Akuma (folklore)
{{Short description|Fire spirit in Japanese folklore}}
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An akuma (悪魔) is an evil spirit in Japanese folklore,{{Cite book|last=Ashkenazi|first=Michael|title=Handbook of Japanese Mythology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqs-y9R2AekC&pg=PA311 |date=2003|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=1-57607-467-6|location=Santa Barbara, CA |page=311}}{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VSu6CwAAQBAJ&q=akuma&pg=PA19 |last=Bane|first=Theresa|date=2016|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|isbn=978-1-4766-6355-5|location=Jefferson, NC|pages=19}} sometimes described in English-language sources as a devil or demon.{{Cite book |last=Brinkley |first=Frank |url=http://archive.org/details/cu31924082117288/page/22 |title=An Unabridged Japanese-English Dictionary |date=1896 |publisher=Sanseidō |page=22}} An alternative name for the akuma is ma (ま).{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Alison |url=http://archive.org/details/laroussedictiona0000jone_m7w1/page/12 |url-access=registration |title=Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore |date=1995 |publisher=Larousse |page=12 |isbn=0-7523-00-43-1}} Akuma is the name assigned to Satan in Japanese Christianity, and the Mara in Japanese Buddhism.
Mythology
The earliest uses of the word akuma are mainly found in Buddhist texts, but it also appears in literary works, especially those written during the Heian period (794–1185 AD).{{Cite book|last=Link|first=Luther|title=Devil: A Mask Without a Face|date=1995|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=0-948462-67-1|location=London|pages=188}} Later, following the introduction of Christianity to Japan, akuma became the customary way of translating the English word Satan.
An akuma is typically depicted as an entity with a fiery head and flaming eyes, and carrying a sword. It is said to be to be a harbinger of misfortune to those who see it.
There have been attestations of people traditionally associating mental illness with the presence of akuma.{{Cite book|title=A Nurse's Guide to Women's Mental Health |author=Michele R. Davidson |url=https://archive.org/details/nursesguidetowom0000davi/page/34 |url-access=registration |date=2012|publisher=Springer Publishing Company, LLC|isbn=978-0-8261-7113-9|location=New York|page=34}}
References
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