[:it]Yuki-Onna: la misteriosa incarnazione dell’inverno giapponese[:en]Yuki-Onna: the mysterious incarnation of the Japanese winter[:ja]Yuki-Onna: the mysterious incarnation of the Japanese winter[:]
[:it]Nello sterminato mondo degli yokai (creature soprannaturali della tradizione giapponese), spicca la figura della Yuki-Onna (雪女). Leggendaria donna delle nevi, col suo fascino algido e letale incarna la terribile bellezza dell’inverno nelle montagne del Giappone.
Pur essendo conosciuta con nomi e storie differenti nelle diverse prefetture, questo personaggio è rinomato soprattutto delle zone più fredde ed impervie dell’arcipelago.
La Yuki-onna viene descritta come una donna bellissima dalla pelle candida, che appare sui sentieri di montagna e nelle tempeste di neve. La raffigurano vestita di un leggero kimono bianco o nuda e coperta solo dai lunghissimi capelli, neri o candidi a seconda delle leggende. Apparizione eterea e fluttuante nel paesaggio innevato sul quale non lascia impronte, può improvvisamente scomparire trasformandosi in una nube di nebbia o di neve finissima.
Yuki-Onna: le Origini
L’origine di questa figura, come di altri yokai, si perde nei tempi più antichi. La prima traccia scritta della sua storia si ritrova nel Sōgi Shokoku Monogatari, risalente al periodo Muromachi (1333-1573). Qui il monaco Sogi descrive l’incontro con una donna di straordinaria bellezza durante la sua permanenza nella provincia di Echigo (attuale prefettura di Niigata). Questa donna misteriosa era vestita di bianco, alta e dalla carnagione pallidissima e con lunghi capelli candidi. Dall’aspetto di giovane età, ella apparve misteriosamente un mattino nel giardino ghiacciato del monaco. Tuttavia, scomparve altrettanto misteriosamente sotto lo sguardo incredulo dell’uomo.
photo credits: smitefire.com
I due volti dell’inverno
Come l’inverno che può manifestarsi con un abbagliante e sereno splendore oppure con una forza crudele e letale, così è la Yuki-onna. A volte essa appare come una spietata predatrice che attrae i viandanti smarriti nella tormenta per nutrirsi vampirescamente della loro energia vitale. Altre volte appare come una presenza benevola o addirittura a sua volta sedotta dal fascino umano.
Nelle storie più antiche prevale l’aspetto mostruoso e distruttore. Infatti in questi racconti, i genitori che hanno smarrito i propri figli in montagna vengono avvicinati da una donna. Essa chiede loro di prendere in braccio un bambino che lei stessa non riesce a portare. Gli incauti che accettano tale invito sono destinati a morire assiderati, sopraffatti dalla stanchezza di portare un fardello più pesante ad ogni passo.
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Oppure in altre storie, la Yuki-Onna seduce uomini soggiogati dal suo fascino ultraterreno. Questi finiscono per soccombere al suo bacio mortale, capace di prosciugare la loro forza vitale e congelare i loro cuori. O ancora in racconti drammatici, in cui la Yuki-Onna non si limita ad attendere il passaggio di viandanti disorientati. Qui infatti, essa entra prepotentemente nelle case, spalancando porte e finestre sotto forma di violente tormente di neve uccidendo i malcapitati abitanti.
In Occidente conosciamo un aspetto più romantico di queste leggente. Questo avviene soprattutto grazie all’opera di Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, giornalista e scrittore irlandese naturalizzato giapponese, conosciuto anche come Koizumi Yakumo (小泉八雲).
photo credits: letterboxd.com
La versione di Lafcadio
“Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things” è opera del 1904 contenente una raccolta di credenze popolari e anche un’interpretazione della cultura e dei costumi del Giappone. Qui la leggenda narrata da Hearn parla di due boscaioli, l’anziano Mosaku ed il suo giovane apprendista Minokichi, che tornano a casa dopo una giornata di lavoro in una fredda sera. I due personaggi sorpresi da una violenta tempesta di neve, trovano riparo in una capanna vicino ad un fiume. A seguire, i due uomini si adagiano sul pavimento della capanna e vinti dalla fatica si addormentano. Durante la notte Minokichi viene svegliato da un vento gelido, che sembra aver spalancato porta e finestre della capanna. Ancora confuso dal sonno e credendo di sognare, vede una donna vestita di bianco e dalla lunga chioma, china su Mosaku, intenta ad alitare su di lui un gelido fiato simile a nebbia.
Quando la donna si volta verso Minokichi, il giovane rimane come incantato dalla sua incredibile bellezza. Tuttavia, non riesce a sostenere quello sguardo che gli incute un indicibile terrore. Intenerita dalla giovinezza e dall’avvenenza del ragazzo, la donna decide di risparmiare la sua vita a condizione che egli non riveli mai a nessuno l’esistenza di una tale creatura. Se mai dovesse parlare a qualcuno di quegli eventi, la sua morte sarebbe certa.
Il mattino seguente un barcaiolo, proprietario del capanno, trova nel suo interno il corpo ormai congelato dell’anziano Mosaku, ma riesce a trarre in salvo Minokichi, ormai semi assiderato.
Un anno dopo…
Superati ormai il terrore e lo spossamento di quella terribile notte, il giovane prende in sposa una bellissima giovane donna di nome O-yuki. Improvvisamente comparsa nel suo villaggio ella fu subito ben voluta da tutti per il suo fascino ed i suoi modi gentili. Per molti anni i due vivono un matrimonio felice, benedetto dall’inspiegabile eterna giovinezza della ragazza, la cui bellezza sembra perdurare immutata nel tempo nonostante la nascita di dieci figli.
Finchè un giorno Minokichi, dimenticando la promessa fatta, racconta sconsideratamente a sua moglie di una creatura soprannaturale incontrata molti anni prima e che in qualche modo sembra ricordargli la sua incantevole sposa. Con sua immensa sorpresa, O-yuki, improvvisamente trasfigurata dalla rabbia, rivela essere proprio la donna da lui incontrata quella notte. Dopo aver rinfacciato al marito di non aver saputo tener fede alla promessa di segretezza fatta tanti anni prima, decide di risparmiargli la vita, per amore dei loro figli. Così, dopo averlo ammonito ad avere buona cura di loro, scompare per sempre.
photo credits: aminoapps.com
La Yuki-Onna nell’età contemporanea
Come la sposa di Minokichi, la leggenda della Yuki-onna, crudele e romantica al tempo stesso, sembra conservare intatto il proprio fascino nei secoli.
Infatti, in epoca contemporanea ha ispirato numerosi film. Ricordiamo infatti Kwaidan (怪談) del 1965, diretto da Masaki Kobayashi, vincitore del premio speciale della giuria al Festival di Cannes. Kwaidan fu anche in lizza agli Academy Award con una nomination per il Miglior film in lingua straniera.
Al successo di questo film ha fatto seguito, nel 1968, Kaidan yukijoro di Tokuzô Tanaka, fino ad arrivare nel 2016 con Yuki-Onna, diretto e interpretato da Kiki Sugino.
La bella e letale donna delle nevi, nelle sue innumerevoli varianti, compare poi come protagonista o personaggio di spicco in una vastissima gamma di videogiochi, anime e manga. Ricordiamo Nurarihyon no Mago o Ranma ½, solo per citarne alcuni. Tuttavia, il suo intramontabile fascino continuerà ad ammaliarci ancora a lungo, col suo eterno, candido inverno.[:en]In the endless world of yokai (supernatural creatures of the Japanese tradition), the figure of Yuki-Onna (雪女) stands out. Legendary snow woman, with her icy and lethal charm, embodies the terrible beauty of winter in the mountains of Japan.
Despite being known by different names and stories in the various prefectures, this character is renowned above all in the coldest and most inaccessible areas of the archipelago.
The Yuki-Onna is described as a beautiful woman with white skin, which appears on mountain trails and in snowstorms. She is dressed in a light white kimono or naked and covered only by very long hair, black or white depending on the legends. Ethereal and floating apparition in the snowy landscape on which it leaves no footprints, it can suddenly disappear turning into a cloud of fog or very fine snow.
Yuki-Onna: the Origins
The origin of this figure, like other yokai, is lost in the most ancient times. The first written trace of its history is found in the Sōgi Shokoku Monogatari, dating back to the Muromachi period (1333-1573). Here the monk Sogi describes the encounter with a woman of extraordinary beauty during his stay in the province of Echigo (current prefecture of Niigata). This mysterious woman was dressed in white, tall and with a very pale complexion and long white hair. From a young appearance, she mysteriously appeared one morning in the frozen garden of the monk. However, it disappeared just as mysteriously under the incredulous gaze of man.
photo credits: smitefire.com
The two faces of winter
Like the winter that can manifest itself with a dazzling and serene splendor or with a cruel and lethal force, so is the Yuki-Onna. Sometimes it appears as a ruthless predator that attracts lost travelers into the storm to feed on them with their life energy. At other times it appears as a benevolent presence or even in its turn seduced by human charm.
In the most ancient stories, the monstrous and destructive aspect prevails. In fact, in these stories, parents who have lost their children in the mountains are approached by a woman. She asks them to pick up a child she can’t bring herself. The unwary who accept this invitation are destined to freeze to death, overwhelmed by the fatigue of carrying a heavier burden at every step.
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Or in the stories, the Yuki-Onna seduces men subjugated by its otherworldly charm. They end up succumbing to his mortal kiss, able to drain their life force and freeze their hearts. Or again in dramatic stories, in which Yuki-Onna does not simply wait for the passage of bewildered travelers. Here, in fact, it enters the houses forcefully, opening doors and windows in the form of violent snowstorms, killing the unfortunate inhabitants.
In the West, we know a more romantic aspect of this reading. This is mostly thanks to the work of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, a Ireland-born journalist and writer from Japan, also known as Koizumi Yakumo (小泉八雲).
photo credits: letterboxd.com
The Lafcadio version
“Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things” is a 1904 work containing a collection of popular beliefs and also an interpretation of the culture and customs of Japan. Here the legend narrated by Hearn speaks of two woodcutters, Elder Mosaku and his young apprentice Minokichi, who return home after a day’s work on a cold evening. The two characters surprised by a violent snowstorm find shelter in a hut near a river. Afterward, the two men lay on the floor of the hut and, overcome by fatigue, they fall asleep. During the night Minokichi is awakened by an icy wind, which seems to have opened the door and windows of the hut. Still confused by sleep and believing he is dreaming, he sees a woman dressed in white and with long hair, bending over Mosaku, intent on breathing a cold mist like breath over him.
When the woman turns to Minokichi, the young man remains enchanted by her incredible beauty. However, he cannot sustain that look that inspires an unspeakable terror. Softened by the youth and the attractiveness of the boy, the woman decides to spare his life on condition that he never reveals to anyone the existence of such a creature. If he ever spoke to any of those events, his death would be certain.
The following morning a boatman, owner of the hut, finds in his interior the now frozen body of the elderly Mosaku, but manages to rescue Minokichi, now semi-frozen to safety.
A year later…
Having overcome the terror and exhaustion of that terrible night, the young man marries a beautiful young woman named O-Yuki. Suddenly appearing in his village she was immediately well-liked by everyone for her charm and her gentle manner. For many years the two live a happy marriage, blessed by the girl’s inexplicable eternal youth, whose beauty seems to endure unchanged over time despite the birth of ten children.
Until one-day Minokichi, forgetting the promise he made, recklessly tells his wife of a supernatural creature he met many years before and that somehow seems to remind him of his charming bride. To his immense surprise, O-Yuki, suddenly transfigured by anger, reveals herself to be the woman he met that night. After having reproached her husband for not having been able to keep the promise of secrecy made so many years before, she decides to spare his life for the sake of their children. So, after warning him to take good care of them, she disappears forever.
photo credits: aminoapps.com
Yuki-Onna in the contemporary age
Like the bride of Minokichi, the legend of Yuki-Onna, cruel and romantic at the same time, seems to preserve its charm over the centuries.
In fact, in contemporary times it has inspired numerous films. We remember in fact Kwaidan (怪怪) of 1965, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, winner of the special prize of the jury at the Cannes Festival. Kwaidan was also in the running for the Academy Awards with a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
The success of this film was followed, in 1968, by Kaidan Yukijoro by Tokuzô Tanaka, until 2016 with Yuki-Onna, directed and performed by Kiki Sugino.
The beautiful and lethal snow woman, in her innumerable variations, then appears as a protagonist or leading figure in a vast range of video games, anime and manga. Nurarihyon no Mago or Ranma ½, just to name a few. However, its timeless charm will continue to enchant us for a long time, with its eternal, candid winter.[:ja]In the endless world of yokai (supernatural creatures of the Japanese tradition), the figure of Yuki-Onna (雪女) stands out. Legendary snow woman, with her icy and lethal charm, embodies the terrible beauty of winter in the mountains of Japan.
Despite being known by different names and stories in the various prefectures, this character is renowned above all in the coldest and most inaccessible areas of the archipelago.
The Yuki-Onna is described as a beautiful woman with white skin, which appears on mountain trails and in snowstorms. She is dressed in a light white kimono or naked and covered only by very long hair, black or white depending on the legends. Ethereal and floating apparition in the snowy landscape on which it leaves no footprints, it can suddenly disappear turning into a cloud of fog or very fine snow.
Yuki-Onna: the Origins
The origin of this figure, like other yokai, is lost in the most ancient times. The first written trace of its history is found in the Sōgi Shokoku Monogatari, dating back to the Muromachi period (1333-1573). Here the monk Sogi describes the encounter with a woman of extraordinary beauty during his stay in the province of Echigo (current prefecture of Niigata). This mysterious woman was dressed in white, tall and with a very pale complexion and long white hair. From a young appearance, she mysteriously appeared one morning in the frozen garden of the monk. However, it disappeared just as mysteriously under the incredulous gaze of man.
photo credits: smitefire.com
The two faces of winter
Like the winter that can manifest itself with a dazzling and serene splendor or with a cruel and lethal force, so is the Yuki-Onna. Sometimes it appears as a ruthless predator that attracts lost travelers into the storm to feed on them with their life energy. At other times it appears as a benevolent presence or even in its turn seduced by human charm.
In the most ancient stories, the monstrous and destructive aspect prevails. In fact, in these stories, parents who have lost their children in the mountains are approached by a woman. She asks them to pick up a child she can’t bring herself. The unwary who accept this invitation are destined to freeze to death, overwhelmed by the fatigue of carrying a heavier burden at every step.
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Or in the stories, the Yuki-Onna seduces men subjugated by its otherworldly charm. They end up succumbing to his mortal kiss, able to drain their life force and freeze their hearts. Or again in dramatic stories, in which Yuki-Onna does not simply wait for the passage of bewildered travelers. Here, in fact, it enters the houses forcefully, opening doors and windows in the form of violent snowstorms, killing the unfortunate inhabitants.
In the West, we know a more romantic aspect of this reading. This is mostly thanks to the work of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, a Ireland-born journalist and writer from Japan, also known as Koizumi Yakumo (小泉八雲).
photo credits: letterboxd.com
The Lafcadio version
“Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things” is a 1904 work containing a collection of popular beliefs and also an interpretation of the culture and customs of Japan. Here the legend narrated by Hearn speaks of two woodcutters, Elder Mosaku and his young apprentice Minokichi, who return home after a day’s work on a cold evening. The two characters surprised by a violent snowstorm find shelter in a hut near a river. Afterward, the two men lay on the floor of the hut and, overcome by fatigue, they fall asleep. During the night Minokichi is awakened by an icy wind, which seems to have opened the door and windows of the hut. Still confused by sleep and believing he is dreaming, he sees a woman dressed in white and with long hair, bending over Mosaku, intent on breathing a cold mist like breath over him.
When the woman turns to Minokichi, the young man remains enchanted by her incredible beauty. However, he cannot sustain that look that inspires an unspeakable terror. Softened by the youth and the attractiveness of the boy, the woman decides to spare his life on condition that he never reveals to anyone the existence of such a creature. If he ever spoke to any of those events, his death would be certain.
The following morning a boatman, owner of the hut, finds in his interior the now frozen body of the elderly Mosaku, but manages to rescue Minokichi, now semi-frozen to safety.
A year later…
Having overcome the terror and exhaustion of that terrible night, the young man marries a beautiful young woman named O-Yuki. Suddenly appearing in his village she was immediately well-liked by everyone for her charm and her gentle manner. For many years the two live a happy marriage, blessed by the girl’s inexplicable eternal youth, whose beauty seems to endure unchanged over time despite the birth of ten children.
Until one-day Minokichi, forgetting the promise he made, recklessly tells his wife of a supernatural creature he met many years before and that somehow seems to remind him of his charming bride. To his immense surprise, O-Yuki, suddenly transfigured by anger, reveals herself to be the woman he met that night. After having reproached her husband for not having been able to keep the promise of secrecy made so many years before, she decides to spare his life for the sake of their children. So, after warning him to take good care of them, she disappears forever.
photo credits: aminoapps.com
Yuki-Onna in the contemporary age
Like the bride of Minokichi, the legend of Yuki-Onna, cruel and romantic at the same time, seems to preserve its charm over the centuries.
In fact, in contemporary times it has inspired numerous films. We remember in fact Kwaidan (怪怪) of 1965, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, winner of the special prize of the jury at the Cannes Festival. Kwaidan was also in the running for the Academy Awards with a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
The success of this film was followed, in 1968, by Kaidan Yukijoro by Tokuzô Tanaka, until 2016 with Yuki-Onna, directed and performed by Kiki Sugino.
The beautiful and lethal snow woman, in her innumerable variations, then appears as a protagonist or leading figure in a vast range of video games, anime and manga. Nurarihyon no Mago or Ranma ½, just to name a few. However, its timeless charm will continue to enchant us for a long time, with its eternal, candid winter.[:]