, and 18 wings. It is said to appear on dark or cloudy nights, emitting a bizarre cry like a running cart, and is believed to devour human souls. Originally, it had ten heads, but one was bitten off by a dog, leaving nine. Because of this, Guicha fears dogs. Therefore, when Guicha appeared, people would knock on doors or twist a dog's ear to make it bark. According to some legends, blood continuously flows from its severed necks, and misfortune befalls any house where the blood drips. In the poem 'Guicha' by the Song Dynasty scholar Ouyang Xiu, it is recounted that Duke Dan of Zhou, younger brother of King Wu of Zhou, attempted to drive away Guicha but failed. Heaven then sent a celestial dog (Tianquan) to bite off one of its heads.

Literally translated as 'escorting dog,' it is a dog yokai passed down in various parts of Japan. It is also called 'Yamainu' (mountain dog), and depending on the region, it can be a wolf instead of a dog, in which case it is called 'Okuriokami' (escorting wolf). It follows you when you walk on a mountain path in the middle of the night. If you fall, it will attack and kill you, but if you pretend to rest after falling, it won't attack. In some regions, if you beg for your life or speak to it calmly, it will actually protect you from wild animals. After safely exiting the mountain path, if you express gratitude or say goodbye, it is said that you will never meet it again. There are also traditions that it leaves if you wash your feet upon returning home, or if you give it food or a straw sandal. The following is a story from the Folktales of Chiisagata District. A woman, nearing her due date, was going to her parents' home alone when she gave birth on the mountain path. As night fell, Okurinu gathered, but instead of attacking, they protected the mother and child from wolves. Soon after, one of them brought the husband. The husband, reunited with his wife and child, treated the Okurinu to red bean rice.

Literally translated as 'lizard in love,' it is also called 'Suili-jeomdae' or 'Suili-chamdae.' It initially appears as a small lizard, but if cut or killed with a sword, it quickly regrows, gradually increasing in size until it becomes a giant snake or dragon. According to some legends, it is said to be a beautiful woman living in a cave who transformed, and some tales mention three sisters or three friends living together. The following is a record from 'Yongjaechonghwa': Before Prime Minister Hong achieved success, he took shelter in a cave to escape the rain and met a beautiful Buddhist nun. Prime Minister Hong, who had a relationship with the nun, promised to live with her in the future but did not keep his promise. The nun waited for him and eventually died of illness. Later, when Prime Minister Hong became an observer, a small lizard appeared in his room. Each time it was killed, a larger snake appeared the next day, eventually becoming a large python. Prime Minister Hong realized this was the vengeful spirit of the nun he had caused to die by breaking his promise. He placed the snake in a box and kept it by his side. However, Prime Minister Hong gradually lost his sanity and eventually fell ill and died.

Literally translated, its name means 'filth licker.' This yokai appears in empty bathhouses at night and licks away the grime and dirt accumulated in bathtubs and bathrooms with its long tongue. It is said that Akaname leaves behind slimy trails and a strange odor after its visit. While there are few stories of it directly harming people, its appearance itself is considered an omen of impurity and uncleanliness. Therefore, it's sometimes interpreted as a yokai embodying the lesson to keep bathhouses clean and well-maintained. According to some legends, it licks the dirt from people's skin until only bones remain, but this seems to be an extremely rare tale passed down only in a few minority regions. It's said that the Generation 1 Pokémon 'Lickitung' from the Pokémon series is also based on Akaname. The Pokédex entry in Pokémon Ultra Moon states, "When it gets dirty, it licks itself clean with its tongue. Even after licking, it somehow smells, so it's questionable whether it's truly clean."

This is a legend passed down among the seafarers of the Gyeongnam region for a long time. It's a type of sea goblin that is said to steal 'donggot,' an ornamental hairpin used to secure a topknot, by reaching up with its hairy hands from the water and dragging people into the sea. There was a skilled boatman in Geoje Island. One day, while sailing a large ship and passing through Chilcheon Island, he encountered a fierce north wind and had no choice but to drop anchor and sleep at sea. However, he felt an eerie presence in his sleep and woke up to find the door open and cold wind blowing in. Looking outside, he saw the Terukson climbing onto the ship. Remembering the tales that one would be dragged into the sea if their donggot was stolen by the Terukson, the boatman tightly gripped his own donggot with his hand, trying with all his might not to lose it. After a prolonged struggle with the boatman over the donggot, the Terukson seemed to give up and disappeared back into the sea. After this incident, the boatman would always warn people working at sea to be cautious of the Terukson whenever he met them.

Gashadokuro is a giant skull monster, about 15 times the size of a human, said to have mainly appeared around Kyoto during the Nara and Heian periods. At that time, the skulls of people who died from forced labor or war were scattered around the capital, and it is said that Gashadokuro was formed when spirits and grudges gathered and accumulated in these bones. It wanders the fields at midnight, making a rattling sound as its bones clash, and it's said you must run quickly because it grabs passersby, tears off their heads, and drinks their blood. It disappears at dawn and is said to be weak against talismans. Although it's a monster that does terrifying things, it's also said to repay kindness by saving you in emergencies or telling you where buried gold is, if you collect and offer prayers for the discarded skulls in the fields, thereby resolving its grudges. However, in reality, it is a relatively modern yokai created in the 1960s, based on a ukiyo-e print from the 1840s depicting Princess Takiyasha summoning a giant skull and the warrior Mitsukuni fighting it.