Kappa
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A water being of Japanese folklore, also honored in some places as a water deity.
Folklore Verdict: A folklore and religious figure, not a zoological claim, and we treat it that way.
- Region
- Asia · Japan
- First reports
- Edo-period texts
Key sightings
- So-called kappa mummies are kept in some Japanese temples.
Best evidence
Relics held as religious objects; we don't examine or depict them.
This being belongs to a living Indigenous or religious tradition. We describe the reports respectfully, show no picture of the being, and put no pin on any site.