Kappa (河童, "river-child"), alternatively called Kawatarō (川太郎, "river-boy"), Komahiki (“horse puller”), or Kawako (川子, "river-child"), are legendary creatures, a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore.[1][2][3]
In Shintō they are considered to be one of many suijin (水神,“water deity”).[4]
Kappa are usually seen as mischievous troublemakers or trickster figures.
Kappa are typically depicted as roughly humanoid in form, and about the
size of a child. Their scaly, reptilian skin ranges in color from green
to yellow or blue.[7][8][9]
They are sometimes said to smell like fish, and they can certainly swim like them. The expression kappa-no-kawa-nagare ("a kappa drowning in a river") conveys the idea that even experts make mistakes.[11]
A hair-covered variation of a Kappa is called a Hyōsube (ひょうすべ).[5]
There are more than eighty other names associated with the kappa in
different regions which include Kawappa, Gawappa, Kōgo, Mizushi,
Mizuchi, Enkō, Kawaso, Suitengu, and Dangame.[3]
Kappa are similar to Finnish Näkki, Scandinavian/Germanic Näck/Neck, Slavian Vodník and Scottish Kelpie in that all have been used to scare children of dangers lurking in waters.
It has been suggested that the kappa legends are based on the Japanese giant salamander or "hanzaki", an aggressive salamander which grabs its prey with its powerful jaws.[6]
The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Ōsanshōuo (オオサンショウウオ/大山椒魚), literally meaning "giant pepper fish". With a length of up to almost 1.5 meters (5 ft),[2] it is the second largest salamander in the world, only being surpassed by the very similar and closely related Chinese giant salamander (A. davidianus).
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