9) Japan - 4. Kamaitachi

This yokai, resembling a weasel with sickles on its feet, primarily appears across Japan, especially on Honshu. Its name is a direct combination of 'kama' (sickle) and 'itachi' (weasel), often translated as 'sickle weasel' in Korea. One theory suggests it's a praying mantis spirit possessing a weasel and becoming a yokai. It appears with a whirlwind and slashes skin with its sickles. According to some legends, they travel in groups of three: the first knocks down passing creatures, the second slashes them, and the third applies medicine, exhibiting a 'give and take' behavior. In ancient Japan, shallow wounds that appeared on the skin without people knowing after going outside were attributed to wind gods or evil spirits. However, from the Edo period onwards, these incidents began to be depicted as the work of the Kamaitachi. The description of applying medicine likely stems from the observation that fine cuts from the Kamaitachi cause less pain and bleeding, are harder to notice immediately compared to other wounds, and heal relatively quickly. People probably thought the yokai was healing them by applying medicine.