In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to discover something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries that have some unique and old monsters is Japan.

Ushi-Oni

The Ushi-Oni is commonly referred to as a cow demon or an ox demon due to the fact that its appearance is not always the same. Sometimes it will have a crab body and an ox head, the body of a spider with giant tusks in addition to flying squirrel wings, and other times it will appear as a very unfriendly cow. The Ushi-Oni will typically conceal itself close to the shore in order to terrorize local fishermen with its ghastly appearance.

Shuten Doji

The Shuten Doji lived in Kyoto and would feed its appetite for human flesh by luring women into its castle. Once the women were inside the castle, they would find themselves imprisoned until the Shuten Doji was hungry enough to eat them. The Shuten Doji was near impossible to slay, as a hero looking to feed it drugged sake to lull it to sleep would quickly find that creature would transform into a red demon when it ingested sake. If beheaded, the head of the Shuten Doji would remain alive to seek vengeance on those that had sought to kill it.

Teke Teke

Teke Teke was once a young schoolgirl by the name of Kashima Reiko who fell on to the Meishin Railway where her legs were cut off by a train. After her death from blood loss, she became the vengeful spirit known as Teke Teke. She often haunts railways where she will kill those she comes across that do not flee fast enough by cutting off their legs and watching them bleed out. Other times she is known to haunt bathroom stalls where she will ask three questions and a wrong answer will see her victim lose their legs and their life. Her questions are:

1. Where are my legs? Answer: Meishin Railway

2. Who told you this? Answer: Kashima Reiko

2. What is my name? Answer: Mask Death Demon

Gashadokuro

Gashadokuro are spirits that are fifteen time taller than the average person and look like giant skeletons. The bones in their bodies were collected by the spirits from people that died of starvation. They hunt for unwary travelers only after midnight in order to satisfying their craving for fresh blood. They decapitate their victims and then drink the blood that comes spraying out of the body. They have powers of invisibility and are indestructible. The only way to stay safe from these spirts is to have a Shinto charm.

Aka Manto

Aka Manto is a spirit that takes the appearance of a handsome man with a mask covering his face that haunts public and school bathrooms. Aka Manto can choose to be visible or invisible to his chosen victims as he asks his victim a question that will determine their fate. The questions and the results of the different answers are:

1. Do you want red paper or blue paper?

Red: Aka Manto slices them apart until the victim's clothes are covered in red blood.

Blue: Aka Manto strangles the victim until they turn blue.

Requests for different color paper means the victim is dragged by Aka Manto to the Netherworld.

Silence: Aka Manto will depart if no answer is given.

2. Do you want a red cape or blue cape?

Red: Aka Manto will rip the skin off his victim's back.

Blue: Aka Manto will drain all the blood from the victim’s body.

Yellow: Aka Manto will drown the victim multiple times, but eventually leave the victim alive.