A baku by Katsushika Hokusai.

For other uses, see Baku (disambiguation).

Baku (獏 or 貘, Baku^?) is the name of a fantastic beast in Japanese folklore, said to be capable of eating bad dreams. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 420 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (460 × 656 pixel, file size: 261 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Baku (獏) by Hokusai. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 420 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (460 × 656 pixel, file size: 261 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Baku (獏) by Hokusai. ... The Great Wave at Kanagawa (from a Series of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji) by Katsushika Hokusai. ... Baku can refer to either: Baku - the Azeri capital. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The baku is derived from the Chinese mo, or "tapir". The mo was introduced to Japan, along with many other strange creatures recorded in Chinese texts, through a book called the Sankai Ibutsu (山海異物, Sankai Ibutsu^?). Here it is described as living in the mountains of the south, eating only iron and coppper, and as having an elephant's trunk, a rhinoceros's eyes, an ox's tail, a tiger's paws, and a yellow and black body. Sleeping on its pelt is advised as a way to ward off pestilence, and its image is recommended as protection against evil. ^[1] Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Black Rhino from Howletts Wild Animal Park For other uses, see Rhinoceros (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Historical distribution of tigers (pale yellow) and 2006 (green). ...

The baku is generally given an image close to this original description, that of a squat, trunked chimera resembling a fantastic version of the real-world tapir. Lafcadio Hearn gave a similar description of the baku from an old book; here the male baku has the body of a horse, the face of a lion, the trunk and tusks of an elephant, the forelock of a rhinoceros, the tail of a cow, and the feet of a tiger, with the female baku being very different in an unspecified way. ^[2] Species Tapirus bairdii Tapirus indicus Tapirus pinchaque Tapirus terrestris Tapirs (IPA:ˈteɪpər, pronounced as in taper, or IPA:təˈpɪər, pronounced as in tap-ear) are large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. ... Lafcadio Hearn, aka Koizumi Yakumo. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ...

In Japan the baku's general ability to repel wickedness became a specific ability to consume bad dreams. The kanji for its name used to be painted on pillows as a talisman against nightmares, and according to Japanese folk superstition someone afflicted with unpleasant dreams must call three times for the baku to come and devour the evil visions. ^[3] Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji   ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ...

Notes

1. ^ Nagakawa pp. 33-34 and Mizuki.
2. ^ Hearn p. 245.
3. ^ Hearn pp. 247-248, Mizuki, and Matsushita.

References

• Hearn, Lafcadio (1902). Kottō: Being Japanese Curios, with Sundry Cobwebs. Macmillan & Co., ltd., pp. 245-248. ISBN 4-8613-3027-0. 
• Mizuki, Shigeru (2004). Mujara 5: Tōhoku, Kyūshū-hen (in Japanese). Japan: Soft Garage, p. 137. ISBN 4-8613-3027-0. 
• Nagakawa, Masako (May 1999). "Sankai ibutsu: An Early Seventeenth-Century Japanese Illustrated Manuscript". Sino-Japanese Studies 11 (2): 24-38. Retrieved on May 12, 2007. 
• Baku (Japanese). Kaii-Yōkai Denshō Database. International Research Center for Japanese Studies. Retrieved on 2007-05-12. (summary of excerpt from "Warui Yume o Mita Toki" ( 悪い夢をみたとき, When You've Had a Bad Dream, "Warui Yume o Mita Toki"^?) by Keidō Matsushita, published in volume 5 of the journal Shōnai Minzoku (庄内民俗, Shōnai Folk Customs, Shōnai Minzoku^?) on June 15, 1957)

Lafcadio Hearn, aka Koizumi Yakumo. ... Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる b. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Shōnai (庄内町; -machi) is a town located in Higashitagawa District, Yamagata, Japan. ...

Baku in popular culture

The baku makes appearances in many Japanese fantasy fiction stories, especially in anime and manga. Smaug in his lair: an illustration for the fantasy The Hobbit Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ...

• The Drowzee is a baku-like Pokémon, and Digimon features a character called Bakumon. The Monster Rancher series features a Baku creature as well.
• "Baku" is a main character in the Playstation 2 game Dual Hearts, characterized as a "pig" that eats dreams.
• The picture book "The Dream Eater" by Christian Garrison tells the story of a young boy, Yukio, who meets a baku and brings it to his village.
• The picture book "The Dream Hunters" by Neil Gaiman, which is based on Japanese mythology, features baku.
• A fully illustrated children's book from the 80's entitled "Baku" was about a little baby chimera outcast by the natural creatures of the forest and a young boy who befriended it.^{[citation needed]}

Drowzee , Sleepe in original Japanese language versions) is one of 493 fictional species from the Pokémon franchise. ... The official Pokémon logo. ... Digimon , short for デジタルモンスター dejitaru monsutā, Digital Monster) is a popular Japanese series of media and merchandise, including anime, manga, toys, video games, trading card games and other media. ... From the Digimon series, Bakumon is a St. ... This article is about the Monster Rancher series. ... A picture of a Baku from Monster Rancher 2 A Baku is a fictional creature from the Monster Rancher anime and video game franchise. ... Dual Hearts is a role-playing game for the Playstation 2, released in 2002. ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ...

See also

• Dreamcatcher